#borhapfics

Joe Mazzello x Reader

Authors Note: Merry Christmas @johndeaconshands - I am your secret santa! 🎄

I really hope you like your gift and it brings a smile to your face.

Thank you to @thosequeenboys and @warriorteam1924 for organising such a lovely event and I hope you all have an amazing Christmas 🎄 ❤

Synopsis: The Mistletoe Ball comes around every Christmas Eve. It's the one night of the year where friends and couples alike celebrate an evening of festive fun. This year will be unlike any other.

Song Inspiration: All I Want For Christmas Is You - Lady A

Pairings: Joe Mazzello x Reader

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You were all set for the holidays. The Christmas presents were sitting under the tree, wrapped in pretty red bows that shimmered under the twinkling fairy lights. The stockings were hung up upon the fireplace, ready to be filled and there were plenty of festive treats piled up on the table ready to be devoured. All that was left now was to get ready for the one night you had been excitedly anticipating for weeks; The Mistletoe Ball.

It was the one night a year that everybody in your local town had a chance to dress up and enjoy before the big day. Up until this year, you'd never had the pleasure of attending the ball with anybody other than your best friends but that was all about to change.

You took a look at your watch as you anxiously awaited for the doorbell to ring. Finally after months of tip-toeing around, you had plucked up the courage to ask the guy from work to take you to the ball and to your surprise he had accepted. You were beyond nervous but extremely excited at the same time, pulling out all the stops to make sure the evening was perfect. After picking out the perfect outfit and spending hours getting ready in front of the mirror, the time had finally come.

And it just kept on coming. Checking your watch again, you frowned in worry. He said he'd be here at 7pm and it was now nearing half past. Had you given him the wrong address? Maybe he was caught up in traffic? You decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and continued to wait, in hopes that soon enough the doorbell would ring and you would be on your way to the party of the year.

After 45 minutes, the call on the door finally sounded, making you bound to it as fast you could. Expecting to see the dashing face of your date, you were sorely disappointed to see your best friend instead.

"Joe?" You groaned, your lips pouting in disappointment.

"Merry Christmas to you too," he tutted as he allowed himself in, "I was worried about you, the party started half an hour ago,"

You sighed, rolling your eyes as you kicked off your heels and padded into the living room.

"I was waiting for my date if you must know," you huffed.

Joe stifled a small laugh, closing the door behind him and following you into the living room.

"What date?" He asked amused as he sat beside you on the sofa.

You sent him an unamused glare.

"Kyle from work," you huff.

"Wait, isn't he that backstreet boy clone you've been going on non stop about all year?"

"He's not a backstreet boy clone, Joe, he's in accounts,"

Joe cleared his throat.

"I just hoped that maybe I'd get a phone call or something if he couldn't make it last minute," you sighed, scrolling through your phone.

Joe found it highly amusing. You'd been friends for a few years now and he had had to endure all of your heartbreaks and date disasters so this was nothing new. However when he noticed a small tear trickle down your cheek, his smile disappeared.

"Y/N? I'm sorry, I was only -,"

"Oh no, it's fine, ignore me, I'm being silly," you sniffed, wiping your eyes delicately. Just because you were upset didn't mean you were about to ruin the make up you had spent all afternoon applying.

Joe couldn't ignore your sniffles; he was angry. Angry that that arse had stood you up. Secretly, Joe had had a crush on you for at least two years now but had never plucked up the courage to tell you. If he thought letting you know how he felt would make you feel better then he would but he feared it would just make things complicated.

"I feel like such an idiot, Joe," you groaned, your head falling on his shoulder.

He wrapped a comforting around you, leaving a small kiss upon your head.

"Listen - you're dressed up already, why waste a good night?"

You lifted your head up to face him and smiled lightly.

"But I don't have anyone to go with, it will just be another year of standing on the sidelines while everyone who's lucky to be in love dances around me," you sighed.

Joe shrugged.

"You will have someone to dance with,"

You knotted your brows and let out a small chuckle.

"Who?"

"You're looking at him,"

Your eyes widened in shock and butterflies began to flutter in your stomach.

"You don't dance," you giggled.

"I'll do it for you," he winked, "C'mon, the night's not getting any younger,"

You pondered for a moment, biting your lip in anticipation. Secretly, you'd always liked Joe - a lot - but you didn't want to ruin your already tight friendship.

"Okay," you sighed happily, "But you need to ask me properly,"

Now it was Joe's turn to be shocked. He gulped and his cheeks used a bright red as you stood and popped your heels back on. He followed suit and let out his hand for you.

"Y/N?," he asked softly, pulling you a little closer to him, "Can I take you to the dance?"

You gave him a small smile and nodded shyly as you picked up your clutch bag and you both left the house.

The party was incredible. It was like a real life winter wonderland and now you were spinning around in the middle of the floor with the rest of your friends but most importantly, Joe. Your arms were wrapped loosely around his neck, his hands rested securely upon your waist, making you feel safe.

"Hey, come with me," Joe whispered in your ear.

You felt goosebumps trickle across your skin as the words left his mouth and before you knew it, Joe was gently leading you out of the huge marquee and into the snowy garden outside. The trees, bushes and hedges are littered in twinkling lights and a fresh layer of snow has just settled on the ground. In the middle of the garden was a small gazebo, wrapped in winter greens and even more sparkling lights and a few couples occupied it.

"It's even more beautiful than last year," you smiled, beaming up at the brightly lit structure in front of you.

Joe smiled, unbeknownst to you and helped you up the small steps. The other couples dispersed back to the party and you and Joe we left alone. You let out a small sigh and looked up at him.

You shook your head and without really planning it, stepped up onto your tip toes and planted a soft kiss upon Joe's flushed cheek. Your eyes widened immediately and you mentally slapped yourself when all he did was stare down at you. He was obviously only seeing this as a friend helping out a friend thing and nothing more.

"I'm sorry," you blushed, cringing as you tried to look anywhere other than at him.

"Yeah, that was terrible," he chuckled.

Wait a minute? Was he serious? You were only expecting him to say it was okay, not make you feel worse by making a joke out of the situation.

"You missed completely, come here,"

Joe hooked his finger under your chin and gently brought his lips down to yours in a sweet and well overdue kiss. It was at that moment that you realised that Joe was all you had ever wanted for Christmas and for every Christmas afterwards. When he pulled away, you took the chance to look up into his eyes which were filled with nothing less than all the love in the world for you.

"Can I tell you something?"

You nodded as you bit your bottom lip. Joe leant down to your level, his lips coming close to your ear as he whispered three words that you'd been longing to hear ever since the day you'd met him.

"I love you,"

Your heart skipped a beat as your eyes fluttered closed for a second. Joe faced you once more, his hand cupping your cheek, his thumb gently wiping away a happy tear that fell from your eye.

"I love you too," you smiled, "Merry Christmas,"

The End

Authors Note: Thank you so much for the response to the previous part guys! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Well this is it, the final part, I really hope you enjoy this part and keep your eyes peeled for some exciting news coming your way in the next few weeks!

Lots of love

L.x

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

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They say you can hear silence. Sometimes it can be deafening and right now was no exception. Ben stared at you blankly for what seemed like forever and no matter how much you tried to read his gobsmacked expression, you couldn't make it out.

"W-What?" He finally breathed out.

You could hardly hear your thoughts over the sound of your pounding heart as you took a few steps towards him, noticing his hand still firmly wrapped around the door handle, his knuckles turning white.

"Maybe we should talk about this outside -,"

"No!" He snapped, causing you to step back a little in fright.

Sighing, he let go of the door and preceeded to cover his head with his hand, pinching his nose tightly as he tried to come to terms with what you had just told him.

"No," he repeated, this time calmly, his eyes rising to connect with yours, "No I want to talk here,"

You let out a shaky breath.

"Really Ben, I think we should -,"

"Tell me the truth, because I'm trying really hard to understand why you would suddenly come out with this!?"

He was clearly furious with your outburst, not sure how to react in the same way you weren't sure how to explain yourself for keeping this from him for so long.

"Because it's true,"

Ben shook his head in disbelief and he couldn't bring himself to look at you. He wasn't sure how he was feeling or what to think.

"I need some air," he huffed, flinging the door open and storming out of the room.

"Mummy?"

You heard Molly stir and rushed to her side.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Where did Ben go?" She yawned, her sleepy eyes fluttering.

"He's uh - he's just -,"

"Why were you shouting?"

You opened your mouth to answer but the words fell away, when you looked into your daughters confused and sad eyes.

"Darling listen, Mummy and Da -," you still couldn't bring yourself to tell her the truth, "Ben were just talking - very loudly,"

Molly frowned, unconvinced by your fib.

"Go back to sleep sweetheart," you whispered, leaving a light kiss on her forhead.

"Okay Mummy," she yawned as she settled back down under the blankets, leaving you to chase after Ben.

All the corridors in the hospital looked the same and you had no idea which direction you were facing. Ben couldn't have gone that far. After walking for what seemed like forever, you finally spotted him sat in the hospital cafe. Letting out a shaky sigh, you perked yourself up and walked over to him, pulling the chair opposite him out and sitting down.

"Ben I -,"

He kept his gaze fixated on his coffee, stirring it slowly.

"How can she be mine?"

You closed your mouth instantly, your stomach sinking as his eyes boared into yours, looking for answers.

"Well - it's really quite simple Ben, would you like me to draw you a picture?"

His searching expression hardened, not finding your joke the least bit funny. Kicking yourself internally, you let out a sigh and decided that you could no longer hide behind humor or lies.

"Just before we split, I was three weeks pregnant," you began, "I didn't know until you'd gone and by that time it was too late,"

Ben scoffed at your excuses.

"You were gone Ben! What was I supposed to do? I tried calling you but it was as if you'd fallen from the face of the earth!" You said, raising your voice while others in the cafe looked on, "I figured you had made up your mind and wanted nothing more to do with me. I was on my own, I had no one apart from Lucy, she was there when Molly was born,"

"I was in contact with Lucy, Y/N, she would've told me!"

