Part Four:

Bo turns around on the landing and slowly steps back into the living room. He walks over to the chair and rests his hands on the back of it. She sits up, pulling her knees against her chest. She looks up at him; the sadness he sees in her eyes breaks his heart. She takes a deep breath before she speaks, “Please, don’t go,” she closes her eyes for a moment. When she opens them the tears begin to fall, “I…I need you, Bo…I,” she shakes her head, fighting the lump in her throat, “Can you please stay?”

He walks over to the couch and sits down beside her. He reaches out and pulls her against him. She wraps her arms around his neck, as he pulls her tighter against him, “I’ll stay, Red,” he whispers. “I’m here.” He says, placing a kiss on her hair.

He holds her until he hears her breathing slow and her crying subside. He sits back on the couch and lays her head in his lap. He runs his hands through her hair, “I’ll stay forever,” he whispers in the dark, before laying his head in his hand and closing his eyes.

Nora wakes the next morning, her hand resting on his chest. She opens her eyes fully and smiles when she sees how they had fallen asleep that night. She stares at him as he sleeps so many different thoughts and feelings coursing through her. She knew things were changing between them, she’s been feeling it for months now…and she’s been fighting it. She reaches up and runs her finger lightly down his cheek. His eyes slowly flutter open and he looks down at her, still lying in his arms. She smiles, “Good morning.”

He brushes the hair off her forehead, tucking some behind her ear, “Morning yourself,” he says with that smile.

She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs. She opens her eyes back up and looks up at him, “What’s happening here, Bo?”

Bo looks down at her and takes her hand in his. He’s just about to say something when Amalya begins to cry. He leans down and places a soft kiss on her forehead, “Go make her bottle, I’ll go get her.”

Nora stands up and walks towards the kitchen. She turns around and looks at him, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Bo nods, “I know,” he says as he walks over to her, “and as soon as things settle down here, we’ll talk. I promise.”

She nods and walks into the kitchen. Ten minutes later she walks up the stairs. She walks past Matthew’s room and looks in at him. She closes his door and lets him sleep. She walks towards the end of the hallway and pauses when she hears his voice coming through the half opened door, “Can I tell you a secret, little one?” Amalya begins to blow bubbles, “Well I’m going to take those bubbles as a yes.” He picks her up and carries her over to the chair in the corner of the guest room, “I’m in love with your grandma. What do you think about that.” She reaches out and wraps her fingers around his, “Yeah, I’m pretty happy about it to.”

Nora leans against the wall, her heart racing. She knows she wasn’t meant to hear his declaration, that he thought he was voicing his feelings to himself and the baby. She takes a deep breath and walks into the room. Bo looks up at her and smiles. She smiles back and hands him the bottle. She kneels down beside him while he feeds her. They sit in silence for a while both just watching her. They look up when they hear someone walk into the room. Nora stands up, “Hey, there bud.” She walks over and kneels down in front of him, “You hungry?”

Matthew nods his head, never taking his eyes off of Bo and Amalya. Nora turns when she sees what he’s staring at. Bo and Nora exchange looks. Bo stands up and places Amalya in Matthew’s old crib. Bo walks over and squats down beside Nora, “How about we all go to the diner for breakfast? How does that sound?”

Matthew shrugs. Nora looks over at Bo and then back at Matthew, “Well okay, why don’t you go run and take a bath while I get dressed, then you can help me get Amalya dressed.” Matthew runs out of the room and into the bathroom.

Bo stands up, helping Nora up, “I’m going to stop by the garret and get changed…and pack some things. That is if you still want me to stay.”

She nods, “Yeah, I still want you to stay.” She notices the look on her face, “I need you to stay, Bo, not for just Amalya, or Matthew, or even for me. I need you to stay for all of us. You’re what’s keeping us together.”

Bo lays his hand on her cheek, “You asked me earlier what was happening here and…” before Bo could finish Matthew runs into the room. They turn their attention to Matthew, “What’s up, bud?”

“Mr. Colson’s on the phone.”

Bo drops his hand from her face and starts to walk away. Nora grabs his hand and pulls him back, “You go get your things and pick us up in a couple of hours.” He can see the unspoken words in her eyes regarding Daniel. He nods and squeezes her hand, before walking out the door.

Matthew hands Nora the phone and walks out of the room. Nora takes a deep breath and brings the phone up to her ear, “Daniel…thank you…Listen Daniel; we need to talk.”

Nora walks down the hallway and peaks her head into Matthew’s room, “Matthew, sweetie, I’ve got to go out for a little while. MaryAnn is here, and your dad’s going to be here in a little while.”

