“I forgot to tell you,” Carly said as Ella searched beneath the counter for her car keys. “There was a guy in here looking for you yesterday. You had only been gone about ten minutes. He was kind of hot.”

“A hot guy looking for me?” Ella asked as she grabbed her keys and stood up straight. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“He didn’t,” Carly replied with a wide grin. “But he said he would be back. He was very sexy. Great ass.”

“Well, if he comes back, I will be sure to tell him that you approve of his ass,” Ella laughed. “I should be going; I told Nate I would be home early.”

“So you and this Nate,” Carly asked with a smile. “Is it serious?”

“Yes,” Ella replied as she took off her apron and folded it neatly. “It is.”

“So, you and this other guy…” Carly grinned once more. “There’s nothing going on.”

“No, Carly,” Ella laughed as she walked towards the door. “There is nothing going on with me and any other guy.”

When Ella reached the door, she stopped and turned back to the girl.

“I was thinking,” Ella said as she walked back further into the flower shop. “With everything that is happening with Nate, and the girls. I don’t know how much time I will be able to put in here until things are sorted out.”

“Well I don’t mind covering you until things calm down,” Carly said giving Ella a reassuring smile. “I’m sure that Nate will find his girls soon, and everything will be okay.”

“I just don’t want to leave all this on you,” Ella said. “I thought that maybe we could hire someone part time. Just a couple of hours a day, maybe half the day on Saturday. I just think that Nate needs me right now, and Max knows something is going on and he is not coping very well…”

“Ella, it’s okay,” Carly stopped her mid-sentence. “My niece is looking for a summer job. I could have her come in and help me out. She’s a good kid, and I’m sure she would love the chance to earn some extra money.”

“That would be perfect,” Ella agreed. “I was thinking, maybe twelve hours a week to start, and we can review it in a week or two.”

“I will call her today,” Carly replied.

“Thanks, Carly,” Ella said, grateful for the girl’s help. “Call me later and let me know if she can start, and I will see you both tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you then,” Carly replied as Ella turned and headed for the door.

Twenty minutes later, Ella pulled into her driveway. She wondered if Nate was home yet. He had a meeting down in the police department with the detective her father knew that morning, and so far, she hadn’t heard a word from him yet.

She was about to slip her key into the lock when she heard someone call her from behind. Ella turned around and was surprised to see Xander standing there. He looked nervous and very unsure if just turning up was the right thing to do.

“Hey,” he said when Ella turned to face him. He was looking as handsome as the first time she saw him. He looked very cool in a white cotton shirt and cream linen trousers. His hair was swept back, and he was wearing sunglasses, which made it harder for Ella to read his face.

“Xander,” Ella replied as she walked back to the steps of her front porch and walked down them to where Xander was waiting. “How have you been?”

“I’m good, thanks,” he said and gave Ella a smiled that made her feel like the biggest bitch in the world. She had forgotten how sweet he was. If she was honest, she had forgotten about him completely. “How have you been?”

“Good,” she replied with a nod. “Busy, as usual.”

“I’m sorry for just dropping by like this,” Xander said as he took a nervous step closer to Ella. “I would have called, but Ruby said she would have you call me, then I didn’t hear from you.”

“I’m sorry,” Ella said, feeling like shit for misleading this sweet man. “It’s just been so crazy around here the last couple of days…”

“It’s the guy,” Xander said stopping Ella mid-sentence and she could feel the colour drain from her face. “Max’s dad.”

“It’s so complicated,” Ella sighed as she wished she could tell him he was wrong. “Xander, I’m so sorry. I never meant to lead you on.”

“It’s okay,” he shrugged and gave her a smile that almost melted her heart. “I mean, I won’t lie. I like you. I like you a lot, and I guess I’m disappointed, but I knew that night. I could see it in your face.”

“I didn’t lie to you when I said there was nothing between us,” Ella said, feeling she needed to explain herself to him, but as she did, she could feel her face flush with sheer embarrassment. “The night we went out, I was so determined to move on with my life…”

“But you love him,” Xander finished her thought.

“More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone,” Ella admitted.