"I made her promise not to!" You snapped, holding back tears, "I wanted to do it by myself, you were gone and I didn't think you were ever coming back!"

"That's a really shitty excuse! You could've found me!"

"Don't you think I tried! I called you, messaged you, sent emails, I even called your parents and no one could tell me where you were!"

Ben clenched his jaw, lost for words. He really had no explanation as to where he had been. To everyone else, he had just been travelling the world but in reality, he had fallen into a dark pit of loneliness and had regretted leaving you ever since. Now with the bombshell you had dropped on him, he was sure he had never felt so guilt ridden in his entire life.

"She's your daughter Ben, she's your little girl,"

"Stop it,"

"Ben, you can see she's yours, you only have to look at her to know," you said, pulling out a photograph of Molly from your purse.

Ben finally looked you and then at the photograph as you saw the tears welling up in his eyes. He took the photograph in his trembling hand and gazed upon it. He noticed her emerald eyes that matched his perfectly and her soft mousy blonde locks that fell across her shoulders.

"She's really mine?"

You nodded.

For the first time in four years and although terrified, Ben knew he could no longer run. He came back to find you because he couldn't bare to live another second of his life without you and now he had even more reason to stay. He had tried so hard to reel in his true emotions but he let them out regardless, the tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"Take my hand," you tell him softly, reaching across the table.

He blinked away a few tears and eventually clasped his hands in yours as you both stood to your feet.

"Listen - I should've told you when you came back but I was scared. You broke my heart Ben and I knew that if I told you that you could possibly leave again," you sigh, "I had to protect Molly and think of her first but believe me when I tell you that, I'll never get over you and I'm going to love you regardless of what happens now,"

You paused for a moment to look up at him as he drunk in your words.

"If you want to be part of Molly's life, I'm not going to stop you but I can understand if you don't want me - just let me know what you want,"

You let his hand fall from your own and turned back in the direction of Molly's hospital room, wiping away your stray tears as you walked. Opening the door, you saw her sound asleep, dreaming peacefully. You perched beside her on the bed, stroking her fair hair softly as you watched her sleep. Although your head and heart were at war with eachother right now, you felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders now that your secret was out in the open. Ben knew and now it was up to him.

Not knowing how long you had sat beside Molly, you hardly heard the door open quietly and the mattress dip a little as strong arms cradled your waist.

"This is what I want,"

Your eyes fluttered closed at the sound of Ben's hushed whisper echoing in your ear. You turned to face him, your lips just millimetres from his, trembling and longing for contact. He closed the gap between you, your lips moulding together seamlessly. After what seemed like an eternity, you pulled away, your faces still close enough to feel his breath upon your cheeks.

"You came back," you whispered.

He smiled, his eyes lighting up.

"I forgot something," he whispered back.

Your heart raced against your chest as Ben's hand came to rest upon your flushed cheek.

"It must've been quite important," you sobbed.

Ben took your hand in his and took Molly's in the other, careful not to wake her before looking at you deeply.

"The two most important things in the world,"

The End ...or is it?

@little-welsh-wonder

@neverendingstories00 @myescapefromthislife @mestiza003 @kurri-kurri @mrsmazzello @findingillyria @themarchoftherainbowqueen @cjand10 @peace-and-love-will-last-forever @onceuponadetectivedemigod @ellietaylor @fairestkillerqueenofall @thosequeenboys @elektraofcrete @gwenthwips

Authors Note: Wow! The response so far has been amazing. Your likes, reblogs, messages and comments mean so much to me, you have no idea! I appreciate and value every single one of you and I really hope journey enjoy this next part.

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

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"I've got a bone to pick with you,"

Lucy jumped out of her daydream as you slammed your bag on the desk when you walked into the office the next morning.

"You do?" She asked nervously.

"Mmhm," you mumbled, sitting down in your chair, "B.H - those initials resonate with you at all?"

Lucy furrowed her brows and pouted in thought.

"Not that I recall, why?"

"The flowers,"

"Oh! Did you work out who sent them in the end?" She asked, her face lighting up all of a sudden.

Your face however didn't exactly match hers when you sent her a look of disapproval.

"You know bloody well who sent them Lucy, why didn't you warn me about that Bradley guy?!"

Lucy truly looked like a deer caught in headlights as you confronted her and she wanted the ground to swallow her up to avoid the conversation completely.

"Look, he asked me about you okay, he showed a keen interest and wanted to see if I would put in a good word for him,"

You rolled your eyes at her explanation whilst taking a sip of tea.

"Lucy, how many times have I told you? I'm not interested in getting to know anyone at the moment, a guy will come along when the time is right,"

What you had failed to tell Lucy however was that Ben was back on the scene and that you were currently battling with your head and your heart about letting back into your life.

"Y/N, you can't afford to be fussy, especially at your age,"

You shot her a furious glare, folding your arms across your body.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lucy sighed, pushing her chair out a little and walking round her desk to perch on the edge of yours.

"I didn't mean it in any disrespectful way, I just want what's best for you,"

"I have everything I need Lucy, I have Molly,"

"But she needs a father figure in her life, why haven't you told her about Ben yet, especially with him being back in town,"

You froze with your finger tips still hovering over your keyboard mid email. How did she know he was back?

"What?" You asked, acting clueless.

"I was going to tell you Y/N, that's why I've been asking you to come out with us, the whole gang is back in town and I thought maybe -,"

"You could play little miss matchmaker with me and Ben, is that right?" You snapped accusingly.

"Well it was worth a try," she shrugged.

"Yes, well when I become desperate I'll be sure to use your services but until then, leave it alone!"

Your harsh words hurt Lucy and she bowed her head in sadness before returning to her desk. The fury inside of you was burning, your stubborn streak refusing to apologise. Getting on with your work, you tried to push it to the back of your mind for the remainder of the work day.

--

"Now, children, let's all sit in a circle and we will show everybody our drawings," Mrs Coleman, Molly's reception class teacher told her students.

Everyone began to rush to the carpet, their pictures clutched in their hands, giggling in excitement as they sat down with their friends. Molly sat down next to her best friend, Lily, holding the drawing she drew last night tightly. Once everybody was settled, Mrs Coleman, proceeded with the show and tell session.

"Right, shall we start this side and we will work our way around the circle,"

The first child in the circle was a little boy named Jasper who was quite a shy at the best of the times.

"So Jasper, if you want to stand in the middle of the circle and show everyone your drawing of your Mummy and Daddy,"

And so show and tell began and soon enough it was Molly's turn to get up and present her drawing.

"Right Molly, turn around so everyone can see your drawing,"

Molly did as she was told and spun around a few times, showing her picture off to everyone before speaking.

"This my Mummy, she is called Y/N but I call her Mummy. She works in a big building which she calls head office and helps people's faces,"

She paused for a moment and pulled a small hand cream sample out of her cardigan pocket to show everyone.

"She gave me this, this is what she gives to people," she beamed excitedly before looking back down at her drawing and pointing to the other figure on the page.

She sighed and smiled lightly before continuing.

"This is Ben," she giggled, "He is my Mummy's friend. He makes me laugh and reads me bedtime stories and he makes my Mummy happy," she paused, "I think he loves my Mummy too. Ben has a doggy called Freddie and I play with him in the park and he loves cuddles. I wish Ben was my Daddy, I don't have a Daddy but I wish it was Ben,"

By this point, the rest of the class had sort of switched off but Mrs Coleman was in awe of Molly's presentation and gave her a little clap. You had mentioned when Molly started school and was placed in Mrs Coleman's class about the lack of a father figure in her life, so she was well aware of the situation. She made a mental note to bring up what Molly had shared with the class for the next parents evening.

"Very good Molly, well done, come sit back down and we'll continue,"

Molly sat down with a huge smile on her face, not noticing the group of girls opposite her giggling and whispering to one another, sneering across at her.

--

"Ah, Miss Y/L/N,"

"Shit," you muttered under your breath, bumping into Mr 'roses are red' Hargreaves by the photocopier as you made your way out of the building.

You put on a brave face and a squirming smile as you greeted him reluctantly.

"Hi," you grimaced.

He made a conscious effort to get closer to you, a slimy smile plastered to his face.

"You look very pretty today, is that a new top,"

You mentally rolled your eyes, glancing down at your work top, that sported the company's logo on it.

"Uh - it's my uniform,"

"Ah yes, yes of course, well it suits you very nicely,"

"Thanks -," you said slowly.

The awkward silence came on quickly and you were itching to run out of the office to your car, safe and sound. Something about this guy gave you the creeps and you didn't feel safe around him.

"Right well, I need to go, so -,"

"Did you think about Thursday,"

You sighed, clutching your bag strap tightly against your shoulder.

"Yes uh - the thing is -,"

"You can't possibly go on a date with him because you're going on a date with me,"

The memory of Ben's voice echoed through your mind and a small smile crept across your face.

"I'm kind of already seeing someone," you lied.

Bradley's face dropped instantly and you noticed an almost angry expression appear against his features, causing you to feel a little scared. You backed away slightly, edging closer to the doors.

"But Lucy said you were single!"

You gulped as you felt your palms clam up and your heart begin to race in fear as the once goofy, strange man's personality you had initially met changed before your very eyes.

"Yes well - she was wrong, now if you'll excuse me, I must get going,"

You turned to leave, not giving him any more attention and rushed to your car, locking the doors once you were inside and speeding off to collect Molly.

--

"Molly, what's the matter?" You asked concerned, as you noticed her solemn expression.

She had been quiet from moment you had picked her up from school. She had declined your offer to buy her favourite sweet from the corner shop on the way home and had hardly touched her dinner. You couldn't get more than a few mumbled words out of her the entire evening and you becoming increasingly more worried.

"Sweetheart," you said softly, kneeling down to the floor when she sat, "What is it? You know can tell me anything,"

She looked up you, her green eyes glazed with tears and threw herself into your arms, letting out a long overdue sob. You held her close, stroking her hair gently, rocking her in your arms while she cried, wondering who or what had made her so upset.

