When Jack had text Harvey to let him know that he was on his way over, Harvey had started to pack his stuff into his car so he was ready to leave. The plan was for them both to drive up to Cambridge, so that his dad could help him settle in and make all the introductions before leaving this evening.

As Harvey was loading in the last bag, the roaring of a car was heard coming down the road before it appeared in the driveway. He did not need to question who it was driving it, but he was questioning where it had come from. 

His dad was currently parking up a shinny red Ferrari, which immediately caused Harvey to fall into some kind of daze as he just watched it. 

"You like it?" Jack called out as he climbed out of the car and watched as his son made his way over.

"It's fucking beautiful." Harvey remarked as he instantly began inspecting his absolute dream. "When did you get it?"

"Oh it's not mine." Jack began. "It's from the garage, but considering it's pretty standard to give out courtesy cars whenever of the lads go and do jobs elsewhere, I thought you might like this one."

Pausing what he was doing, Harvey instantly looked at his dad with his mouth agape.

"What?"

"It's yours, for the next 2 months."

"You mean? Wait... what the-"

"I know it's not your standard courtesy car but considering you're doing me a huge favour here, I thought you deserved it."

Harvey could not believe the words that were coming out of his dad's mouth right now. This car, this absolutely stunning vehicle sat in front of him right now, was his for the next 2 months. This was the kind of car that Harvey had only been able to dream of yet now he was getting to call one his own.

"Fuck, dad. Thank you, so so much." Harvey exasperated as he immediately enveloped him into a hug.

"You're welcome, Harv. I just have one condition from your mum..."

"What's that?"

"That you drive carefully or I've been instructed to send you a shitter and slower car to use instead." Jack replied with an amused look on his face causing Harvey to laugh in response.

He knew his mum was probably worrying like crazy at this whole idea. She worried enough anyway about his, Jack's, and Kian's driving, so this car would have her losing her mind.

"Alright, that's a deal. You can tell her she doesn't need to worry."

"Good. Now we better move your stuff into my car, because it won't be fitting into this with ease." Jack remarked as he passed Harvey the keys. 

One of Jack's employees had driven one of his cars to the apartment for him, knowing that his son would not have packed lightly. With the apartment he would be staying in, Harvey felt like he was moving into a new place, so wasn't exactly sure what he would need.

"Can you start on it while I go and speak to Grace?" Harvey asked as he glimpsed at the blonde who had now just appeared on the drive.

Shifting his gaze over to her too, Jack gave Grace a quick wave before agreeing, knowing they'd probably need these few moments alone.



"Do you like it?" Harvey asked with a grin on his face as he approached Grace. She was smiling at him in that knowing way, aware of the excitement likely bouncing through him right now.

"It's nice."

"Nice?" 

"I mean, it's stunning!" She corrected herself, knowing he would not accept anything less. "You and your cars though..."

"It's going to be incredible to drive." 

"Yeah well just make sure you drive carefully." 

"You sound like my mum!" Harvey chuckled while urging Grace into his side. "But yeah, I'll drive carefully."

There was silence for a moment, highlighting Grace's unusual quietness. Everything had been fine this morning but the past hour had been tense. She hadn't been acting like herself.

"You alright?" Harvey asked, earning a surprised reaction from her, as she was put on the spot.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" 

"Somethings up. What is it?"

Shaking her head, Grace looked over to the cars before back to Harvey. She had tried so hard to contain how she was feeling but it wasn't proving to be as easy as she'd thought.

"I'm just going to miss you, that's all." She said truthfully. "It's going to be weird."

Grace's honest words caused Harvey to immediately urge her closer into him. As he wrapped his arms around her, Grace did the same to him and buried her head into his chest. For these few seconds she felt comforted. It was the kind of comfort she hadn't really received from anyone but him before and that was the thing she feared being without the most.

"I'll miss you too but it won't seem that long. I'll be back as much as I can." Harvey attempted to reassure Grace, even though he wasn't even sure what to expect.

