“Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Henry asked Ella as she opened the passenger side door of Nate’s car. “It’s a long drive for Max, and you’re still complaining about your head.”

“It’s just a couple of hours away,” Ella assured him as she turned and gave him another hug. “It won’t be for long. Besides, it will give Max a chance to meet his other grandma.”

“I know,” Henry sighed miserably. “I just wish you weren’t so far away. It’s not like Nina doesn’t know where Nate’s mother lives.”

“The police are going to pick her and Stevenson up,” Ella assured her father. “Once they do, we will come back, I promise.”

“Just take care of yourself, okay,” Henry sighed as he hugged his daughter once more.

“I will, Dad,” she promised him before she turned and climbed into the car.

“Call us when you get there, Nora said from the window on the driver’s side of the car.

“We will,” Nate replied as he started the engine.

Ella held her breath as they reversed out of the driveway. She knew that she was doing the right thing, but she was sad to leave her parents, even if it was for just a few days.

As they drove, Ella stared out the window, lost in thought. Since she had left the hospital, she had barely said two words. She couldn’t believe that she was pregnant again. On top of everything else, having another baby was the last thing she needed right at that moment. But she was, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She knew, even though Nate hadn’t actually said it, he was terrified she would get rid of the baby. It was what Nina had done, and now he was afraid she would do it too. She could see it in his face every time he looked at her.

She had decided to wait to tell anyone about the baby. It was still so early, and they were worried enough about her and Max, without giving them something else to worry about.

While they travelled, Ella could feel Nate watching her from time to time. She knew he had so many questions, but she just needed time to process everything in her own mind, before she could talk to Nate.

She knew he needed to know that everything would be okay, but the truth was, she didn’t know it would be. She loved Max more than anything else in this world, but sometimes being his mother was so exhausting, she just didn’t know if she had more to give. She hated that the one thing she asked herself over and over was, what if this baby was like Max too. The guilt she felt for feeling like that was almost suffocating her. How could she ever tell Nate how she was feeling?

It was a little after eight when they reached Nate’s mother’s house. She lived in New Haven in a beautiful house next to the beach.

When they arrived, Max and Shelby were both sound asleep. Nate switched off the engine and climbed out of the car, just as an older, attractive woman appeared in the doorway.

“You made it,” she exclaimed as she hurried down the steps and greeted Nate with a warm embrace before she held him at arms-length. “You look tired.”

“I’m fine,” Nate assured his mother, before he turned back to Ella, as she climbed out of the car. “Mom, I want you to meet Ella Cassidy. Ella this is my mom, Karen.”

“Finally,” Karen said as she greeted Ella with a smile as she hugged her tightly, holding her a little longer than she needed to. “Nathan has told me so much about you. It’s lovely to meet you in person, finally.”

“You too,” Ella replied. “And thank you for letting us come and stay in your home at such short notice.”

“No thanks needed,” Karen said as she released Ella from her embrace, but still held her at arms-length. “I’m only too happy to get to spend time with my girls, and also to get a chance to get to know my grandson.”

“I think that will have to wait till tomorrow,” Nate said as he walked to the back of the car and opened the door. “Max and Shelby passed out about an hour ago.”

Nate reached in and unfastened Max’s car seat restraints. He lifted him out carefully, and Max instantly snuggled into Nate’s arms.

“I put a bed into the girl’s room,” Karen told Nate in a hushed voice. “I thought he would prefer being with them, than being on his own.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Nate said as he headed for the door with Max, and headed inside. While they waited for Nate to return, Cassie climbed out of the car, hurried to her grandmother, and Karen instantly wrapped the little girl in her arms.

“Hey, Monkey,” Karen said as she softly kissed the top of Cassie’s head. “How are you doing, Sweetheart.”

“I’m okay, Nanna,” Cassie replied as she looked up and smiled at her grandmother. “We were staying at Grampa Henry and Nanna Nora’s house. It’s lots of fun there.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Karen said as she hugged her granddaughter once more, then glanced over at Ella and gave her another warm smile. “You and your family have been so kind to Nate and the girls. I don’t imagine it was easy to take on a man and his two girls.”

“It’s been no trouble at all,” Ella assured the woman. “The two girls are so sweet, and Max just loves them both so much. Nate has been great with Max too. He is such a great father.”

“He loves his family,” Karen replied as her smile faded a little. “I think that’s the reason he went back to that wretched woman four years ago. He just loved his girls too much.”

“Are my ears burning?” Nate asked as he appeared in the doorway once more.

“Nothing bad, I assure you,” Karen said with a laugh as Nate walked around the car to where Shelby was asleep. Once more he carefully opened her seatbelt and scooped her up in his arms, before he quickly headed back inside the house with the sleeping little girl.

“Why don’t we get you inside,” Karen said to Ella, as she headed towards the house, followed closely by Ella and Cassie.

Karen’s house was beautifully decorated. It was warm and welcoming and was filled with photos of her family, all of whom she clearly loved very much.

She had some food ready for them, and Nate and Cassie didn’t hesitate getting stuck in. Ella, on the other hand, wasn’t really feeling hungry, so she just picked at her food mostly.

When Nate said it was time for Cassie to go to bed, Ella offered to take her up. She said she wanted to check on Max and Shelby, but also she wanted to give Nate a chance to talk to his mother.

“Does your wrist hurt?” Cassie asked Ella as she climbed into bed.

“Just a little,” Ella replied with a smile as she pulled the covers over the little girl. “It’s not so bad.”

“What about your head?” Cassie asked as her eyes glanced up toward the bump that was on the side of Ella’s forehead.