"Ashley and Jennifer laughed at me after I showed them my drawing, of Molly, Mummy and Ben," she said tearfully, rubbing her eyes, "They said that Ben isn't my Daddy and that I'm stupid and that no one wants me,"

Anger boiled up inside of you at the sight of your baby breaking her heart over two silly little girls from school. You detested bullying of any kind, having been a victim of it yourself growing up and you weren't about to let it happen to Molly.

"Listen to me darling, don't take any notice of those girls at school, they are just jealous of how wonderful you are. Mummy loves you very much and what's inside of you is stronger than anything that makes you sad,"

Her tears began to slowly subside as she nodded at you. She sniffed, picking up her teddy bear and holding it close to her.

Before you could wipe away any more tears from her puffy eyes, the doorbell sounded, making you both jump a little.

"Mummy needs to get that, so be a good girl and stay here for me and then I'll make you a hot chocolate when I come back,"

"Okay Mummy,"

You pressed a light kiss to her head and left the room, making a mental note to speak to Molly's teacher tomorrow to make sure those little tykes were punished for making her little girl cry. Brushing it off, you made it to the door and opened it.

"Uh, how did you know where I lived?"

Your heart began to race and fear flooded your body at the sight of your unwanted visitor.

"I found your employee profile," Bradley said.

"You need to leave," you said firmly, pushing the door closed only to be stopped by his foot.

"I thought you were busy tonight?"

"I - I am, I'm busy looking after my daughter," you stutter, painfully aware that she was upstairs and you were the only thing keeping this creep from getting the house.

"I don't like to be lied to!" He spat.

"Please leave now!"

Before you had enough time to close and lock the door, he had his hand gripped around your wrist, squeezing tight in attempt to get close to you.

"Let go of me!" You yelled, desperately trying to rid yourself of him.

"I just want to come in and talk," he said surprisingly calmly, his hold on your wrist still tight.

"I'll call the police!"

"Too late for that,"

"Hey!"

Your eyes opened wide and filled with hope as you heard the familiar voice coming towards your house.

"Oi! Get your hands off her!"

Ben came flying over in a matter of seconds, knocking Bradley out of the way, causing him to fall to the pavement. You were free and clutched your now bruised wrist as Ben grabbed Bradley by his collar.

"I suggest you get out of here mate, do you understand me?"

He released him and he stumbled back in terror before sprinting off back down the road.

"If I see you go anywhere near her again, I'll rearrange your face!" Ben called after him, fury set in his eyes before he turned to see if you were alright.

You fell to the floor, holding onto your wrist as tears began to stream down your face. Ben knelt down beside you and wrapped a protective arm around you, taking your hand in his to examine your wrist.

"You're okay, I've got you,"

"Thank you," you sobbed.

"Did you know that guy?"

You nodded.

"He was the one who sent the flowers," you tell him, wiping your eyes, "Seems like he couldn't take no for an answer,"

Ben took a deep breath, absolutely furious and stood up.

"I'll kill him!"

"No, please leave it Ben, just - just go upstairs and check that Molly is okay," you ask as you rise to your feet.

Ben didn't need asking twice, he rushed upstairs as fast as he could while you locked the door. You followed Ben and made your way into the living room, pleased to see Molly had crashed out on the sofa.

"Safe and sound," Ben said softly, leaning again the door frame.

You breathed huge sigh of relief and went up to Molly's sleepy form, laying a blanket over her before giving her light kiss on the head.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked sincerely.

You nodded, your body still shaking slightly in fear. This didn't go unnoticed to Ben as he strode across the room and took you in his arms. His hand came to rest against your hair, pulling you close to him. Instantly you felt safe, like nothing could touch you. You weren't too sure how long you stood there in his embrace, it could've been hours for all you cared, you really didn't want to let go just yet. Eventually Ben made the first move to pull away, although still keeping you close, his eyes boring into your own for some kind of reassurance that you were alright.

"Thank you for coming when you did," you say timidly, looking down at your hands, which were no longer trembling, "Uh - why were you here anyway?"

Ben smirked as he brushed a stray hair out of your face, causing you to return his gaze again.

"I guess I just couldn't stay away," he said lowly.

Your heart skipped a few beats at the sound of his tone, making you feel a little giddy with nerves. Why did he still have this affect on you? Before you became too flustered and caught up in the moment, you suddenly snapped yourself out of it.

"Uh - did you want a coffee?"

Ben nodded, flashing his signature smile, following you through to the kitchen. The pair of sat down at the kitchen table, coffees steaming in front of you while you spoke about what had just occurred.

"How did he find out where you lived?" Ben asked.

"He said he'd got up my employee details - although god knows how," you sighed.

Ben shook his head, the fury etching on his face again as he thought about that creep with his hand on you.

"He could've really hurt you Y/N, not to mention Molly! If I see him again, it won't be pretty!"

You couldn't help stifle a gentle laugh at his protectiveness over you, it was flattering.

"It's not funny, I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't have showed up when I did," he told you firmly, his eyes not leaving yours for a second.

You blushed, trying not to lose it in front of him. He still cared and you weren't sure what it was, but this Ben sitting in front of you right now, was different, more mature and you found it extremely attractive.

"Thank you,"

You both fell silent, the only sound that could be heard was the subtle sips you took of your coffees. You couldn't help but gaze at him, he was so gorgeous, more so than you remember. He had such a kind heart beneath that steely exterior and that was one of the reasons you had fallen so deeply in love with him all those years ago.

"Can I ask you something?" You asked quietly.

"Anything,"

"Why did you come back?"

Ben was a terrible liar and he knew there would be no point in making up a wild excuse when he so desperately just wanted to tell you the truth.

"I came back for you,"

The world stopped spinning around you as soon as he uttered those words and it was as if you two were the only ones in it. Daring to move a little closer to one another, you both began to lean in, Ben's hand cuppping your flushed cheek. Your lips were millimetres apart, quivering as you gradually got closer, your hearts pounding in unison.

"Mummy?"

The moment was lost, both of you jumping back from one another, clearing your throats. Oh the joy of having a child.

"Yes darling?"

Whatever she was going to originally say was history when she realised Ben was sitting at the table with you. Her eyes lit up in an instant.

"Ben!" She squealed with excitement, running over to give him a hug.

"Hey kiddo," he said, hugging her back.

Accepting that your moment with Ben was well and truly over, you got to making Molly's hot chocolate while she told Ben all about her day at school and he gave her some solid advice on how to tackle the little witches in her class. The more Ben and Molly bonded, the closer you got to telling them both the truth. Ben was already proving to be the perfect father, he only had Molly's best interests at heart and above all else, he deserved to know the truth.

"Molly, could you give Mummy and Da - Ben a moment alone?" You asked, kicking yourself for how easy to was to slip up.

Molly pouted at you, flashing her big puppy eyes at Ben hoping he'd let her stay.

"Better do as your mum says," Ben told her with a smile.

"Okay," Molly sighed, slumping her shoulders and disappearing back into the living room.

"Ben, there's something I need to tell you," you start, your voice shaking lightly as you sat back down at the table.

Ben was all ears, ready to hear what you had to say. You tried your hardest to find the right words, your mouth open to speak but failing to make a sound. How could you just spring this on him? The last few days had been perfect and you knew that could jeopardise it any second.

"What is it?" Ben pressed.

His hand found yours while you tried to find the courage to tell him. You couldn't do it, not yet, something was telling you to keep quiet for a little while longer. Quickly, you devised something else to say before he got suspicious of you. You both let out exasperated and nervous laughs, the light from the candle on the table the only thing hiding both your blushing faces.

"These past few days have been so -," you paused to sigh, "I was wrong when I told you not to get close to Molly, she worships the ground you walk on,"

Ben smiled, clutching your hand a little tighter.

"It would be great if you could stick around a while, for Molly's sake,"

With that, you looked down, avoiding his gaze. You felt his light touch, caress your cheek, pulling your face towards his once more.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, pressing his lips to the corner of your mouth.

Sparks erupted in the pit of your stomach and the last thing Ben was expecting was for you to kiss him back.

To be continued...

Authors Note: It's finally here! I really hope you enjoy the first part of my new fic! I'm super excited about this and can't wait to get my teeth stuck into it!

(Sorry that this is up like an hour late, I had a work do tonight and completely forgot that this was meant to be up at 8pm)

As always, please let me know what you think and also of you want to be added to the taglist!

Lots of love

L.x

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

"Molly, come on darling, time for breakfast," you called up the stairs to your daughter.

"Mummy, I can't find my cardigan," she called back.

You were sure you'd ironed and folded a fresh one and placed it on her bed this morning.

"Have another look, I'm sure it's there somewhere," you chuckled to yourself as you finished packing up her lunch box.

It was nearing eight and you were painfully aware that you had less than half an hour to get Molly to school in time or it would be another late start at work for you. You zipped up her lunch bag and placed it on the kitchen table along with her school bag and water bottle and quickly got to making some breakfast.

Being a single mother was difficult at times but it certainly had its perks. Molly was an amazing child and she never made the job of being her mother difficult. Of course, she was missing a father figure in her life and the question of his whereabouts had been the topic of conversation many times. Making up some out of world excuse for Molly's fathers absence would have been a violation to all your basic principles, not to mention that there would be no point in lying about it.

You could see how it affected her, especially now she was getting older and her friends from school were always talking about their dad's and Molly couldn't relate.

"Mummy, I really can't find it,"

You turned to see your daughter standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a sad pout on her face. You chuckled lightly, placing a bowl of cornflakes on the table beside a glass of fresh orange juice.

"Okay sweetheart, sit and eat your breakfast and Mummy will find it for you," you assured her, rubbing the top of her head as you left the kitchen and rushed upstairs in search for your daughters missing cardigan.

An hour later, you had managed to arrive at work just on time without running the risk of getting another warning from your boss. You sat down at your desk and got to work with the jobs you had to get through that morning, sipping your rather large cup of coffee as you did so.

"Morning Y/N,"

You spun around in your chair to see your colleague and good friend Lucy sauntering her way into the office and sitting opposite you at her desk.