“Then he’s a lucky man,” Xander said and smiled once more.

“I’m sorry, Xander,” Ella said, feeling she owed him that much. “I really am.”

“Me too,” Xander sighed, as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Goodbye, Ella,” Xander said with one last smile before he turned and headed down the gravel driveway. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around. And if you ever want a table at the restaurant, tell them that your friends with me, I’ll make sure you don’t have to wait anymore.”

“Thank you,” Ella said and she gave him a grateful smile. “Take care of yourself, Xander.”

“You too, Ella,” he replied, and he turned and walked back down the driveway.

“Wait!” Ella cried out when she remember that she still had his jacket. She walked to her car, where she had left the jacket, hoping to meet up with Xander once more to return it to him. “I need to give you this back.”

“You know, I completely forgot about this,” Xander said as he took the jacket from Ella. He smiled and looked down into her eyes for a moment. Then, much to Ella’s surprise, he leaned down and softly pressed his lips to hers.

Ella let it linger for a moment, before she quickly stepped back, breaking their connection.

“I’m sorry,” Xander said, and it was now his turned to look embarrassed. “I guess I just needed to be sure that you didn’t want me. Also, I have wanted to do that again since the other night.”

“I should really be going in,” Ella said as she took another step back from Xander. “Goodbye, Xander.”

Ella took a deep, cleansing breath before she turned and walked back up the steps of her porch, and into her house.

As she stepped through the door, the smell of cooking filled her senses and her stomach suddenly growled with hunger.

“Is that you?” Nate called from the kitchen, surprising Ella that he was home before her.

“Yep,” she called out as she walked into the kitchen, and found Nate standing at the stove, cooking up a storm. “I wasn’t expecting you home.”

“Well I met with Pete, the detective that your father knows,” Nate explained as he chopped more vegetables and dropped them into the pan. “He said that he is going to try to get hold of Nina’s phone records and try and see if there is someone she was in contact with that could help us. After the meeting, I went to all her friends once more, but none of them knew anything, but that’s nothing new. Then, I dropped by the hospital, but they said I should take as much time as I needed, so I came home and started cooking. You don’t mind me doing this; I was just. I was here, and I thought that you would like this, but if you don’t…”

Ella walked towards Nate and pressed her lips to his while he was mid-sentence, stopping his rant instantly. When she released his lips from hers, she looked up and him and smiled.

“Breathe,” she whispered as she looked into his eyes.             

“I just feel like I need to be doing something, Ella,” Nate explained.as he looked at her. “I miss the girls.”

“I know you do,” Ella smiled. “And dinner smells great. It’s nice to come home to some good home cooking.”

“Well, I thought you and I could spend the evening together,” Nate said as he slipped his arms around Ella. “You know, all the crap we have been through, you and I have never even had a date.”

“I think we are a little past the dating phase,” Ella laughed as she leaned up on her tippy toes, and kissed Nate softly on the lips. “But I would love to spend the evening with you.”

“I just need to try and pretend that for one night, everything is okay,” Nate sighed as he leaned his forehead against hers. “I just need one night of …something, so I can keep pretending that I’m okay.”

“Then we will have one night,” Ella smiled. “I just want to get changed really quickly, because there is pollen and dirt on my clothes.”

“You go get changed,” Nate told Ella and gave her a grin. “I’m almost finished here, so don’t be too long.”

“I won’t,” Ella said as she turned and hurried for the stairs.

As Ella changed her clothes, she thought about Nate. She knew he was struggling, and he was pretending to be okay for her sake. She wished that Nina would just even call and let him know that the girls were okay. She knew the not knowing was the hardest part for Nate, and she just wished there was something she could do to give him some reassurance.

When she was ready, she made her way back down the stairs and was surprised to see Nate had set the table with a white linen table cloth, crystal glasses, and a dozen, flickering tea light candles. It was perfect.

“Your seat, Madame,” Nate said as he pulled out one of the chairs, then gave Ella a bow.

“Why, thank you, kind sir,” Ella laughed as she walked across the kitchen, and took her seat. Before Nate turned to his seat, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers.

