A Second Chance Ch. 02

She sent me a text,

"Missing you like crazy Craig, come home soon, there's something here you should definitely examine..."

I sent her a smiley face back, along with the words, 'keep it warm for me!'

She obviously read it, and smiling walked back towards the camera blew me a kiss as she hugged her boobs.

Wow!

It put a real smile on my face for the rest of that trip that was for sure.

While I was digging around in an airliner computer, I received an email from my builder telling me that the repair work at Cairngorm Avenue and Cromwell Road had been completed and the keys would be dropped back at the big house the next evening.

Cairngorm Avenue was finally repaired, and Callie and Emmie could go home.

Shit.

How to deal with this one...

I went and bought another printed T-shirt.

The taxi arrived and I could see the sitting room doors open and Callie and Emmie, playing a chase game around my big garden and it warmed my heart.

"CRAIG!" shouted the tiny voice I'd grown to love so much and little Emmie was tearing across the immaculate lawn to jump up into my arms and hug me.

"Hiya Babygirl!" I said swinging her around and getting a celebratory whoop from her as I did so.

Callie had a smile almost as big, and she walked towards me, arms folded across that amazing bust and looking so goddamn sexy I had to force myself to walk slowly towards her and not run.

We had a great dinner, and just before bedtime, it was out with the gifts again, a set of clothes for Emmie's Steiff bear and more sexy royal blue lingerie for Callie.

Emmie was put to bed, and I waited up in my room, unpacking my bag from the last few days, and just enjoying being back in MY room and sitting on my bed for a again.

Once Emmie was down for the night, there was someone framing my door, wearing her new satin and lace; matching bra, panties, suspender belt with stockings all in her favourite colour.

"Thank you, Mr Douglas," she said, looking amazing.

"You're welcome, Miss Sinclair.

"So no stretchy nightie with German witticisms this time?"

"Well funny you should say that," I said reaching down into my rucksack, "here."

I threw her another of the same stretchy nightie from the Dusseldorf branch of the same store, with a slight change in wording this time.

"Oh, well done!" she said, "I left my other one at Mum's, she said she would bring it with her when she comes over in the summer."

"I know," I said.

"Surely it would have been easier getting Mum to send me mine back!"

"Doesn't hurt," I said, "One for casual, one for best."

She chuckled, and stalked across the room, beaming her terrific smile to me, which almost made it worth going away just to be able to come back to it.

"Thank you, Craig," she posed before me, hands on hips and weight one leg and looking amazing, "You just know what undies I like don't you," she stepped closer to me.

"You're wrong Callie," I said with a leer, "I actually know what kind of undies I like you in."

"Oh Craig!" she giggled, and moved forward putting her hands on my shoulders to push me back and lay down on me.

I resisted however, and pulled her to sit on my lap, something she'd started to do some weeks before. I wrapped my arms around her, warm, cosy, comfy, and she purred and sighed into my mouth again. We just smooched, I can't remember how long for, stopping and grinning at each other like idiots for a few moments.

"Make love to me Craig," she hissed.

So I did, and it was just perfect, both of us gasping and staring into the face of our lover as we came simultaneously, Callie for a second time.

"I missed you so much Craig," she whispered, "always do!"

"Well, when we get into the school holidays, I'll have to do like Emmie asked and take you both to a few of the places I go."

She bit her bottom lip, and grinned.

"Won't that be expensive?"

"Might be, but the rent for Cromwell Road should be rolling in soon, it's only been advertised for two days and the letting agent has three families interested already."

"Craig," she whispered, breaking eye contact, "Mr Snow, the builder... he brought the keys back for Cromwell Road... and... and my place..."

I grinned,

"Yeah, I know, he emailed me!"

She pursed her lips, trying to look cross, but failing.

"Well, I didn't know if..." she took a breath, "I didn't know if Emmie and me... whether you wanted us to move back again. I..." her look of sexually gratified serenity disappeared for moment, "If you want your life and your big house back again, I MIGHT be able to drag Emmie away from your TV and her new bedroom..."

"Callie!" I said resting a hand on her cheek, "have you even looked at your new nightie?"

"Not particularly, I was rather taken with the lingerie, and then you distracted me," she rolled away from me for a moment, reaching down to where the T-shirt had fallen. She sat up on her knees, looking incredible, naked but for her stockings and suspender belt. She held the shirt up to read it.

She studied the front, "it's... I THINK the words are different!"