"Morning Lucy, nice weekend?"

"Oh, the best," she beamed, placing her folders down on the desk and switching on her computer, "Rami took me out for the most romantic dinner and night stay at the Corinthia, it was magical,"

You couldn't help but feel a little bit envious of Lucy sometimes. She was lovely and a wonderful friend to you but she was one of those people who had everything when you were barely managing to get by.

"Aww that's lovely, he's a keeper," you smiled, trying your best to hide the jealousy inside.

"How's Molly?"

Lucy often asked about Molly, having known her since birth. Molly referred to Lucy as her Auntie Lou Lou, which Lucy adored and would spoil her rotten at Christmas and her birthday every year.

"She's fine, although we did have a bit of a fiasco with her cardigan this morning, luckily Mummy came to the rescue," you mused as your eyes scanned over a few emails popping into your inbox.

"Any more questions about her D-A-D?"

Seriously? It was half nine on a Friday morning and Lucy wanted to bring up that conversation again. You didn't have the energy nor the interest to even go there.

"No, nothing lately," you said, clearing your throat a little.

"Are you ever going to tell her the truth about him -,"

"Lucy, please," you sighed, not wanting her to continue and giving her a begging look.

She paused and smiled sympatheticly at you, mouthing a 'Sorry,' before getting back to work.

You returned your attention back to your computer screen but couldn't help but look upon the small framed photograph that sat beside the monitor. Molly looked like him, she had his eyes not to mention his attitude, which although could be trying at times, never ceased to make you laugh.

Why did he leave? How could he leave? It never made sense to you and probably never would. To be fair to him though, he didn't know you were pregnant and you hadn't exactly attempted to tell him either. How could you tell him? The world around him was moving so fast, the last thing he needed was to be dragged down with you, unsettled with a child. Still, you loved him. You loved him so much and if truth be told...you still loved him.

It was 2:30 and Molly finished school in half an hour, giving you enough time to close off any emails and head off to collect her. You grabbed your bag before switching off your computer and bid farewell to Lucy.

"Oh before you go, Rami and I are having a get together with a few old friends tomorrow, you should come along," Lucy suggested just as you were about to hot foot it out the door.

"Oh erm, that's really nice of you Luc, but I don't have anyone to look after Molly, my babysitter is taking the week off and I promised I'd take her to feed the ducks tomorrow," you told her, pretending to be really bumed out that you had to take a rain check, even though you were more than happy to decline her offer.

Lucy sighed, almost in a sulky way as she tapped away at her keyboard, keeping her eyes peeled to the screen.

"Okay, well, if you change your mind you know where we'll be,"

You nodded, knowing that they would no doubt be in the local wine bar not very far from your house. It was the place you'd first met Molly's dad hence why the idea of mingling with 'old friends' didn't sound appealing to you at all.

"Thanks anyway, maybe next time? I've got to dash, Molly will be waiting,"

You waved goodbye to Lucy and the rest of the office and bounded out of the building to your car. Starting the engine, you began the short journey to Molly's school. You could've gotten anyone to look after Molly tomorrow night, your friend Louise had offered to have her on many occasions so you could have a night off but something always stopped you. Maybe it was the protective side of you that made you so apprisensive to let anyone help you out or fear that everyone would leave you in the end just like he did. You shook off your negative thoughts and soon arrived outside the school gates, jumping out of the car to meet your daughter.

"Mummy, Mummy!"

There she was, her joyful giggle echoing through the crowds of loud and unruly children on the playground as she ran towards you, a big sheet of paper clutched in her small hand.

"Hello sweetheart, did you have a good day?" You cooed, kneeling down to give her a quick cuddle.

"Mummy, I drew you a picture, look," she beamed, shaking the paper in front of you to take.

You took hold of it and glanced over it before noticing what it was.

"Wow! You drew that? Well done darling, this is amazing," you said enthusiastically, your eyes still trying to figure out the juvenile shapes sprawled onto the paper.

"It's Mummy and Molly," she smiled excitedly, pointing you both out.

You raised your brows in an exaggerated way, praising her for her fine artistic skills but couldn't help but notice a third figure on the page.

"And who's this?" You asked.

Molly smiled, stepping a little closer to you and pointing her finger to the picture.

"That's Daddy,"

You gulped and you were sure you'd gone as white as a sheet. Molly's imagination was one thing but the fact that she had somewhat got most of her fathers features right amazed you. Then again, it could just be a lucky guess. You couldn't help but feel angry and upset that he was missing out on watching their beautiful daughter grow up, he'd missed so much already. It wasn't until Molly tapped your shoulder that you realised you were crying.

"Mummy, why are you sad?" She asked innocently.

You quickly wiped away any remaining tears and put on your best brave face.

"I'm not darling, Mummy's just very proud of you," you sniffed, giving her a convincing smile before holding your hand out to her, "Come on trouble, let's get you home,"

Molly grinned and took your hand and the two of you walked to the car.

Once you were home, you began to prepare dinner while Molly settled down on the sofa in the living room and watched her favourite programme on the Disney Channel. The picture she had drawn for you had taken pride of place on the fridge, held up by a small magnet so she knew how proud you were of it. It was uncanny, how well she had drawn her dad, even if it was just a big blob with spikey hair. Still, she'd just have to keep on imagining because the liklihood of her ever meeting him was very slim. He hadn't bothered for the past four years, why would he bother now? Putting all thoughts of him out of your mind, you popped the dinner in the oven and set the timer for forty minutes before heading into the living room with Molly who was giggling away at her programme. You snuggled up on the sofa, with the remains of your cup of tea in hand, ready to continue the latest book you were into when you were disturbed by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"Mummy, someone's at the door, Molly will go get it!"

You chuckled lightly and shook your head.

"Molly, you stay here, Mummy will go," you told her firmly as you pulled yourself off of the sofa and made your way downstairs to the front door.

Jumping off of the bottom step, you made it to the door and lifted up the latch to greet whoever was on the otherside. Your heart stopped and your mouth ran dry, for the person who was on the other side was the last person you were ever expecting to see. He hadn't changed and after all these years still had the capability to make you go weak at the knees. A lopsided smile etched on his face and he looked more than elated to see your face.

"Hello Y/N,"

The cup of tea you were holding fell straight out of your hand and smashed onto the floor at your feet. There he was, standing right in front of you, exactly as you'd always know him.

"Ben,"

@little-welsh-wonder

@neverendingstories00

@myescapefromthislife

@mestiza003

@storiesfrommirkwood

@kurri-kurri

@mrsmazzello

@findingillyria

@themarchoftherainbowqueen

@cjand10

@peace-and-love-will-last-forever

@onceuponadetectivedemigod

@ellietaylor

@fairestkillerqueenofall

@thosequeenboys

@elektraofcrete

@gwenthwips

@lifesacrime24

Authors Note: I'm back! Sorry for the delay in getting this part up guys. I'm so busy at the moment you wouldn't believe it but I'm planning on wrapping this story up soon guys, stay tuned and hope you enjoy this next part.

Lots of love

L.x

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

A week had passed since your date with Ben and you hadn't said a word. He'd called round a few times but you'd ignored the door and all of his phone calls too. Everytime Molly asked about him, you would quickly change the subject much to her disappointment. You were way in over your head, so trapped by your pretending that you couldn't see a way out and decided that your only hope was to forget about Ben completely.

Who were you kidding? You couldn't do that, you'd never been able to do that.

It was 1pm in the afternoon and you were once again sitting down, thinking about Ben and the mess you had found yourself in. Molly would be finishing school in a few hours and that gave you enough time to go over and over the situation in your head. If it wasn't for your phone ringing by your side, you would've happily slipped into a nap. Picking it up to see that it wasn't Ben trying to call once more, you frowned to see the number of Molly's school flash up on the screen.

"Hello?" You answered.

"Hello there, is that Miss Y/L/N?"

"Yes, is Molly okay?" You asked nervously.

You heard the school receptionist sigh and that was when you knew something was up.

"Miss Y/L/N, Molly has had an accident,"

Your heart stopped, your mouth ran dry. The phone slipped from your hand as you grabbed your bag and car keys and rushed as fast as you could to the school. All sorts of the things were racing through your mind as you stopped at every traffic light along the way, panic setting in hard and fast. By the time you had got to the school, you were shocked to see an ambulance parked up outside. You felt sick, your very worst nightmare was unfolding before your eyes.

"Ah Miss Y/L/N -,"

You cut the headteacher off in an instant.

"What's happened, where is my daughter!?"

"Molly had an accident on the roundabout in the playground, unfortunately whilst playing with her friends, she managed to fly off of it and land on her head -,"

"Where is she!?" You demanded to know.

The headteacher sighed and gestered to the ambulance. You were done talking with her and you rushed over, grabbing the attention of the paramedic nearby.

"Excuse me, I'm Molly's mum, where is she?" You asked, your patience wearing thin.

The paramedic let you into the ambulance and your heart crumbled at the sight of your beautiful little girl laying on the stretcher, her eyes closed.

"Molly, darling it's Mummy, can you hear me?" You sobbed, stroking her hair out of her face.

Her eyelids fluttered and her brows furrowed as she heard the soft coos of your voice.

"Mummy?" She croaked, her big green eyes meeting yours sleepily.

"Yes, yes sweetheart it's Mummy, I've got you," you told her, holding her hand tight.

"Where am I?" She asked looking confused and squinting at the bright lights above her.

"Your in the ambulance, you remember what Mummy taught you about ambulances? They take you to the hospital to make you better," you said trying to reassure her.

Molly groaned as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"Mummy, it hurts," she cried groggily.

"I know darling, I know, the doctors are going to look after you okay, you're going to be fine,"

--

You awaited nervously outside the room that the doctors had rushed Molly into apon arrival at the hospital, twiddling your fingers frantically. It had been almost two hours and so far the only thing that had been said to you was that she was in safe hands. You desperately wanted to barge into the room and look after your little girl but you were helpless just watching the clock tick away. Letting out a fed up sigh, your eyes scanned the waiting room notice board.