“Are you going to breakfast with us still?”

“Yeah, buddy, I’m still going. Mom’s just got to take care of something, okay.” Matthew nods. She kisses the top of his head, “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

Nora arrives at Daniel’s fifteen minutes later. He opens the door, stepping aside so she can walk in. He leans in for a kiss but she turns her face away, “Daniel…”

Daniel looks at her, “I’m taking it this isn’t a social call and the talk you want to have isn’t something I’m going to want to hear.”

“I’m sorry Daniel but I can’t do this, I can’t see you anymore.”

“Listen if this is because you need time after Rachel’s death I understand.”

Nora shakes her head, “It’s not about Rachel…its Bo.”

Daniel rolls his eyes, “Of course…who else.”

“I’m sorry; Daniel, but I love him. I never should’ve started anything with you because it never would’ve been able to go anywhere…”

“Because of Bo,” he says cutting her off.

Nora nods, “I owe it to him, to Matthew, and to myself to see if we can make a future together, and even if we can’t, I’ll still be in love with him, Daniel. I don’t think I’ve ever not been.”

Daniel nods, “I always sensed it and if I was honest I guess I actually knew it. I was always on the outside looking in when the two of you were together.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel.” He nods. “I’ve got to go.” She walks towards the door, pausing just before opening it, “I should be back in the office later in the week.”

“No rush. Take time for yourself and your granddaughter.”

“Thank you, Daniel.”

Nora arrives back at the house just as Bo was pulling up. She climbs out of her car and waits for him to park beside hers in the driveway. He walks over and pulls his bags out of the back of his Jeep. She walks over takes one of his bags. He smiles, “Where were you?”

“Taking care of something,” she smiles, “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”

He leans in and kisses her cheek, “Dinner, tonight, just the two of us?”

She smiles, “Yeah, it’s about time we figure this all out.”

Bo and Nora walk into the house, dropping his bags by the front door. Matthew runs down the stairs, stopping when he sees the bags sitting on the landing. Matthew looks up at them. Nora looks between the two of them and walks over to where Matthew is standing. She takes his hand and leads him over to the couch, “Matthew, your dad’s going to be moving in here with us…”

“For the baby, right!?,” Matthew yells before standing up and running up the stairs. He stops at the bottom of the stairs, “I hate her!” Matthew yells before running the rest of the way up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door.

Nora looks over at Bo, tears threatening to fall, “I don’t understand. I thought he’d be happy.”

Bo sits down on the couch beside her, “Don’t worry about Matthew. I’ll go talk to him. Why don’t you go check on MaryAnn and the baby, see if maybe she can keep her here and we can take Matthew out for the day, just the three of us.”

“What are you going to say to him when we haven’t even figured it all out ourselves?”

Bo takes her hand, “I’m going to tell him that yes, Amalya is part of the reason but not the only reason that I’m moving in here. I’ll tell him that we’re working on trying to figure out all that’s happening here and that I want to be here, for him, for you…for us. Unless that’s not what you want. I mean unless for you this really is all about Amalya?”

Nora reaches out and lays her hand on his cheek, “She’s just a small part of all of this Bo. I don’t understand it all and I don’t have all the answers yet, but I do know I want us here under the same roof, and we’ll work the rest out later.”

Bo nods and lays his hand on top of hers still resting on his cheek, “I’m going to go talk to Matthew.” Nora nods and goes outside to see MaryAnn and Amalya.

Bo walks towards Matthew’s room. He knocks on the door, waiting for permission to enter. Inside the room Matthew is staring out the window. Bo waits a few more minutes and decides to take a chance. He slowly opens the door and walks into his room. Matthew turns away from the window and looks at his father for a moment and then turns and looks back out the window, “Mom send you up here to yell at me?”

Bo walks over to the window and reaches down to turn Matthew’s face away from the window. Bo glances out the window and sees that he was watching Nora walking around the backyard with Amalya in her arms. He looks back down at Matthew, “You hurt you’re mom’s feelings when you yelled at her like that and ran off. You should never run away from someone when they’re talking to you, especially when you don’t know the whole story.”

Matthew walks over to his bed and sits down, “I’m sorry I yelled at mom, but I meant what I said. I hate Amalya.”

Bo sits down on the end of his bed, “Why? Why do you hate her? She’s a baby, Matthew, she’s just a little innocent baby who…”

“She killed Rachel, that’s why!” He yells, cutting Bo off.

TBC…