"Check," I said simply.

"Check what?"

"Check what it says," I said.

"I don't speak German like you!" she snapped back at me.

"How did you check it last time?"

"Google Translate," she said simply holding the garment to herself momentarily, against those great tits I'd been paying so much attention to minutes before.

"It says," I took a deep breath, "Mein Verlobter ging nach Berlin und alles, was ich bekam, war dieses lausige Nachthemd', then in brackets 'aber es lässt meinen Arsch fantastisch aussehen."

"Excellent," she said, "perfect translation there, double-O seven."

I sat up,

"In English, my gorgeous, GORGEOUS Miss Moneypenny," I kissed her, "it reads 'My fiancé went to Berlin and all I got was this lousy nightdress, but it does make my arse look amazing," I paused at her open mouth, "the last bit about your arse is in brackets of course."

"Fian..."

"Fiancé, Callie," I kissed her and sat up like her, "will you marry me? You and Emmie live in the big house with me, for always? I'm in love with you Callie, have been for weeks and weeks, before those bastards..."

"Craig!" she said stopping me and my inevitable growling, instead smiling and adding, "you... you mean it?!"

"I love the feel of you in my arms Callie, I've realised... I really can't do without you, I'm yours Callie, I love you..."

"Oh Craig," she sighed again, "I'd love to marry you, I'm yours too!" She fell to kissing me repeatedly, "I love you, My Emmie loves you," she chuckled and swiped a tear from her wet eyes, "I even think my Mum loves you!"

We rolled together giggling, and she reached down for the duvet that had been shrugged off during out love making. She looked down at her lovely long legs, still sheathed in her dark stockings.

"Thank you," I said, just happy that she seemed as happy as me.

"Well, I long since stopped thinking that someone would propose to me," she lay a hand on her hip, "but I never thought someone would ask me to marry them when I look like a porn star!"

"What better time TO propose to someone Callie," I said, pulling her back to me, "And you don't look like a porn star, you look like a dream come true, my dream come true to be specific."

"Oh Craig!?" her eyes filled with tears again, and she kissed me.

We made love again, classic missionary, with me helping my lover to remove her stockings so we could sleep naked again.

We woke next morning and I spoon-sexed her, sliding into her from behind and fucking her awake.

We'd finished just in time for my bedroom door to be pushed open by a yawning Emmie, who trotted to the foot of my bed and climbed up, totally unphased by Mummy and Craig in bed together.

As she pulled the covers from her Mum to roll in next to her, I surreptitiously pulled on my boxers as I stood, heading down to the kitchen for tea and toast. When I returned with a tray, Emmie was bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Ask Craig then Emmie," whispered Callie.

"Craig, Mummy says if I'm a good girl I can be her bridesmaid!"

"Of course you can," I said, "You're ALWAYS a good girl, aren't you honey!"

She beamed in satisfaction to that one. Then without breaking for breath added,

"And you'll be my Daddy won't you." A statement, not a question.

"Only if YOU want me to be Babygirl."

"I do!" she said firmly, "Daddy!"

And that was that.

I got very used to being 'Daddy' and just worshipped my little girl. She would insist that I put her to bed, that I helped her in and out of the bath and shower, got her dressed in the mornings and all of that Daddy stuff. I went to her school parents' evenings, all watched over with glee by my beautiful fiancée.

She rang Nanny Judy and within two days, there was a taxi on my drive and my soon to be mother-in-law was stepping out, and walking across to the greenhouses to check what, if anything, had been planted.

We had bought in loads of compost bags and there was a fine selection of veggies growing, that we'd all taken a share in planting. My gardener had noticed during his weekly visit and suggested and automatic watering system that could be planted, and that was that. While I tried to take some of the glory I really couldn't and stepped back to leave it to my beautiful girls that had convinced me to do it before Nanny Judy visited again.

I even admitted to Judy that the biggest greenhouse was empty because I was waiting for some prices on a swimming pool to go in. She was just as impressed, but the best was when I pointed out the reasonably healthy grapevine that was still a few years away from producing wine, but doing brilliantly since it had got its toes into the healthy soil and fertilizer the gardener had planted it in.

We had a great sit-down dinner in the dining room, all dressed up and with all the expected trimmings, missing only a butler and a maid to serve the five courses we'd put together.

"You two are going to appear in my next book," said Judy, "The Master and the Nurse, Victoriana; sexual intrigue between upstairs and downstairs!" She giggled and drank some more wine.