"Please do not use your mobile phone"

You really were one for following the rules. You waited for a few nurses to disperse and siezed your moment, pulling your phone out of your pocket and dialling the number you had been avoiding for the past week. Placing the phone to your ear, you waited eagerly for them to answer.

"I need your help - I'm at the hospital,"

It wasn't long before the double doors across the room opened fully causing you and a few other people in the waiting room to look up. Your mood changed in an instant as you were faced with a very out of breath looking Ben. Had he run here?

"Y/N? What's going on, where's Molly?" He asked as he rushed to your side.

You sighed in relief that he was here, after all, Molly was his daughter as well.

"Molly had an accident at school," you tell him.

"What?! Is she okay? Where is she?"

"She's in with the doctors now, she's been in there for ages,"

Your voice was cracking with emotion now, your gut wrenching worry increasing by the second.

"What happened?" He asked, his brows furrowing, looking just as worried as you were.

"She fell off the roundabout in the playground and landed on her head, she was knocked out cold," you explain, sniffing and holding back tears, "She came around in the ambulance when I got there but not for long, they're running tests now,"

Ben let out a sigh and ran his hand through his unruly blonde curls.

"Why did you call me?" He asked, refusing to look at you.

You could tell he was angry. There were a multitude of reasons why you had called him, the very least being that it was his daughter in that room of doctors and nurses. Now was as good a time as any to finally tell him the truth, although judging by the attitude he was displaying, it probably wasn't.

"Because I'm scared and I need someone tough right now," you tell him, "I thought if you were here I could be tough by proxy,"

Ben rolled his eyes as he sat beside you.

"Listen I'm sorry about -,"

"Forget it, I have,"

His bluntness caught you off guard. He clenched his jaw as he continued to stare at the floor.

"Ben, I never meant to-,"

"I said forget it, anyway I'm not here for you, I'm here for Molly,"

You scoffed.

"You didn't even know Molly was here, I told you that I needed your help,"

Ben had to admit you were right in saying that. When you had called, he didn't think twice before rushing to find you at the hospital.

"Thank you for coming," you said sheepishly.

Ben shrugged with a slight smirk, his stubbornness not letting him give in to you just yet.

Another hour passed and by this time you were getting restless as there had been no word from any of the doctors or nurses. The naivety in you had just thought that Molly would have a bit of concussion but it wasn't looking so likely. When a doctor did finally emerge from the room, both you and Ben leapt up immediately.

"Ah, you must be Molly's parents,"

"Uh, I'm just here for moral support, friend of the family," Ben said quickly.

Little did he know.

"Well I'm pleased to let you know that Molly has finally come round and is doing well, she had us a little scared there but she is going to be okay," the doctor told you.

You gasped in relief, your hands coming to cover your mouth. Ben absentmindedly wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to him.

"Oh thank you," you say, "Can I see her?"

"Of course, we will be keeping her in over night just to keep an eye on her but you may see her now," the doctor smiled, leading you both into the small side room.

Molly was tucked up in the bed, her eyes wandering around the room before she caught the sight of you and Ben in the door way.

"Mummy!" She cried.

You took no time at all in rushing to her bedside and sweeping her up in a cuddle. The moment was tender as Ben watched on from the door, smiling lightly at you both. Molly rested her head upon your shoulder, her little face elated that you were with her. He figured he was no longer needed and slumped his shoulders, turning to leave the room.

"There's someone here to see you," you tell her with a smile, turning to Ben.

He stopped in his tracks as the sound of Molly's excited voice rang through his ears.

"Ben!" She squealed.

He gave you a questioning look, almost as if to say "Are you sure?". You simply nodded and gestured for him to come over.

"Hey there Molly, how are you feeling?" He asked as he took the seat beside her bed.

Molly began to ramble, her voice very sleepy but equally excitable at the same time. She told him all about her day, up until the accident of course and all the things she had been up to over the past week. Soon enough, she had fallen asleep against the pillows and you stroked her hair gently.

"I should get going," Ben sighed, checking his watch and standing to his feet.

"Oh - yes, sorry I've kept you here longer than needed," you say, clearing your throat.

Ben hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to express what he'd been trying to since arriving at the hospital.

"What happened Y/N? Why did you run away?"

You gulped, wanting the floor to gobble you up.

"Can we not talk about it -,"

"Why not - because I'm getting really tired of this,"

"Ben, this is not the time or the place,"

Ben let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine, we'll just not talk about our feelings," he spat, turning to the leave the room but not before he faced you once more, "You know, I know I messed up last time okay, I know that you were left on your own and I'll never understand how hard the past four years have been for you but," he paused to gather his thoughts, "I came back to find you because I couldn't stand to be away from the woman I loved any longer!"

You didn't have a comeback, he deserved to have his say.

"Y/N, I don't care what you think or how you react anymore, I'm telling you," he said firmly, "You and Molly mean the world to me and I don't want to walk away - but if that's what you want then, tell Molly I said goodbye,"

Ben's hand clutched the handle of the door, having every intention of leaving.

"She's yours,"

He froze as the words tumbled out of your mouth. His bewildered and confused expression met yours almost instantly.

"What?" He scoffed.

You took a deep breath, looking deep into his eyes.

"Molly's your daughter,"

To be continued...

Authors Note: Hi there lovelies! Here is part three, I'm really enjoying writing this fic for you all and I am loving the support so far!

Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from you, it makes my day 💕

Also send me a message if you would like to be on the taglist and I will happily add you!

Lots of love

L.x

Side Note: Ben's dog is called Freddie in this, it's going to be a little bit of a running joke throughout the next few parts. Obviously I know his dog isn't called Freddie but I'm improvising

Pairings: Ben Hardy x Reader

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The long walk you took along to the park the next morning was well needed for both Molly and yourself. It was always your Saturday tradition. A walk in the park and playing on the swings for an hour or so and then over to your friend Louise's house for a cup of tea. The view was rather picturesque and October was slowly turning into November. Molly loved this time of year; firstly because it was almost her birthday and secondly because she loved stomping her feet through the crispy brown leaves that had started to fall from the trees.

"Ah! Mummy look there's a skiggle," she gasped excitedly, pointing up to a nearby tree where a squirrel was scrurring around on the branches.

"Oh wow, quick shall we take a picture?"

"Yes!" she said enthusiastically as you snapped a quick photo on your phone.

As soon as you moved away from the tree, the squirrel ran off into the deeper branches of tree, disappearing from sight.

"Oh," Molly said sadly, "Bye, bye Mr Skiggle,"

She waved up at the tree as you let out a light chuckle at her attempts of trying to say squirrel. She was certainly a fast learner, she could now count all the way to 100, which you were super proud of her for.

"Right, come on you, we need to get to those swings before anyone else," you laugh, taking her hand as you approached the entrance of the park.

It wasn't too busy for a sunny Saturday morning which pleased you. There were a few locals walking their dogs and a couple walking with their newborn in the pram. You couldn't help but feel a bit envious towards them as they walked close together, cooing at their new bundle of joy. You'd never been able to experience that with Ben and to this day it still made you upset. You had to keep telling yourself that Ben was none the wiser about Molly, he didn't know that she was his and it didn't look as if he had suspected anything yesterday when he showed up either.

Trying to banish the thoughts of Ben out of your mind, you focused on Molly and your time spent in the park together. You lifted her up into the swing and she giggled happily as you began to push her gently.

"Mummy I want to go higher," Molly asked excitedly.

"Okay but only a little bit okay," you told her.

As Molly continued to enjoy her experience on the swing, your eyes glanced across the green grass of the park to where a few people were walking their dogs. You weren't sure but you could've sworn you saw a familiar face walking along the path.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," you muttered under your breath as you realised it was Ben, "Okay Molly, I think we should head to Auntie Louise's now," you said rather hastily.

"But Mummy, I don't want to," Molly whined.

"We can come back tomorrow," you assured her.

"No! I want to stay here!" She cried and you could tell she was about to have a tantrum.

Maybe you were being unreasonable, you had only just got there but you really didn't want to deal with having to bump into Ben again, it was hard enough yesterday.

"Come on Molly, we can come back tomorrow,"

Tears streamed down her face as you lifted her out of the swing and put her back down onto the ground.

"I don't want to go Mummy," she cried, rubbing her eyes.

You felt awful but you just wanted to get out of the park and quickly. Kneeling down to your daughters height, you brushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry Molly, I promise we will come back tomorrow and we can stay for longer,"

Molly ceased her crying and sobbed as you took her hand and walked out of the play area, careful to take a different route to the one that you could see Ben taking.

"Ooh Mummy look,"

You stopped in your tracks as Molly let go of your hand to marvel at a pretty flowerbed along the way. She made you so proud every single day; she loved flowers and nature and would always stop on your walks to look at and smell them, letting you know which ones she liked the most. Just as you were about to join her in looking at the beauty flower bed, you were almost knocked off of your feet by the force of someone's dog running right into you.

"Freddie! Freddie, get back here now!"

This wasn't happening. You'd tried so hard to avoid him and his blooming dog just had to give your position away.

"Mummy, look at the doggy!" Molly gasped as the dog made a bee-line for her.

She giggled as it let her make a massive fuss of it, just in time for Ben to make his way to you both.

"Sorry, he just gets a bit excited sometimes, are you okay?"

You looked up and gave Ben a questioning look as you folded your arms across your chest.

"Oh, Y/N - sorry I didn't realise, fancy bumping into you again,"

"Mm, fancy that," you mumbled sarcastically.

By this time, Ben's dog and Molly were well acquainted with each other and you had to admit, it was a lovely sight. You didn't have any pets and Molly had been asking for one for a while. You settled on maybe getting her a hamster for her birthday on the condition that she had to look after it.

"We were just leaving," you told him abruptly.

Ben looked a little disappointed but gave you a flat smile in return before turning to Molly.

"Hello again Molly,"

Molly beamed up at him and waved.

"Hello Ben, I like your doggy,"

"Ah well it looks like he likes you too," Ben said.

"What is his name?" Molly asked curiously as she patted the dogs ears.

"His name is Freddie," he smiled.

