“Have you lost your damn mind?” Henry asked angrily the moment Ella had finished telling them what had happened the night before. He stood up from the table and began to pace up and down, just like he did when Ella was a teenager and was in trouble over something. “How do you think Max is ever going to cope being dragged from one family to another? Ella, you know this is not something he can get used to. He will never understand.”

“And what should I do, Dad?” Ella replied, feeling more than a little angry that her father would even suggest she didn’t know what was best for her own son. “Tell Nate to go to hell? Stop Max from having a real father? This is not easy for anyone; I know that, but Max has a right to know his father and Nate has a right to know him.”

“He has your brothers and me,” Henry insisted. “He doesn’t need some Johnny come lately, who suddenly wants to play happy families.”

“That’s not fair,” Ella snapped. “Nate didn’t know Max even existed until a few days ago. You can’t blame him for not being here.”

“That maybe so,” Henry replied. “But what kind of man, gets a woman pregnant, while he is married to another? I don’t want him near my grandson, or my daughter. You need to stop this now.”

“Argghh,” Ella cried in frustration. “This is impossible; there is just no talking to you.”

She stood up, grabbed her bag and looked at her mother. Nora gave Ella a knowing look that told her; she would talk to her father.

“I should get to work,” she sighed as she walked towards Max and kissed the top of his head.

“You're leaving?” Henry said as he stood up. “But we need to talk about this.”

“We don’t need to talk about anything,” Ella replied, trying to keep a lid on her annoyance. “This is my problem, Dad. I am twenty-eight years old. I don’t need your permission to do anything, anymore. Max is my son, and I’ll decide what’s best for him.”

Before Henry could reply, Ella stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. She hurried down the driveway to her car and quickly got inside.

“FUCK!” She cried in frustration as she slipped the key into the ignition. She hit the steering wheel and blew out a deep breath before she started the engine and reversed out of the driveway.

By the time she reached her flower shop, she felt terrible. She knew that as much as her father had upset her, he had only said what he had because he loved her and Max so much. Still, she was tired of always being second guessed. Max was her son, and she would do what she thought was best for him. She just hated fighting with her dad. He did so much for her and Max, and she knew behind his anger, he was just worried about her and Max.

“What’s happened,” Carly asked as she walked into the shop and found Ella with her head in her hands. Ella looked up and gave the girl a sad smile. “And what the hell happened to your face?”

“It’s a long story,” Ella sighed. In the four and a half years that Carly had been working at the shop, Ella had become very fond of the girl. She was four years younger than Ella, but sometimes she seemed much older. Ella was always surprised just how easy it was to talk to her.

“How about I make some coffee?” She suggested giving Ella a smile. “Then, if you feel like talking, we can talk, but if you don’t, that’s cool, too.”

“Thanks, Carly,” Ella replied, grateful to have someone who understood that sometimes just being there was enough.

“So,” Carly said a few minutes later when she returned with the coffee. She set Ella’s in front of her, then slipped onto the stool next to Ella. “What’s up?”

“I had a fight with my dad,” Ella sighed miserably.

“Your dad hit you?” Carly exclaimed sounding completely stunned.

“Of course, my dad didn’t hit me,” Ella replied with a laugh. “My face is a whole other set of stories that I really don’t want to get into right now.”

Before Carly could reply, the shop bell sounded, and both girls looked up towards the door. Ella’s heart almost stopped when she saw Nate standing next to the door, looking incredibly nervous, but just as gorgeous as he always did. She sighed to herself, as she wished she could just simply block out her feelings for him.

“Carly,” Ella said as she sat up straighter. She reached into the petty cash box, beneath the counter and pulled out twenty dollars. She grabbed her car keys too, knowing this would move Carly along quicker. “Would you go and get something for our lunch, please?”

Carly gave Ella a confused look for a moment, but then she looked at Nate once again, and she gave Ella a knowing smile.

“Sure,” she said as she took the money and the keys from Ella. “I will take my time.”

She gave Ella another smile before she headed for the door, then smiled at Nate before she left.

“I dropped by the house, but you weren’t home,” Nate said, once they were alone. He slowly walked closer towards the counter. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’ve had better days,” Ella replied, and to her horror, she could feel hot tears, sting her eyes. She quickly blinked them back.

As Nate reached the counter, his eyes dropped to the bruise on her cheek, and she could see he was visibly upset.

“I’m so sorry about your face,” he said, and Ella knew he was sincere. “I’m sorry for everything that has happened. I just want to make this all okay, but I don’t seem to be doing a very good job.”