They chatted while they ate, mostly about Max. Ella talked about when Max was a baby, and about when he was diagnosed with Autism. Ella tried to ignore the sadness in his eyes, but it pulled at her heart, and all she wanted to do was hold him, and promise him that things will get better.

After dinner, Ella made two coffees, and they took them into the living room, where they both snuggled on the sofa.

They both just sat in comfortable silence, as they sipped their coffees. When Ella finally looked over at Nate, her heart almost broke when she saw just how lost he looked

“Talk to me,” she pleaded as she turned in her seat to face him.

“I just wish that we could be like this all the time,” Nate sighed. “I have imagined what it would have been like if you hadn’t had left that morning, so many times. If you had stayed and let me explain. I have thought about us finding each other and finally being able to tell you how much I loved you. It was insane how much I loved you after just one night together, but I did with everything that is inside me. I just never thought the price to be with the person I am meant to spend the rest of my days with, would come at such a high price.”

“Do you regret meeting me again?” Ella asked, not sure she wanted to hear his response.

“Not for one second!” Nate exclaimed. “Ella, I regret so many things in my life. I regret how I handled things with Nina, how I handled things with you. But I have never for one second regretted falling in love with you. I want to marry you, and spend the rest of my life with you.”

“You want to marry me?” Ella asked, stunned by his words.

“Ella Cassidy,” Nathan said, taking her face in his hands. “I will marry you. We are going to find my girls, and we are all going to have the most amazing life anyone could ever wish for.”

“I would love that,” Ella said as her eyes suddenly glistened with unshed tears. “I love you so much, Nate.”

Nate suddenly stood up and walked to the CD player on Ella’s sideboard. He placed a disc into the player, then turned and walked back to Ella as music filled the room. Ella recognised the song as Scratch, by Kendall Payne. It was one of her favourite songs. He reached out his hand to Ella.

“Dance with me,” he asked her and gave her a smile.

Ella took his hand and allowed him to pull her up into his arms. She pressed herself to him as they began moving in time with the music.

“I love this song,” Ella said, looking up into Nate’s eyes.

“I remember,” Nate said.  “I remember hearing you sing it as you were cooking, one day when I was here with Max. The words are very fitting, I think. I want us to start over from scratch, and this time, I’m going to get it right.”

“I like the sound of that,” Ella replied with a smile.

Nate leaned down and softly pressed his lips to Ella’s, as he pulled her closer to him. Ella knew at that moment that no matter what happened in their future, she would never love anyone more than she loved Nate.

It was different from the love she felt for Max. Max was her world, but Nate was the air that filled her lungs, the blood that ran through her veins; he was the beat of her heart.

As Nate’s kiss deepened, his phone began to ring on the coffee table next to them. He released her lips and sighed as he pressed his head to hers.

“I need to get this,” he said as he looked down into her eyes.

“I know,” Ella smiled.

Nate reached down and picked up the phone.

“I don’t recognise the number,” he said as he gave Ella a worried look.

He hit accept and then the speaker button, so Ella could hear it too.

“Hello,” he said as he looked at Ella.

“Daddy,” Cassie’s voice came through the phone.

“Cass, Sweetheart!” Nate exclaimed as his eyes widened. “I’m here, Baby. Are you okay?”

“Daddy, I want to come home,” Cassie cried as Ella reached for Nate’s hand.

“Tell me where you are, Sweetheart, and I will come get you,” Nate pleaded. “I will come and get you and Shelby. I have been searching for you.”

“We are staying with Mommy’s friend,” Cassie sobbed softly. “He isn’t nice. Daddy, he spanked Shelby.”

Ella could feel Nate tense at his daughter’s words.

“Where’s Mommy?” Nate asked, as his voice cracked with unshed tears.

“She is sick,” Cassie explained. “She is in bed asleep, and she won’t wake up. Daddy, I’m scared.”

“Tell me where you are, Sweetheart,” Nate begged as tears trickled down his face.

Before the little girl could answer, a man’s voice shouted in the background and the phone went dead.

“CASSIE!” Nate screamed into the phone, but his little girl was gone.