"Hello Freddie," Molly cooed.

"Freddie?" You said questioningly, raising an eye brow.

Ben shrugged with a smirk.

"Named after the legend himself," he chuckled.

You couldn't help but stifle a small laugh.

"Wow, you laughed, that was an actual laugh," Ben said, winking at you, "I didn't think you did that anymore,"

You rolled your eyes and focused back on your daughter who was now letting Freddie chase her around in a circle. She looked so free and happy, happier than she'd been in a while and you figured maybe this wasn't such a bad thing.

"Hey Molly, would you like to play catch him with him?" Ben asked handing her Freddie's ball.

"Yay! Mummy can I?" She asked, her green eyes that you noticed matched Ben's perfectly, batting up at you.

Ben shot you a look as if to say 'go on," and you reluctantly agreed as you took a seat on the nearby bench. You watched on as Ben knelt down to Molly's level and helped her throw the ball a little distance across the grass for Freddie to chase. It warmed your heart amongst the chill of the autumn day. Although Molly had no idea who Ben was, she was extremely comfortable around him and seemed to trust him too. After all, he was her dad. Your mind was racing as you watched them play and have a laugh together, just as it should be and should always have been. Ben left Molly to play with Freddie alone, watching closely as he made his way over to the bench to sit beside you.

"Hey uh I was wondering - would you like a coffee or something?"

You looked up at him, your brows furrowed a little.

"Uh - I don't know, we need to be leaving soon -,"

"My treat?" Ben pleaded, batting those same big green eyes your way just like Molly had done not a few minutes earlier.

You sighed lightly and pursed your lips in consideration. One couldn't hurt could it?

"Okay then, thank you," you agreed.

Ben smiled brightly before walking the short distance to the park kiosk to grab you some drinks while you continued to watch Molly and Freddie play.

You weren't sure how you felt right now, it was as if none of this was really happening. How had yesterday, that had just started out as a normal Friday evolved into this? Ben had been gone all of Molly's life and out of nowhere here he was playing happy families. There was no way he could ever find out that Molly was his daughter, it would be such a shock for him and you didn't want to mess with his or Molly's head. This was precisely why you had agreed to pop into Louise's house for a cuppa so you could tell someone about it.

"One vanilla latte, extra hot, just how you always liked it," Ben smiled as he returned holding two cups of coffee, handing one to you.

You gave him a small smile as you took it from him, thanking him before taking a sip. It warmed your body instantly and it tasted amazing.

"Ooh that's nice," you hummed.

Ben chuckled lightly, taking a quick sip of his own before sitting back against the bench.

"She's a sweet kid,"

"Yeah, she's one in a million," you smiled lightly as Mollie sat upon the grass giving Freddie a lot of fuss.

Ben sighed, nervous to ask his next question but he felt it needed to be asked.

"You said it was just the two of you - so what happened to her dad?"

You could feel your breath hitch in your chest at his question and you began to rummage through your head for a good excuse.

"Oh uh - it was just after we split," you said, clearing your throat trying to sound as convincing as possible, "It was just a quick hook up, I never saw him again,"

Ben frowned.

"Wow,"

"What?"

"Nothing just - it's not like you to have a one night stand,"

You scoffed and crossed your leg over your knee.

"There's a lot you don't know, Ben,"

There was a small interlude of silence between you both for a moment as you gathered your thoughts.

"So he doesn't know about Molly then?" He asked.

You shook your head not daring to look at his concerned expression.

"No, no he doesn't know anything,"

Ben let out a exasperated sigh, shaking his head as he took another sip of coffee.

"Did you ever try to find him?"

You let out a small chuckle.

"What would I say?"

Ben shrugged, "I don't know, maybe something like, you knocked me up you arsehole, take some responsibility,"

A small smile crept onto your face at his remark even though you were now very, very deep into your made up story.

"For what it's worth, you've done an amazing job with Molly from what I can see," Ben said.

"Well I had no choice," you said a little snappily.

Another moment of silence overcame you both and it wasn't until Molly decided to run back over to you with Freddie following her that it was broken. He quickly rushed over to Ben who gave him more fuss, attaching his lead back to his collar.

"Did you have fun?" You asked Molly as she came up to give you a cuddle.

"I love Freddie, Mummy," she tells you with a giggle.

You kissed her softly on the head and stroked her hair before finishing your coffee and throwing it in the bin beside you.

"Right, we should get going Molly pops, it's too late to go to Auntie Louise's now, so shall we get home for some lunch?"

"Can Ben and Freddie come to lunch, Mummy?"

Ben chuckled as you mouthed a 'sorry' to him.

"Not today Molly," you tell her.

"Oh please Mummy, please, please," she begged, tugging on your coat.

"Molly," You warned, giving her a stern look.

"Please Ben, please come and have lunch with us, please, please, please,"

"Molly, I won't tell you again," you said firmly, starting to lose your patience.

"It's okay," Ben assured you before bending down to face Molly, "I would love to have lunch with you but this is a special lunch just for you and Mummy, no Ben or Freddie's allowed,"

Molly sulked, popping her bottom lip out which only made you more irritated.

"Fine," you sighed causing both Molly, Ben and the bloody dog to look up at you hopefully, "I suppose I could make an extra bacon sandwich,"

Ben smiled, clearly extremely happy that you had changed your mind and let you lead the way back to your house. You walked along the street, approaching your front door and unlocked it, letting Molly and Freddie run inside and up to the living room.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Ben asked as he shrugged off his coat.

You still weren't sure but what harm could it do really?

"Yes but - don't get too close to Molly okay, I don't want her to become attached to you just for you to leave,"

Without letting him respond, you whizzed up the stairs to prepare the lunch, leaving Ben confused and a little hurt by your words. Shaking it off, he followed you up the stairs, excited to make up for lost time with you.

To be continued...

Authors Note: Thank you so much for all the love so far on part one, the response has been amazing! I hope you enjoy this part and please let me know what you think and if you would like to be on the taglist! Lots of love, L.x

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

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"It's great to see you Y/N - you're looking good,"

You didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Completely ignoring the mess you had made by dropping your cup of tea, you shut the door with a bang and stepped away from it, your hand covering your mouth in shock. Ben on the other hand, furrowed his brows confused as to why you had just slammed the door in his face. As you backed away from the door, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror that was hanging up on the wall. You quickly fixed your hair, making it look a little more presentable and brushed yourself down, taking a deep breath before stepping forward to open the door again.

"What the heck are you doing here?" You snapped.

Ben shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and rocked on his heels.

"I was in town and thought we could catch up. But I'm guessing now isn't such a good time?"

You folded your arms across your chest, not knowing whether you were happy or angry to see him after all these years.

"You want to catch up?" You questioned him.

Ben shrugged and flashed you his dashing smile and you hated to admit that it made your heart flutter.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Why not?" You spat, "Why not?!"

Ben's cheerful expression soon disappeared as you stepped closer to him, your eyes full of anger.

"It's been four years! You pitch up out of the blue after four years and you want to catch up?!"

He let out a deflated sigh, running his hand through his unruly blonde hair, biting down on his bottom lip anxiously.

"I thought it'd be nice, you know, like old times?"

"Well you thought wrong, I'd like you to leave," you told him firmly as you attempted to close the door but you were stopped by a small voice coming from behind you.

"Hello?"

Your heart stopped as you turned to your daughter who was stood at the bottom of the stairs with her favourite teddy in his arms. She had noticed the man standing at the front door and became incredibly shy when he gave her small smile.

"Uh, sweetheart, everything is okay, I will be back up in a moment," you assured her as she stood behind you, her eyes still gazing up Ben.

Ben smiled at her, giving her a small wave and she gave him a small grin in return, still standing close to you.

"Hello, I'm Ben, what's your name?"

"Molly," she replied shyly.

"It's very nice to meet you Molly, I like your teddy bear," Ben smiled, gesturing to the soft stuffed animal she was cradling in her arms.

"Thank you," she beamed, hugging it closer to her chest.

"Does he have a name too?"

"Yes, he is called Button Bear," she told him, holding out her teddy to show him.

As touching as this moment was, you wanted him off of your doorstep and gone. You were furious that he showed his face out of nowhere after all these years.

"Molly, sweetheart, go back upstairs and get ready for dinner, there's a good girl," you told her.

Molly hung her head and slumped her shoulders.

"Okay," she sighed.

"Goodbye Molly, it was a pleasure to meet you," Ben said giving her a small wave which she returned.

"Bye bye Ben," she smiled sadly before running back upstairs, leaving you and Ben alone once again.

"I think you should go," you told him firmly as you pushed the door slightly in attempt to close it again.

"Wait, Y/N, hang on a second," he piped up, holding his hand on the door to stop you from shutting it in his face again, "Look I know this might be a bit of a shock but I wanted to see you while I was here, I've missed you,"

You huffed internally, rolling your eyes as you listened to his pathetic excuse for showing his face. He hadn't bothered with you for four years, it was like he just disappeared and left everyone he claimed to love behind. Now all of a sudden he wanted to have a catch up over a cuppa!

"Please go Ben,"

"Who was that girl? Are you babysitting for someone, is that why this is a bad time?"

He was really grating on your nerves now and you were very close to slamming the door in his face again but when he gave you a pleading look you decided to just tell him.

"No, she's my daughter,"

Ben was a little shocked by your revelation and couldn't help but feel a little irritated by it. Judging by how old Molly looked, he worked out that she was about four or five which meant that you had to have had her not long after you and him split up. Wow, you really did move on easy.

"I didn't realise," he gulped, "Wow, things really have changed in four years, I had no idea you were a mum,"

"Yeah well, if you'd been here for the last four years you would've know," you said coldly.

"I guess I should get out of your hair then, your husband is probably wondering where you are,"

Husband? Where had he got that idea from?

"I don't have a husband, it's just me and Molly," you told him.

"Oh - well, I won't waste anymore time then, I'll be off," he said, looking a little disappointed, "It was great to see you,"

You scoffed as he turned on his heel and walked back towards his car. You couldn't comprehend what had just happened and you felt a little sick with emotion as you watched him walk away.