He had insisted he would be going home every weekend but his dad had warned him that he may change his mind when he was there. Once he had engrossed himself in the lifestyle and got to know the employees, it would seem like such a waste to only be there for the work and not to fully get to know everyone. Therefore, Harvey now had that in the back of his mind, cautious that he may be making false promises. 

"Yeah, I know. I'm just being stupid. This is so unlike me." Grace admitted, considering she was so used to just relying on herself. This was all new to her.

"Just call me if you need anything, alright?"

Nodding her head, Grace looked up at Harvey just as he cupped her face with his hands. Holding her gaze, there was such a warmth in his eyes, mixed with passion and something else that she couldn't quite pick up on.

"Are you okay?" Grace asked, in an attempt to gain some insight but Harvey just nodded his head. Then running his thumb across her cheek, he leaned down so he could place a kiss to her lips.

"I better go."

...

Once Harvey was about 45 minutes into his journey, he had a call from his dad over the bluetooth, which had taken him a while to figure out. Considering this was the first time he had ever properly driven this kind of car, it had taken him a minute to fully process how it all worked.

"Didn't think you were gonna answer." Jack chuckled on the other end, causing Harvey to roll his eyes.

"Remember you're the one getting old here! Technology still comes easily to me." Harvey mocked, even though that wasn't the complete truth. "What did you want anyway?"

"To check how you were."

"I'm fine, why?"

Looking ahead of him, Harvey could just about make out his dad glancing in the rear view mirror with obvious attempt to catch a glimpse of him.

"You seemed quiet after saying goodbye to Grace." 

"Yeah, it was just weird, I don't know. I could tell she was trying to hold back and I felt bad for leaving..." Harvey trailed off, finding it strange saying this all out loud.

He was usually the kind of person to keep his feelings to himself however, there was something about not actually being in the car with his dad that made speaking about it a little easier.

"Why d'you feel bad?"

"Just because I only just asked her to be my girlfriend and now I'm running off for 2 months. It doesn't exactly look good, does it?" 

"Well..." Jack chuckled, understanding his point. "...I guess not. I thought you were gonna ask her to come with you."

"What?" Harvey replied so quickly, nothing hiding the shock in his voice that his dad had just said that out loud.

"Did I say the wrong thing or something? Is that completely crazy for your generation."

Jack was slightly amused by Harvey's shock at the suggestion. Him and Jess had obviously been under slightly different circumstances when they first started dating, but Jack imagined that if things had been easier for them, he wouldn't have held back from asking her something like that.

"No, no..." Harvey laughed. "I just, I dunno. I thought it would have been a bit too much too soon. I don't want to fuck things up because I want it to work."

Nodding his head even though Harvey couldn't see it, Jack understood where his son was coming from. He could tell that this whole thing with Grace wasn't just some rebound after his relationship with Lottie, it was real for him. However, he was now terrified of screwing this up, either by doing or saying the wrong thing, or moving too quickly.

"I get that man, it makes sense but at the same time, don't hold back completely or you won't enjoy it. You'll spend all of your time worrying that things aren't going to work out, that you'll end up having a shit time when it should be fun." Jack began, wanting his son to take a different perspective on this. "I know you probably don't wanna hear about the soppy shit between your mum and I, but our relationship was a fucking mess for the majority of it, but in the best way possible. We argued all the time, we got on each others nerves and it was exhausting, but it was fucking amazing at the same time because we loved each other so intensely. I wouldn't change it for anything because through the chaos, we had fun. That's all that matters at the end of the day."

"So you're telling me to annoy the shit out of Grace, argue with her and drive her crazy? Then I'll live happily ever after?" Harvey asked with a teasing tone to his voice.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you." Jack laughed. "29 years later and your mum is still with me, isn't she?"

"Yeah, good point."

"But I'm just saying have fun, don't think too much into everything. I know you tried to make everything perfect with Lottie and honestly, I think that's what fucked it up for you both in the end. Just be yourself, Harv, even if that does consist of annoying her and driving her insane. I guarantee she will be happy."