After retiring to the sitting room, with the doors open out on the warm summer garden, a replete and slightly pissed Judy turned to me.

"So, once you've made an honest woman of my daughter, are you going to adopt Emma?"

I confessed that I hadn't really thought about it.

"I just want some distance between my girls and that twat of an ex-boyfriend of hers; don't get me wrong, Emmie was registered as a 'Sinclair' for which I'd always be grateful, but the more distance I can put between my Caroline and my Emma and that self-deluding twat the better."

I took a deep breath; I'd told Callie bits and pieces about Anna, and I don't think she ever felt threatened, but I admitted that I'd never asked about 'Ralph'.

Judy picked up her glass of port and sipped,

"Oh Darling, he always insisted he was a 'musician'," she almost snorted in laughter, "he played the guitar yes, but a MUSICIAN?!"

I took a sip of my port,

"I can play dozen or so chords, do a pretty mean twelve bar blues but was only in a band at school."

"Yeah, well RALPH'," she all but spat out, "tells the entire world that he's a professional musician and waits around for people to employ him. He met Caroline at University, and I think the 'moon-washed college halls' and the general undergraduate life on campus was a great for them." She looked across to the wall and my collection of certificates, then my graduation photo, Diana's then Callie's all gracing the long bookshelf, "As a university man yourself you know at some point the party's over, and it's time to settle your bill at the bar and grow up."

"Absolutely."

"Ralph never did," she closed her eyes against the thought, "still hasn't." She looked to the sitting room door and any appearance of her daughter, "They had a bit of a break-up but Caroline got all romantic with him when they got back together and Emma was the result. Only I'm pretty sure he was under the impression he would be the daytime househusband while she went out to work and he picked up a few well-paying gigs here and there until fame struck and she could follow him around the world on his stadium tours."

"What was the name of his band?" I asked thinking I might perhaps have seen his name mentioned somewhere, as I occasionally did some local pubs when bands were playing.

"The 'Beneficent Wails'," she grinned, "Never heard of them?" I shook my head, "No me neither. Apparently, him and his keyboard player Ken were taking time out to 'write the new album', that was two years ago, and I doubt he's so much as lifted a guitar since. They lost the flat they all lived in, she took Emmie and moved in with my sister temporarily, while he moved back to his Mum; and he's been there ever since."

"What a star," I said.

"Only in his head," she took another sip of the quite excellent port, "Aah! And here's the bride-to-be!"

There was Callie, looking dynamite in her little black dress.

"What's she talking about now!" said Callie slipping off her shoes and sitting next to me, legs up on the sofa, and looking across to Judy in the huge throne-like armchair.

"She was telling me that the world is still waiting for 'Beneficent Wails' to make it big," I said.

"Oh please, spare me!" she said shielding her eyes.

"I just asked if Young Craig here was going to adopt your daughter."

"Mum!?" she snapped.

"He might as well, he's been more of a father to our babygirl than that dickhead ever was."

"I'm not arguing!" said Callie, slipping her hand under my arm and kissing my cheek.

"Why not," I said, "we can ask him at least."

So, with our wedding approaching, Callie contacted Ralph, and Emmie's biological father didn't seem that upset when Callie finally asked.

Sat in his favourite hangout, his local coffee shop that looked like it had been untouched since the sixties, she asked him.

"You're getting married?" he said stupidly.

"Yeah," she said with some surprise.

"But what about us?"

"Us? Ralph, you haven't contacted me in over eighteen months?"

"Well, I knew you were there."

"Where!?" she snapped back in shock.

"Knew you were around, knew Emma was around."

"Knew I was where? What was my address?"

"It was... oh, over by..." he tapped his teeth with the pencil lifted from his notebook and the vague scribblings on it, "Ooooooh you know!"

"Yeah, I do know, because I lived there with our daughter, while you never sent me any money."

"I'm between gigs," he breathed out, with a hint of bitterness.

"Isn't it about time you got a real job?"

"Being a musician is a real job."

"But you don't play music, where's Ken these days?" Callie asked. Ken was the other half of the musical and poetic genius that was 'Beneficent Wails', and had slept in their spare room until the money ran out.

"We had some musical differences," said Ralph, "We fell out over one of my songs."

"Which one?"

"Oh, you won't have heard it," he said.

"No, like I haven't heard any of your stuff."