"Ben," you called out, causing him to turn back to you almost instantly.

"Yes?"

Originally, you were going to suggest he come in for a cup of tea but you were still far too enraged at him. Besides, it would time for Molly to go to bed soon and you didn't want mess up her routine.

"Nice to see you too," you said flatly before finally shutting the door closed.

You leaned up against it as you tried to take in what had just happened.

"Oh my god -,"

"Mummy!"

You snapped out of your thoughts suddenly at the sound of Molly calling you.

"Coming!"

You rushed back upstairs to your daughter, grabbing a cloth and a binbag to gather up the mess you'd created on the floor before rushing to the kitchen to dish up dinner. You and Molly sat at the table, tucking into the delicious chicken dinner you had made. It was Molly's favourite but you noticed that she didn't seem to be enjoying it as much as usual.

"Molly, darling, what's wrong with your dinner?" You asked as she continued to push a lone roast potato around the plate with her fork.

She hummed quietly, putting down the fork and batting her big green eyes up at you.

"Hey, what's that frown all about? You love my chicken dinners," you said softly, tapping the end of her nose gently.

"Who was that man?" She asked, her question causing to almost choak on the mouthful of food you had just put in your mouth.

"Uh - he was an old friend of Mummy's," you told her.

It wasn't technically a lie but it wasn't technically the truth either.

"He was very nice Mummy, will he come and see us again?"

You gulped, trying to figure out the best way to change the subject.

"I uh - I don't know darling,"

"Oh," she groaned as she got back to her dinner.

You couldn't help but notice how sad she suddenly looked as she finished the rest of her dinner in silence.

"So," you said enthusiastically, "What else did you do at school today?"

Molly shrugged.

"Mrs Coleman said we are going to do a pro - prodjet -," she sighed hopelessly and look at you for help.

"A project?" You said, correcting her.

Molly nodded before hanging her head again.

"Yes,"

"How exciting, what's the project about?"

Molly slumped her shoulders.

"It's about mummys and daddys,"

You nodded curiously, knowing where this conversation was about turn. This was to be expected, she was only four and was half way through reception class and a lot of her friends had both parents at home or if they didn't, they had contact with both of them. Molly didn't have such a privilege and it wasn't exactly easy to tell a four year old that her dad doesn't even know she exists.

"Okay so - what do you have to do?" You asked, your voice a little chirpy.

"We have to do showing and telling about what our mummy and daddys do,"

"Oh well that's easy, you can take in one of the lovely bottles of handcreams Mummy sells at work? I can give you lots of fun things to say about it?"

"What about Daddy?"

There it was. It was only earlier that you had told Lucy that there was distinct lack of 'dad talk' lately but it was only a matter of time before Molly began to ask questions again.

"Well - Mummy hasn't seen Daddy in a long time so I don't know what he does now,"

She let out a sad 'okay' as she pushed her plate back, signalling to you that she was finished with her dinner and ready for ice cream.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," you tell her, taking your plates and popping them in the dishwasher.

"Mummy?"

"Yes baby,"

"Daddy doesn't like me, is that why he isn't here anymore?"

Those words broke your heart, to the point where you were now fighting back tears. You rushed over to her side and enveloped her in a cuddle, stroking her hair softly.

"Oh darling, of course not, Daddy loves you very much but - sometimes things don't go the way they're supposed to and sometimes it's for the better," you cooed, rocking her back and forth gently in your arms.

You didn't 100% believe that, it had been extremely hard, raising Molly on your own. You often wondered whether or not having her father around would've made any difference in her upbringing so far.

"Now, dry those eyes and I'll grab you some ice cream, how does that sound?"

Molly nodded, although she was still very solemn. You patted her on the head lightly and turned to prepare dessert for the pair of you. After dinner was finished and you had cleared the kitchen, it was Molly's bedtime. You made her a cup of hot chocolate to take to bed and read her a story before tucking her in and letting her dream the night away. Closing the door a little, making sure there was enough light from the hallway streaming through the crack, you ran back downstairs. As you sat on the sofa, trying to get into one of your favourite TV shows, your mind wandered back to Ben. A part of you didn't want to be angry at him, after all, when you both decided to split, it was mutual and on good grounds but at the same time you had agreed to remain in touch here and there and he hadn't kept to his side of the deal. It was like he had just vanished into thin air without a trace. You were angry at him, you were livid that he could possibly think it was okay to just pop up out of nowhere after four years. He left you alone. Little did he know what the past four years had been like for you, little did he know just how much he had broken your heart and little did he know that when he when he come to the house today, he had met his daughter.

To be continued...

Authors Note: Hello! Here is part 5, thank you for the love for this story so far guys, it means the world!! I hope you enjoy this next part and please as always, let me know what you think but leaving a reply and also if you would like to be tagged!

Lots of love

L.x

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Fem!Reader

Side Note: I'm sorry that there isn't a line break in my posts, I write all my work on my phone and I don't have a laptop so I can't put one in on my phone app. I know this is frustrating to those who don't read my work but there is nothing I can do about it unfortunately. I do apologise.

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Monday morning soon arrived and so far everything had gone to plan. You had no temper tantrums or fuss from Molly and she went to school excited for the day ahead, leaving you to get to work early for the first time in weeks. You sat at your desk after making yourself a strong coffee and began to answer the customer enquiries that had flooded your inbox over the weekend. You loved your job and always got stuck in but today was different. Customers were being particularly demanding, wanting a free gift here or a voucher there and normally you would have a high amount of frustration at their rudeness. This morning, however, you weren't letting it get to you, there was no need to.

You found yourself looking up at the clock after lunch and saw you only had a half an hour before it was time to collect Molly from school and get home to start dinner.

"Oooh, Y/N, it looks as if someone has an admirer,"

The excited shrill of Lucy's voice made you jump as you swirled around in your chair to see her holding an enormous bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"For me?" You said puzzled as she placed them on your desk.

Lucy clapped her hands quickly in excitement, waiting for you to read the card attached.

"Aww my some my favourites, although I would've preferred peonies," you said, admiring the gorgeous sight of pink and white roses, surrounded by delicate gipsophilia flowers.

"Well come on, who sent them?" Lucy pressed eagerly, patting you on your shoulders.

You picked up the small card and read the back, furrowing your brows in confusion.

"To Y/N, thought these might brighten up your day like you always brighten mine, from B.H," you read aloud.

"B.H?" Lucy questioned, "Who's initials are B.H?"

You rolled your eyes as a smile crept on your face. You popped the card back in its holder and put the flowers to one side, getting back to your work.

"Y/N!" Lucy whined.

You chuckled lightly, biting your thumb nail as you blushed. How could Ben know where you worked, you didn't recall telling him the other day. Then again, he always did work in mysterious ways. You felt a little foolish that you were getting hot and flustered over his gesture; it was well and truly over between you both. Still, you couldn't deny that he still had the ability to make you weak at the knees.

"I'm sure whoever they are, I will find out very soon," you smirked as you tapped away at your keyboard, answering a customer question about whether or not you could determine their skin type over the internet.

No longer entertaining Lucy's giddiness, you soon finished your work and got ready to leave. Grabbing your car keys, your bag and the flowers, you bid Lucy goodbye but not before she stopped you at the door.

"Y/N?"

You sighed and turned to her, your eyebrows raised.

"Yes, Lucy?"

She tapped her finger nails gingerly on her desk then gave you a hopeful expression. You knew where this was going.

"Rami and I are having a get together with some of the guys Friday night, we were wondering if you'd like to join us?"

Not this again? Was she ever gonna get the hint, you weren't interested of mingling with Lucy and Rami's friends.

"Lucy -,"

"Hear me out, you haven't had a night out for ages, you're still young, you need to get yourself out there,"

"I'm fine," you tell her, a weak laugh escaping you.

Lucy sighed through her nose and stood up to face you.

"Honey, be honest with me, are you really? You haven't had a date since your split with Ben, I mean how do you cope?"

"I don't need a man, besides, Molly is my main priority, she comes first, Luc,"

"I know but you must miss the dating scene surely,"

She just didn't get it, the only reason you weren't on the dating scene was because of Molly. You didn't want to bring a stranger into her life who wasn't her Daddy, it would confuse her to no end. Besides, no matter how much you tried to ignore it, your heart still only had space for Ben. If you couldn't have him, you didn't want anyone else.

"Not really Lucy, I have everything I need," you assured her, although neither you or her were entirely convinced.

Lucy rubbed your shoulder lightly, giving you a flat smile.

"At least think about coming for a drink? I'm sure someone can look after Molly for one night?"

She wasn't going to back down and you were already running late to pick Molly up at this point. Maybe she did have a point, the liklihood of rekindling your love with Ben was very slim. You weren't even sure why you were letting him back into your life if you were being honest.

"I'll think about it, anyway, I need to get going, I need to get Molly and prepare dinner," you said in a rushed tone, checking your watch before scurrying out of the door, "See you tomorrow!"

You hot footed it out of the office and down the stairs almost making it out before you were stopped by a colleague.

"Y/N!"

You looked up at the man before you, trying to pin point who exactly he was. You'd seen him around the office before and from where he was standing you guessed he worked in payroll.

"Erm hi - uh -," you said, trying to read his name badge.

"Oh, it's Bradley, Bradley Hargreaves," he smiled.

"Yes of course," you chuckled, "Bradley, you work in payroll right?"

"Just been promoted to head of visual marketing," he told you, matter of factly as he straightened his tie.

You nodded, a pained smile creeping onto your face as you sensed the awkward tension building.

"I'd love to chat but I need to pick up my little girl from school," you said, inching closer to the door.

"You got the flowers then?"

You stopped in your tracks and turned to him giving him a questioning look.

"I'm sorry?" You asked.

He gestered to the bouquet in your arms and smiled proudly.

"A little birdy told me you liked roses,"

That's when it dawned on you. These flowers weren't from Ben at all, but from this Bradley that worked in payroll - oh, visual merchandising, sorry.