Although to most, Jack's advice would sound a little crazy, it made total sense to Harvey. He had heard many stories from his parents about their relationship growing up and it most definitely hadn't been drama-free. Therefore, it highlighted to him how perfection wasn't important. He didn't need to exhaust himself trying to create a perfect little fantasy life. Instead, he just had to take each day as it came and express himself honestly and openly with the girl he cared about. It was really that simple.

"Bria and Kylie." Matt said the moment that Todd answered the phone. 
He didn't give him chance to say 'hello' or to curse at him for ringing at 4am New York time, Matt just had to get this out.

"What?" Todd grumbled, expectedly sounding a little aggravated. The lack of sleep was finally catching up with him and now that he had finally got the chance to rest his eyes, so he wasn't best pleased for the wake up call.

"Bria and Kylie." Matt repeated himself as though it was obvious. "Jazmine's messing with you."

"You're going to have to explain yourself man because either I'm still asleep or you're making no fucking sense!"

"You said that you put your name on Aesha's birth certificate because Jazmine didn't want Jonathan Gibson finding out."

"Yeah?"

"Jonathan doesn't like girls under his name, so why the fuck are Bria and Kylie safe and sound? How have Liam and Cole Gibson got away with having girls and he hasn't tried to kill them yet?" Matt asked frantically, as he finally felt like he had made a breakthrough here. Since Todd had explained the situation regarding Jazmine's daughter, it all started to bring about even more questions.

Liam's daughter Bria was 22 years old and Cole's was 5. Matt had never really thought anything of it but now it all seemed a bit too suspicious. Jazmine had insisted she didn't want Jonathan Gibson finding out that Cole was the father of her daughter due to his sexist ways, yet he seemed to be holding back when there were two more additions to the family name.

There was silence for a moment, where it appeared that Todd was trying to make sense of what Matt was saying. Being woken up at 4 in the morning was causing his brain to take a little longer to process. 

"I get what you're saying but why would that have anything to do with Jazmine?" Todd asked, not sharing Matt's enthusiasm for the theory he was suggesting. "If anything, that's got more to do with Cole and Liam than anyone else."

It was Matt's turn to fall silent while he considered what Todd was saying. He thought he had it, he thought he had the clue to all the answers but now he suddenly wasn't so sure.

"I guess but..." Matt began before Todd instantly cut him off.

"Have you never queried that?"

"What?"

"Bria and Kylie. Have you never asked Cole and Liam how they managed to get their dad to back off?"

"No." Matt answered honestly because until now, it had never crossed his mind. He knew that Jonathan had a tough time accepting Juliet into the family but he assumed a lot more of that was to do with Rebecca cheating on him. However, Jazmine's situation had ignited many more questions regarding the whole thing and it was creating even more uncertainty. "But now that you mention it, Jazmine has asked Jay before."

"Really? What did he say?"

"I can't remember, I wasn't really paying much attention, but I don't think he said a lot."

"For fuck sake Matt!" Todd stressed as he began pacing back and forth in the kitchen, overlooking the oddly quiet streets of New York. 

One thing that always frustrated him about his brother was inability to naturally pick up on important details. If Matt didn't think things involved him, he would block out everything going on around him. As a result, he was missing the important things that could have actually provided them with some answers.

"What? It was their conversation! I wasn't part of it." Matt bit back as he noticed the anger in Todd's voice.

"Any conversation between gang members involves you. It doesn't matter if it's directed at you or not. How have you still not learned that? That shit is what we learn as kids..." Todd exasperated before quickly trailing off his sentence once he realised what he had said.

"Yeah, maybe if I was trained by dad I may have learned that." Matt retaliated, as tension filled the phoneline between them. 

"I didn't mean to say that... I'm sorry."

There was silence for a moment and Todd was worried that Matt had ended the call. Even though the brothers had got past their differences, their past was still a sensitive subject. Those issues were never going to fade.

"What do you think is going on?" Matt finally filled the silence, yet purposely tried to move the conversation along.

He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to dwell on something in his past that still brought him just as much pain. He had to remain focused.

"I don't know but it's getting fucking sketchier by the second. You need to find out from Jay why Bria and Kylie are safe, then we'll take it from there."