"We had a song on the radio just the other day?" he snapped.

"Which one?"

"Be my second valentine," he said.

"Not the song, the radio station."

"It was an online radio station."

"So, it wasn't actually 'on the radio' then?"

"Everyone does online radio these Days Caroline!" he said with a self-righteous whine.

"Which station?"

"DiceyD-FM," he said proudly, "run by a mate of mine."

"Don't tell me, is that Dave Dicewood from Uni?"

"The very same!"

"He's a dentist!"

"He's got a DAB licence for a year!"

"OK, I'll wait for the Brit Awards then mate," she took a deep breath, "About Emma and my fiancé adopting her?"

"Whatever."

Now this was not a response I would have given about losing any amount of contact with such an amazing child.

"Fair enough," said Callie, and finished her coffee with a view to leaving. At this point Ralph's Mum appeared with bags of shopping, slumped into a spare seat and asked after Callie and 'Emily'.

"Your granddaughter 'Emma' is fine Liz," she said with as much of a smile as she could.

"Callie's getting married," said Ralph.

"Who to?" she said with as much shock as her son had.

"To my fiancé Craig. We've been together for eight months."

"Weeeeeeell," said Emmie's paternal Grandma, "I'm not sure that's fair."

"What isn't fair?"

"You just up and marrying someone else, you have a child with my son."

"A child he hasn't seen or spoken to almost two years."

"Well, you moved out love!" snapped Mum with a bitter smile.

"If you remember Liz, we were both evicted by the landlord for unpaid rent, and you didn't have the room for Emma and me."

"You were working full-time, what about your wages, hmmmmm?"

"I was paying for the food, the gas, electric and as much of the rent as I could, while Ralph here," she nodded to her Ex, "just bought songbooks and guitar strings, and let the Garfunkel to his Simon sleep in our flat for free!"

"He's a MUSICIAN!?!" Liz said, as if it was obvious.

"No Liz, a musician is someone that plays music, Ralph has just said that he hasn't played a gig in eighteen months. That makes Ralph an unemployed person that plays guitar at home."

Despite Callie's talking sense, the lack of money was brought back to her door again.

"Well perhaps you should have found another job, in the evenings like," Liz folded her arms defensively. Callie's stunned look had Liz backing up, "Ralph was at home looking after Emily!"

"Emma!" snapped Callie, "the plan was that Ralph was going to be playing gigs in the evenings, 'taking his share of the bounties of the night-time economy', his words."

"Yeah.... Well..." Ralph decided he would get back into the discussion, "There was a slump..."

"Right, so you should have gotten another job then, working BEHIND the bar, seeing as all of the landlords in town knew you and loved you."

"Pub work?" Liz all but shrieked, "My Ralph is an ARTIST!"

"No, he isn't. To be an artist suggests that you produce 'art'; songwriters and poets write 'songs' and 'poems'," Callie made exclamation marks with her fingers, "they don't sit in tired coffee shops with a notebook waiting for inspiration."

"Oh, there's no point in talking to you, you NEVER understood his work!"

"That's because he's never done any!" Callie snapped back.

Ralph just sat there and watched two women argue about him.

"Sooooo..." said Liz, "You're stealing my granddaughter away from me?"

"No, that's the last thing I want to do, but you haven't really been bothered by not seeing her since we split up. I brought her over to you and you were always busy, you said you'd ring me when it was convenient to come over?"

"I don't have your NUM-BER!" Liz sing-songed.

Callie saw Liz's phone on the table. She took out hers and rang 'Liz', and the screen flashed up with 'Caroline' in big letters and she pointed to it. Callie raised her eyebrows.

"Ralph?"

"Look," he said, adopting his 'funky, smart but compassionate popstar' persona and voice, "Emma can be adopted by the new man in your life, I just want her to be happy!"

Callie thought she would vomit at that one but decided to suck it up and move on.

"What about money?" said Liz.

"Ralph hasn't paid me any child support in... well, Ralph has NEVER paid me any child support, certainly not the amount the Child Support Agency said he should..."

"Well..." snapped Liz, "that's... that's the fault of... the economy."

"And Ralph not getting a job."

"Anyway, that's not what I meant."

"You said, 'what about the money' Liz, I heard you."

"Well, if Ralph is being denied access to his daughter, then surely he should have some kind of recompense..."

Callie laughed,

"He isn't being denied access to anyone Liz; like you, he hasn't contacted me in nearly two years."