“What happened last night was not your fault,” Ella sighed, as she choked back the lump in her throat.

“This is all my fault,” Nate sighed. “If I had been honest with you from the start, things might have been so different now. My life wouldn’t be the complete disaster it is, and you wouldn’t be getting dragged into something that has nothing to do with you, and you shouldn’t have to worry about.”

Ella stared at him for a moment, as she could feel her heartbreak for the man that she had fallen for, all those years before. Suddenly a tear trickled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.

“Please don’t cry,” Nate said as he hurried around the counter to where Ella was standing. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer to him. “I promise, I will make this all better. I won’t let you or Max down again.”

“It’s just such a mess?” Ella sobbed as she could hold back the tears no longer. “I want you and Max to know each other, it’s all I have ever wanted, but I wonder at what price will it cost?”

“I don’t care about the price,” Nate insisted quickly. “Max is my son. If Nina can’t see past that…”

“Oh, it’s not just her,” Ella said as she cried a little harder. “I had this huge argument with my dad too.”

“With your dad?” Nate asked, as he partially released her from his embrace, and gave her a confused look.

“I told him about you this morning,” Ella explained as she reached up and absentmindedly touched the bruise on her face. “I didn’t really have a choice…”

“And he wasn’t happy,” Nate finished Ella’s statement.

“That’s an understatement,” Ella sighed as fresh tears trickled down her face. “He is furious that I have let Max become messed up in this. The worst part is, he is right.”

“Please don’t say that Ella,” Nate begged. “I know things are fucked up, but he is my son. I can’t lose him now.”

“And I don’t want you to,” Ella replied. “But Max is not like other kids. He is so intuitive. He knows when things aren’t right, and he doesn’t cope well with it. I don’t want him upset or hurt. He did wake up last night, and he saw everything. I can’t let that happen to him again.”

“I promise you,” Nate assured Ella. “I will never let anyone hurt or upset him again. I have warned Nina to stay the hell away from you both. You will have no more trouble from her; I promise you.”

“But what about your girls?” Ella asked. “You don’t think that they will realise Max is the reason why you are Nina are fighting. How do you know they won’t resent him for that? They are only children too, Nate. You can’t expect them just to understand.”

“I know my girls,” Nate assured Ella. “And I know that they won’t blame Max for this. Granted, it’s a lot for them to take in, but he is my son, and they are my daughters. I can’t hide him from them; I don’t want to.”

“I just don’t know,” Ella said as she pulled away from Nate. “I want to say yes, but I am afraid. Max is just a little boy. I don’t know if he is ready for this. I don’t know if he will ever be ready for this.”

“Please!” Nate begged. Ella stared at him for a moment. She wanted to give him the answer he desperately wanted, but she just wasn’t sure.

Before she could reply, the phone rang. Ella looked down and saw Ruby’s name flashing on the screen.

“I need to take this,” Ella said as she reached for her phone. She hit accept then brought the phone to her ear. “Hi, Ruby…”

“IT’S TIME!” A very panicked Ruby exclaimed from the other end of the line. “ELLA, THE BABY IS COMING!”

“I’m on my way, Ruby,” Ella assured her friend. “I’ll be there soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Ruby replied before she hung up the phone.

“I’m sorry, Nate,” Ella said as she pulled her handbag from beneath the counter. “But I’ve got to go. I need to get to the hospital. My best friend is having a baby and I promised her I would be there.”

“Fine,” Nate said, and Ella knew he was feeling frustrated. “But can we talk about this later?”

“Okay, later,” Ella agreed as she searched the counter for her car keys. “Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?” Nate asked as he watched Ella pull the counter apart while she searched it.

“I can’t find my keys!” Ella exclaimed in frustration.

“Didn’t you give the keys to that girl?” Nate said as Ella looked up at him.

“SHIT!” She screamed as she remembered that she had given them to Carly.

“Come on,” Nate said with a smile. “I’ll give you a ride.”

“Really?” Ella asked as she looked up at Nate.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Nate asked her, surprised by her question.

“Because I thought you were mad at me,” Ella replied honestly.

“I’m not mad,” Nate replied with a sigh, but then he smiled. “Well, not that mad.”

“Thank you, Nate,” she said with a grateful smile before she quickly scribbled a note for Carly, then followed Nate out of the shop and to his car.

“Which hospital is it?” Nate asked as he started his car.