"You - you sent the flowers?" You asked, your eyes wide in surprise.

"Yes - do you like them?"

Gulping you nodded almost too enthusiastically.

"They're lovely, but if you don't mind me asking - why?"

It may have been a bit of an abrupt question but you had to know. He scuffed his feet, pushing his glasses up his nose anxiously. He looked a lot older than you, maybe in his late thirties and certainly wasn't your usual type. He sported a thick head of mousy brown hair, brown eyes and a beard that really needed tidying up and as flattered you were, you couldn't help but feel a little grossed out.

"I've seen you around the office, in the break room with Lucy and I just wanted to introduce myself," he said, "She told me you liked roses,"

"Damn it, Lucy!" You seethed in your head

He could've just said hi but each to their own.

"Well, thank you Bradley, they are beautiful but I must go, my little girl will be waiting,"

"Are you busy tonight?"

Crap.

"Uh - yes, I have someone coming over for dinner, so I really need to get going," you said, making a final attempt to leave the building.

"What about tomorrow?" He asked, following you.

You sighed, rolling your eyes, turning to him.

"Uh, sorry, tomorrow I have plans too -,"

"What about -,"

"And Wednesday," you said firmly, hoping he'd get the message.

You smiled flatly before turning once more to the door.

"Thursday?"

You technically didn't have anything on on Thursday but the last thing you wanted to do was spend it with this stranger who was starting giving you stalker vibes. By this time you had a run out of excuses. Maybe it was just better to be honest.

"Thank you for the offer Bradley, I'll let you know tomorrow but I really need to go now, I'm sorry,"

He frowned, it was almost sulky as you flashed him a light wave before finally running out of the building rushing to your car as quickly as your legs could carry you. Chucking the flowers on the backseat, you jumped in and drove to Molly's school just in time to collect her.

"And then Mrs Coleman said that we can bring our Mummy's and Daddy's to school and show them our prodecs,"

You chuckled lightly, keeping your eyes on the road.

"Projects, hunny,"

Molly scrunched up her nose.

"Progdecs, prodgecs, prod -," she huffed in frustration, "I can't say it Mummy,"

"It's okay sweetheart," you smiled at her as you pulled into the space outside your house.

"When is Ben gonna be here Mummy?"

"Very soon, so we need to get inside and get changed and ready," you told her with a big smile as you helped her out of the car.

The last time you'd seen Molly this excited was the time you took her to Disneyland Paris, which cost you an arm and a leg. Since meeting Ben the other day, she hadn't stopped talking about him, every other sentence was about Ben and it filled you with emotion.

Once you were ready and waiting for Ben's arrival, you and Molly sat in the living room together. Molly was sat at the small coffee table drawing and humming her favourite Disney song and you couldn't contain the amount of love you had for her.

"What are you drawing honey?" You asked as you peered over her shoulder.

Molly paused her colouring and held the page up to you. From what you could make of it, it looked like a park, similar to the one the two of you always visited at weekends. There were three people depicted in the picture and what looked like a small dog playing with a tennis ball.

"Wow, this is brilliant darling, who do we have here then?" You asked curiously as Molly pointed at the figures on the page.

"This is Mummy and Molly," she exclaimed before pointing to the other person and the dog, "And that is Ben and Freddie,"

You pulled her into a side cuddle and kissed her hair softly.

"It's amazing sweetheart,"

"I'm going to take it to school and show everyone," she told you, a huge grin etched on her face before sitting down again, picking up another pencil to give her picture some finishing touches, "I wish Ben was my Daddy,"

Your heart sank, knowing you could never let her know that he was in fact her father. Before you could even begin to reply, the doorbell rang.

"Ben!" Molly gasped happily, jumping up and and running down to the front door.

"Molly, not so fast!" You yelled after her.

Molly had made it to the bottom of the stairs and managed to open the door to a unsuspecting Ben.

"Well hello Miss Molly,"

"Ben!" She said excitedly, jumping up and down as you reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Molly, what have I told you, no answering the door to strangers,"

Molly gave you a strange look

"Ben's not a stranger, Mummy," she giggled.

Ben chuckled as you rolled your eyes at her sassy comment.

"Alright smarty pants, upstairs," You tell her in an amused tone, "Mummy and Ben will be there in a minute,"

Molly ran back up the stairs in a flash, probably to grab another one of her toys to show Ben in hopes that he would play with her.

"Sorry," you said sheepishly, "She's grown rather fond of you,"

"It's alright," he said, brushing off your comment before handing you a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine, "These are for you and Molly, well except the wine, that's just for Molly,"

You chuckled at his joke and took them, thanking him.

"Do you want to come up?"

Ben nodded following you up to the first floor landing of your house, groaning as he smelt the dinner cooking as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Smells great,"

You blushed as you poured him a glass of the wine he had brought you, handing it to him before putting the gorgeous pink peonies in a vase and placing them on the kitchen table.

"Oh, looks like someone beat me to it," he said, gesturing to the huge over the top bouquet on the kitchen side.

You swigged a bit of your wine and rolled your eyes.

"Oh, don't ask," you say as you checked on the dinner in the oven.

"Secret admirer?" He asked, nosing at the card.

"Just some guy from work, hardly know him, he asked me out this Thursday and I'm trying to find a good excuse to let him down gently,"

Ben read over the card a few times, furrowing his brows at the initials signed at the bottom.

"B.H huh?"

"Oh, his name is Bradley Hargreaves," you explained.

Ben nodded, putting the card back, taking another sip of wine.

"So, how do you plan on letting him down gently then?" He asked, taking a seat at the table.

You let out an exasperated sigh as you began to plate up.

"God knows, hopefully something convincing will come to me,"

Ben pondered for a moment, tapping his index finger to his chin in thought.

"You could always already be busy that night?"

You scoffed through your lips, an amused chuckle escaping them.

"Yeah right, like I'm not always busy as it is,"

Ben shrugged.

"Well - just say you're on a date with someone else,"

"Like who?" You smirk, placing Molly's dinner on the table beside Ben, "Molly pops, dinner's ready,"

"Okay Mummy," you heard her call from the living room.

You turned back to the side and finished plating up yours and Ben's dinners while Ben came up with, what he thought, was an ingenious idea.

"What about me?"

You shot him a questioning look.

"What?"

"Yeah, you can't possibly go out with him on Thursday night because you're already going on a date with me," he smiled cheekily.

Did Ben just ask you on a date? Or did he just ask you on a fake date to get you out of a potential date? Your head was frazzled. Before you had a chance to answer, Molly came running in.

"I'm here Mummy," she beamed, tucking into her spaghetti.

You hadn't completely heard her, you were too busy staring at Ben who was now in deep conversation with Molly about her project at school.

Why did you feel nervous and incredibly shy all of a sudden? Ben had offered to help you get another guy off of your back and you knew it was purely platonic but you couldn't help but feel a little excited about it. Of course, if this 'fake date' were to happen, you'd need someone to look after Molly for the evening, but that shouldn't be a problem.

Trying to put it to the back of your mind, you all enjoyed your dinner, talking and laughing together like a family, which was exactly what you were, although Ben and Molly just didn't know it. Once, dinner was over and done with, you cleared up the kitchen, letting Ben help this time and it was soon time for Molly to go to bed.

"Right Molly pops, time for bed, say goodnight to Ben,"

Molly pouted, rubbing her eyes.

"Can Ben read me a bedtime story?"

You were about to protest but something stopped you. Maybe it was the fact that both Molly and Ben were looking at you hopefully, their matching emerald eyes gazing up at you, making your heart ache.

"Alright, but only one story okay, come on,"

To your surprise, Molly lifted up her arms, gesturing for Ben to pick her up. He looked at you for permission and you nodded lightly with a small smile. He was her Dad after all. Ben picked up the sleepy child in his arms and carried her up the stairs with you following close behind. He gently placed her down on her bed and you both tucked her in. She grabbed her favourite book and gave it to Ben, awaiting him to begin the story.

"Right, what do we have here then?" He asked, reading the cover, "Goldilocks and The Three Bears, this was one of my favourites as a kid," he cleared his throat lightly before beginning, "There once were three bears who lived in a wood -,"

You stood by the door frame and watched on as Ben read his daughter to sleep, only getting through a few pages before her sleepy eyes began to flutter closed. He shut the book and placed it on her bedside table, stroking her hair gently before she stirred a little.

"Goodnight, Daddy," she whispered and suddenly she was asleep.

Ben gulped, his stomach dropping as she muttered the words. Instead of being shocked and apologetic, you simply shrugged as he stood up and joined you on the landing. You pulled the door to, making sure it was still open a little and turned to Ben.

"Kids these days," he said nervously.

You shook your head.

"It's fine Ben - you know what kids are like,"

And with that you made your way back downstairs to the kitchen, Ben following closely behind.

"Thank you for doing that, she seems to really like you," you told him as you lifted yourself up onto the kitchen counter.

"She's a great kid, her dad is missing out,"

There it was again, that twinge of guilt that spread across your body like wildfire.

"Just tell him!" Your conscience screamed at you.

"I should probably make a move -,"

"Don't go,"

Ben was a little startled and you tried to play it cool when he turned to you. You didn't know what you were doing, perhaps you were playing with fire keeping him here but something kept telling you that you wanted him to stay a little longer.

"Y/N, listen - these past few days have been -,"

"Ben," you said, stopping him before he said something he may later on regret saying.

He hung his head in defeat, biting his bottom lip nervously.

"So, how about that date Thursday? Think you could fit me in?"

You blushed. It was your turn to hang your head and bite your lip.

"Just as friends?"

Ben felt a pang of hurt hit his heart but he agreed none the less.

"Of course,"

The pair of you stood very still and very close to one another and you could feel the fire inside you burning, every fibre of your being daring you reach forward and kiss him. Ben was thinking the same thing as his eyes flickered from yours to your lips. He gingerly leant in, his lips pressing against your ear

"Goodnight Y/N,"

You closed your eyes at the touch of his lips to your flushed cheek and within minutes he was gone, leaving you to catch your breath, wanting so much more.

To be continued...