16 Chapter 16

I don't answer him for a few minutes as I decide if I should or not. Tucker has always asked about his father since he could talk. His first words were even him saying da da. The pros of him meeting Tuck would be that he will finally get to have his dad in his life and he gets his wish for his birthday. The cons are that something could happen and he will be left disappointed. There is also the matter of Chelsea and also the Russian Mafia.

I look at Huxley who gives a slight nod for encouragement. He has been rooting for Christopher since we got the report on Chelsea months ago. With a nod of my head I turn back to look at Christopher.

"Yes, but I only ask one thing," I say before I move to get my phone out of my pocket.

"Anything," Christopher says in happiness. Excitement engulfs his features as his eyes brighten.

"Don't let him down. If you want to be in his life, then who am I to stop you. Just don't hurt him. To be honest, you are making his birthday wish this year come true," I tell him as I pull my phone out to text my mom to bring Tuck to the office.

"When was his birthday?" Christopher inquires with a sadness in his tone.

"It is in two weeks," I answer. I can see the relief flood his body before his excitement comes back at the sound of the footsteps approaching.

The office door opens and my parents come in with Tucker in my dads arms. She sets him down and he runs to me as soon as his feet hit the floor. I sit in the chair and place him in my lap as he takes in the people in the room.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Lane." Tuckers little voice fills the room.

Christopher smiles from ear to ear at him and the fact that he just talked to him instead of me like in the car. "It is nice to see you again too, Tucker."

"Tucker, do you remember what you told me you wanted for your birthday this year?" I ask the little boy on my lap.

"Yes, ma'am. Did you find my daddy?" He asks with hope and excitement. The boy is basically bouncing in my lap at the thought of his wish coming true.

"I did, little prince. Do you want to meet him?" I ask even though I know his answer.

"Yes, please." He answers with a giant smile.

I look over at Christopher who is almost bouncing in his spot like our son is. "Okay. Tucker, I want you to meet Christopher Lane. Christopher, meet your son Tucker Dale Anderson."

Tucker looks over at Christopher with a face of pure joy as Christopher walks over to kneel down next to us. "Hello, Tucker. It is nice to finally meet you my boy."

"Daddy!" Tucker jumps off my lap and into his fathers arms. Christopher wraps his arms around his small frame as Tuckers little arms cling to his neck like he would disappear if he was to let go.

The tears that I had been holding back finally break free and fall down my face. A sniffle has me turn to see Megan and my mom with tears falling as well. When I look back at Christopher and Tuck, Christopher is looking at me in tears as well. He holds his left arm open while the other stays around Tucker for me to join in a family hug. Without letting my mind change, I step into his embrace for the first time in five years. The feeling of being complete washes through my body as I revel in feeling his touch again. Tucker notices that I joined the hug and throws an arm around me as well as he hugs us with all that he has. I wish that this happened long ago so that we didn't miss out on so much time but was put off by a jealous woman.

"I now have both of my parents. Daddy, are you going to come to my birthday now?" Tucker asks as he looks at Christopher with happiness.

Christopher looks at me as if to ask if it is okay if he comes to the party. I nod my head with a smile before he turns back to Tuck. "Of course I will, little man. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Tucker squeals at Christopher's answer before he tries to get down. "Grandma, we need to add him to the list and make sure he sits at our table. I want him right by me and momma," he says in his business tone. For a four year old, he thinks he runs the show most of the time. Especially if it is something for him.

"I will go add him to the list and make sure he is placed where you requested, boss. Anything else that needs to be situated?" mom asks him, acting like she is his assistant.

"Just a few, I will come with you to make sure it gets done," Tucker states as he takes off to the door. Halfway there, he turns to his dad. "Are you staying the night, daddy?"

Christopher looks at me and then to my parents in a silent question. My parents nod their heads as I shrug my shoulders to tell him that it is up to him. He smiles at Tucker as he nods his head. "Yes, I am little man."

"Yay! Okay grandma, let's go so I can get back to play with Daddy," Tucker says as he tries to push my mother out of the room. We all laugh as they leave the room with Tucker listing off all of the things that need to be done.

All at once, my brothers all look towards Christopher in their protective mode. Grayson stands up and makes his way over to where we are standing. When he gets to us, he gently pushes me to the side as he looks Christopher in the eyes. Knowing that they will do this with or without my permission, I just lean on the desk with a small smile.

"Let's get straight to the point," Grayson says, crossing his arms as Huxley and Jaxon join him. "If you hurt Tucker, you will regret it."

"If you hurt our sister, you will pay for it," Jaxon states with his arms crossed.

"If you leave them again, you wont ever see them again," Huxley says to finish their little intimidation tactic.

Christopher looks at all of them with determination. "I will never do any of those things. You have my word."

I chose this moment to cut in because it sounds like they are saying we are back together. We are not yet, if it was even to happen again.

"Okay boys, back down. We need to focus on Tuck for now," I announce as I tap Grayson on the shoulder. "If he wants me back, then he will have to work for it before we even think about that possibility."

When I say this, Christopher looks at me with sadness but it changes to determination. I won't go back to him that easily. The guys start to leave one by one until Christopher and I were the only ones left. Deciding that it is time for us to have a private conversation, I take a seat in the chair once again.

"We need to have a talk" I tell him and motion for him to take a seat again.

Christopher takes a seat across from me once more as I try to figure out how to start. "I want to first start by saying that I am sorry for my brothers jumping straight to us being together. The last thing I want is for you to feel pressured into something you might not want."

Christopher speaks up before I could continue. "But I do want for us to give it another shot. I have done nothing but miss you for the past five years. My mother said that I needed to date but I just couldn't do it."