“Northern Westchester Hospital,” Ella replied, and Nate smiled again but said nothing. Instead, he just pulled away from the kerb, and they drove in a comfortable silence. Ella thought he would push her more about Max on the journey, but he didn’t. They each just sat quietly, lost in their individual thoughts.

When they reached the hospital, Ella was surprised when Nate got out of the car too.

“What are you doing?” She asked giving him a questioning look.

“Well,” he replied with a smile. “I kind of work here.”

“Oh, I see,” Ella replied before she turned and headed towards the entrance, followed closely by Nate.

“You need to go to the second floor,” Nate directed Ella as they reached the elevators.

“I know,” Ella smiled. “This is where Max was born.”

Nate stared at Ella for a moment, and she thought he was going to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he just turned and pressed the button to call the elevator. When the door opened, they both stepped inside.

Nate pressed the button for floors two and three as the door closed.

Ella glanced sideways at Nate, and she knew there was something on his mind, something he wanted to say, but still, he didn’t speak.

“Thanks for the ride,” Ella said as the elevator stopped and the doors slowly opened once again. “If you want to drop by later to talk; that’s okay.”

“Thanks,” he replied, as he gave her a grateful smile. Ella stepped off the elevator and waited for the doors to close before she turned and headed down the corridor.

She stopped at the desk to find out where Ruby was. Once she knew where she was to go, she wasted no time. She hurried down the corridor till she reached the door to Ruby’s room.

“Ella!” Ruby exclaimed the minute she rushed inside. Ruby looked beyond terrified, but she seemed relieved the moment she saw Ella.

“I’m here,” Ella assured her as she hurried to the bed and took her hand. She looked over and smiled at Brady, and he too looked relieved that she was there.

“Why didn’t you tell me it hurt this bad?” Ruby demanded as she squeezed Ella’s hand. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Of course, you can do this,” Ella laughed. “And you will hold that baby of yours, and you will be the best mom there is.”

“But what if I’m not?” Ruby cried. “What if I’m a terrible mother, just like my mom?”

“Ruby, every mother worries that they won’t be good enough,” Ella reassured her. “But you aren’t doing this alone; you have Brady, and you have me. You can do this.”

“Okay,” Ruby nodded, then added with a laugh. “What the hell happened to your face?”

“Nothing that matters,” Ella replied with a smile. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” she nodded then turned and smiled up at Brady.

“Let’s get our baby out,” Brady whispered as he leaned in and kissed Ruby. Then he looked over at Ella and mouthed, ‘Thank you.’

An hour and thirty minutes later, Ruby gripped Ella’s hand tightly as she pushed with all her might. Moments later, the piercing sound of a tiny baby filled the room.

“You did it, Ruby,” Ella said as tears of happiness trickled down her face. Brady just stood there, in stunned silence, waiting for what he wanted to hear.

“Ruby, you have a beautiful baby boy,” the midwife announced as she picked up the tiny, wailing little bundle and placed him on Ruby’s chest before she turned to Brady and smiled. “Dad, would you like to cut the cord?”

Brady didn’t answer; he couldn’t find the words. He simply nodded and took the scissors from the midwife. Once he had cut the cord, he returned his focus to Ruby and their son.

“You did it, Baby,” he cried without even trying to hold his emotions back. “We have a son. I have a son. Thank you so much.”

He kissed Ruby then turned to the baby.

“Hey, Son,” he whispered. “I’m your dad.”

His words hit Ella harder than she ever imagined they would. The love and joy in his face almost broke her heart. It was the first time that she truly understood what Max had missed out on, and more so, what Nate had. She knew then that no matter what happened, she could never take that joy from Nate, or that love from Max.

“Ella,” Ruby said as she pulled her from her thoughts. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she nodded, but she couldn’t hold the tears back. “I'm just being stupid.”

Ella excused herself, saying she wanted to give them a few moments together.

As she stepped out of the room, she was surprised to see Nate standing there at the nurse’s station. The moment she saw him, a sob escaped from her mouth. Nate hurried to her, grabbed her by the hand and led her to a store room.

Without saying a word, he wrapped her in his arms and just held her close to him. Ella buried her face into his chest and cried, though she wasn’t sure why she was crying.

“It’s okay,” Nate whispered in a soothing voice. “Everything is okay.”

“I promise,” Ella whispered through her tears. “I promise you that I will never keep Max from you. He is your son. I want you to be his father.”

“Thank you, Ella,” Nathan replied as he pulled her closer to him. “Thank you so much.”