“A little,” Ella replied. The truth was, her head was pounding, but she didn’t want to take the painkillers the doctor had given her because of the baby.

“I will help you with Max tomorrow,” Cassie yawned as she pulled her blanket closer to her face. “We can all go to the beach, and I will make sure Max doesn’t go near the water.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Ella said as she leaned down and kissed Cassie on the forehead. “Sweet dreams.”

When Ella made her way back downstairs, she could hear Nate and his mother talking, and she followed the sound of their voices to the living room. As she reached the door, she could hear what they were saying, and something made her stop and listen.

“Ella was very quiet at dinner,” Karen said, and Ella could hear the concern in her voice.

“She has had a tough day,” Nate sighed, and Ella knew he was struggling too. “These last few weeks have been hard on her.”

“In what way?” Karen asked, her curiosity clearly piqued.

“She had built this perfect little world for her and Max,” Nate sighed sadly. “Then I come crashing into it, and send her life spinning out of control.”

“You don’t regret choosing her, do you?” Karen asked, and Ella held her breath. What if he did?”

“Yes and no,” he replied honestly. “Mom, I love her so much. More than I ever thought possible. You remember how I was when I found out about Nina. My life fell apart. The night I met Ella, it was like learning to breathe for the very first time. But then I lost her, and it nearly killed me.”

“I remember,” Karen replied, and Ella could hear the sadness in her voice.

“I went back to Nina because I knew I would never love anyone more than I loved Ella,” Nate continued. “So I thought, at least if I was with the girls… When I found Ella once more, I knew the moment I saw her that I would move a mountain to be with her. She was the one I was meant to be with.”

“Then what is the problem?” Karen asked as Ella's heart hammered in her chest.

“What if I am not the one she is meant to be with?” Nate sigh and Ella’s heart broke at the sadness in his voice. “I was so busy thinking about what was best for me; I never stopped to think what was best for her.”

“She loves you, Nate,” Karen replied, and Ella could hear the smile in her voice. “That girl has had her life turned upside down. Yes, she is struggling, but who wouldn’t be with everything she has been through. Still, when she looks at you, it’s like she sees no one else in the world. She may be scared about the future, maybe you both are, but when she looks at you, fear is not what shines from her eyes.”

“I love her, Mom,” Nate whispered. “I love her so much I can barely breathe without her.”

“Then trust how you feel,” Karen sighed. “Love doesn’t always make your life easy. But it sure makes it worthwhile.”

Ella choked back a sob that rose from deep inside her. She loved Nate so much, and she knew no matter what life threw at her, once she had him she could face anything.

She pressed her hand to her stomach and thought of the baby growing inside her. So what if this baby was like Max? It was still her baby. Hers and Nate’s; and she would love it just as much as she loved Max.

Ella turned and made her way back up the stairs to the room Nate said was theirs. She needed a few minutes to collect her thoughts before she re-joined Nate and his mother.

When she reached the room, she sat on the bed and took several deep breaths. She suddenly felt so tired.

Her phone beeped in her pocket, and when she pulled it out, she saw it was a message from Ruby.

WTF! Talked to Bran, he said you were in an accident. Are you okay? He said you’ve gone to New Haven for a few days to get away from Nate’s psycho ex. Why didn’t you call me? Please let me know you’re okay. Love R x

Ella sighed as she read the message. She had completely forgotten about Ruby. There was a time when she would have been the first one she called when shit happened. She felt like the crappiest friend in the world right at that moment.

She pulled up Ruby’s number and held her finger over the call button for a few moments. She knew if she talked to Ruby, she would have to tell her everything, even about the baby.

Ella hit back up instead and threw the phone down on the bed. She wasn’t ready to tell the world just yet. First, she needed to talk to Nate, and make sure that they were okay.

She flopped back down onto the bed and closed her eyes. She just wished that everything didn’t have to be so hard.

Ella woke with a start and was surprised to find Nate lying next to her, watching her closely.

“Shit!” She exclaimed as she quickly sat up on the bed. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Maybe an hour,” Nate replied as he too sat up. “When you didn’t come back down, I thought something was wrong, so I came looking for you.”

“I’m so sorry,” Ella replied. “Ruby texted me, and I was just going to reply. I sat down for a moment; I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Ella knew that wasn’t exactly what happened, but she needed to tell him something.

“It’s okay,” Nate replied giving her a worried look. “It’s been a long day.”

“But your mom…,” Ella said as she went to stand up from the bed, but Nate took hold of her arm to stop her

“She understands,” Nate told her as he took Ella’s face in her hands. “But right now, I don’t care what she thinks. I care about you. I need you to talk to me.”

“Nate…I…” Ella said as she searched for the right words.

“You have barely said a word since you found out about the baby,” Nate continued. “I know this is not what you want, but I need to know what is going on in your head right now.”

Ella stared at him for a moment, as her heart hammered in her chest. Then she leaned forward, closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.

“I love you,” she breathed against his mouth. “I'm scared about the future, but I know I can face it as long as I have you.”

“Ella,” Nate whispered. “I just want to make you happy.”

“You do,” Ella sighed as she kissed him once more. “More than you will ever know.”

“I know you’re worried about the baby,” Nate said as he looked down into her eyes. “And I know you have good reason to be scared…”

He pressed his hand to her stomach.

“But please don’t give up on it,” Nate begged. “Please don’t give up on me.”

“Nate,” Ella smiled as she took his face in her hands. “I will never give up on you, and I will never give up on our baby; on any of our kids.”

“So you…you’re going to keep the baby?” Nate asked as he gave Ella a hopeful look.

“Of course I am,” she replied. “This is my child; our child, I will love it no matter what the future holds.”