My heart skips at the fact that he still wants me. "I will have to admit that I have missed you too. However, we both both need to realize that it's not just us anymore. We have Tuck to think about and what happens if it doesn't work? What if someone comes to you with the intent to break us apart again and you do the same thing you did five years ago?"

Christopher stands up and walks over to kneel beside me. Reaching out, he turns me to where I am facing him as he takes my hands in his. "I will never do that again. After you left that night, I couldn't even sleep in our room because I already missed you. Over the years, I have bettered myself on handling situations and getting all of the necessary information before coming to a conclusion."

"You said earlier that you were never with Chelsea. If that is true, then why did she have my ring on her finger?" I ask him. This is one of the questions that has been on my mind for a while now. Everyone knows that there is a superstition about using a wedding ring from your previous marriage. It is said to bring bad luck to the marriage before it could even get started.

Christopher's eyes flash with anger before he collects himself. "A few days after you left, the ring went missing. I thought that you came back for it since I bought it for you and only you. Months went by until I seen it on Chelsea's finger. She apparently forgot to take it off before she arrived at the office. When I asked for it back, one of her friends walked in and congratulated me on the engagement. It was right then that I knew she took it to cause trouble and possibly force me to marry her to not look like I was untrustworthy. Immediately, I took the ring back and made sure that everyone knew that there was nothing between us and all she has told them about it was a lie."

So the home-wrecker was after more than just my man. She was trying to take my whole life. If I ever get my hands on her, she may not live to see tomorrow as all of her schemes start to add up. I am brought out of my thoughts by Christopher squeezing my hands.

"Natalia, believe me when I say this. I will always love you. I have loved you since the first day I saw you at George and Lora's wedding. These past five years have been of nothing but me trying to figure out how to get you back even if at the time I thought those vile things," Christopher states as he moves closer to me. "With that said, I want to tell you that I, Christopher Micheal Lane, am still madly in love with you, Natalia Elizabeth Anderson. I have always been and will be until my last breath."

My breathing catches at his declaration of love. This is what I secretly wanted to happen for the past five years. My feelings for him never faded or changed. I have spent many nights sitting in the window seat looking at the stars, pining for him.

"I admit that I have never stopped loving you. Even after it was all said and done, I knew that no matter what happened, my feelings for you would always be there. I have spent so many nights laying awake and looking up at the stars, wishing you were here with me. If this is going to work, we have to take this slow. I know that we were married before but we need to not rush into this," I tell him. It felt good to finally get the truth out. Keeping my feelings a secret was slowly killing me inside.

"Please just allow me the chance to prove to you that there is no one else in the world for me but you. Let me show you that you are my queen and no one can or will ever replace you in my heart," Christopher says as his face is close to mine. I can feel his breath on my skin and it sends shivers down my spine. I said he was going to have to work for it with me, not that I wouldn't give him a chance. He still has a lot of proving to do.

"Okay, one chance," I say breathlessly.

No sooner than the words were out of my mouth, his lips connect with mine. The hold on my emotions gives in and all of my love for him comes forward at full force. The feeling of his lips on mine awakens something in me that has been dormant for five long years. Lacing my fingers through his soft hair, I pull him to me even more as I kiss him back. This makes him kiss me harder as he pulls me from the chair and turning to sit down with me in his lap without even breaking the kiss. He sets one hand on my waist as he laces his other in my hair, holding me to him like I alone was his only oxygen. The kiss gets more heated and I unconsciously start to grind my hips on him. I am in a trance until his hips lift to meet mine and I feel something hard against me. Suppressing the moan that wanted to escape my body, I pull back and place my hand on his chest.

"We need to slow it down a little bit," I tell him with my eyes closed. We both are trying to catch our breath from the overwhelming feelings engulfing us.

When his reply is only a grunt in agreement, I open my eyes to see that his are closed. Feeling my eyes on him, he opens them and I see want, love, need, and adoration shining back at me. I could stare into his eyes forever.

"We need to get up so I can show you to the room you will be in," I tell him as we stare at each other.

"Mhmm," was all that he could get out before he kisses me again. This one was not as steamy as the first one. The feeling of his soft lips make my train of thought wonder for a moment before I pull back again.

"As much as I would love to continue kissing you, we really should get up. Tucker might walk in at any moment now," I tell him as I force myself to stand up and walk around the desk towards the door.

Christopher fixes himself before he stands up but I see his pants raised in a certain area. I giggle at this which catches his attention. "Oh you think this is funny?" he asks me with playful eyes.

"I think it's hilarious," I tell him. He rushes around the desk and grabs me before I could run. He hugs me to him as he tickles my sides making me squirm against him. He immediately stops and places his head on my shoulder.

"I didn't think that through," he chuckles out. "I think we just made it worse."

With a chuckle, I turn to face him and say the two words that would help him get rid of his little issue. "Chelsea naked."

Christopher looks like he wants to barf but looking down, the plan worked. "Why did you have to say that?"

"It worked didn't it?" I ask him as I point down.

Christopher looks down and then looks back at me. "Yes it did. Just please don't ever do that again."

We walk out of the office and head upstairs to the guest room that is beside Tuckers. Opening the door, I motion for him to enter. He walks in and looks around the room.

"That door leads to Tuckers room so don't be surprised if he keeps it open tonight. He might even sneak in here to sleep in the bed with you. I am across the hall if you need me," I tell him as I start to pull his covers down on the Queen size bed. As I finish getting the bed ready for him, I stop at what he says next.

"Can we go visit our daughter tomorrow?" Christopher asks quietly.