"But if he didn't say much to Jazmine then maybe he's trying to keep it a secret or maybe he doesn't even know..." Matt suggested, not wanting to believe Jay would be involved but knowing he had to consider all avenues at this point.

"You two have been friends for years. If he doesn't want to tell you, then we have a fucking problem."


....

"You need to explain this to me Todd and you need to do it now." Sophie bit as she leaned across his desk.

It was 8am on a Monday morning and the pair had been in work for only 10 minutes. Many of Sophie's employees hadn't arrived yet, or if they had, they were wandering around the food hall, filling themselves up for breakfast. Therefore, there was enough peace and quiet to give Sophie a second to question Todd on this whole gang situation. He had been up all night, trying to figure things out with Matt through a phone call and in Sophie's mind, this had been going on for way too long now.

"I haven't figured everything out..." Todd began to say before Sophie cut him off.

"I don't care. I want to know what you know so far. You've been so vague with me and I don't like it."

Letting out a long sigh, Todd nodded his head. He knew he had been vague and he felt bad about that. He was always so honest with Sophie, no matter what but this time around it had been different. He didn't want her involved. He wanted her kept out of this for her own good yet it was getting harder to do that considering how long this had been dragged out for.

"I know, I'm not trying to keep secrets from you."

"I know you're not but you're also not being open with me about this." Sophie insisted, as she had an idea why. "If this daughter of Jazmine's is yours, yeah it'll suck but I'd rather you just be honest with me."

"She's not mine." Todd immediately refused, considering to him, that was the simplest part of all of this. 

"What? But you said-"

"I know what I said and I was lying."

"Why the fuck were you lying, Todd?!" Sophie exasperated, unbelieving that he would do that. "I thought you were over playing games with your brother? You're supposed to be helping them."

"I am helping them. I'm not against them." Todd assured as he gestured for Sophie to take the seat beside him but she didn't comply.

"But you lied to them? That doesn't really make any sense."

"I made a promise to Jazmine a long time ago, that no matter what, I have to keep. It doesn't hurt Matt or that gang at all. It's just keeping her daughter safe." Todd explained but it still made very little sense to Sophie.

She knew that making any sort of promise or deal with Jazmine was a bad idea. That girl would hold you to it for life and would likely make you suffer if it meant keeping her secret. It was like making a deal with the actual devil and Sophie didn't understand why Todd would do something so stupid.

"Jazmine fell pregnant when we were working in the same gang... this was about 21 years ago now." Todd began, cautiously watching Sophie's reaction as he explained this. He knew she'd be making the calculations in her head, while also trying to figure out what was going on here. "The kid was Cole Gibson's."

"So why the hell did you say she was yours? I don't get it, Todd!"

"Because having a girl Gibson is never going to end pretty, Soph." Todd remarked and there was such warning behind his voice. "Jonathan Gibson is not a fan of any baby girls being born under that name. You know what happened with the whole Juliet situation, right?"

"Yeah but..."

"If it hadn't have been for Jay, Juliet would have been killed. He's kept her away from that shit happening her whole life. That's what I was doing for Jazmine's kid. It sounds insane because it's Jazmine but the baby was innocent." 

Todd watched the realisation fall across Sophie's face for a moment. She understood now, he could see that. Jonathan Gibson was a cruel man and he had wanted Juliet gone the moment she was born. Jazmine knew the moment she had given birth to that little girl that she couldn't tell Cole, or anyone for that matter. If word got back to Jonathan, her baby girl wouldn't have survived a single day. Even Jazmine wasn't capable of taking him on.
Therefore, Todd had agreed to put his name on her birth certificate. He had done Jazmine a favour because he knew it would save her baby's life. 

"What a sexist arse." Sophie bit and Todd couldn't agree more. It summed Jonathan up perfectly and even as the years went by, he never changed.

"That's accurate, yeah."

"Okay, so, I get that part and I know you were doing good but what I don't understand is why you lied to Matt and Jay? Yeah Jay's a Gibson but like you said, he protects Juliet, so why would he throw Jazmine's daughter into trouble, when he supposedly loves Jazmine?" Sophie stressed, finding this whole thing incredibly confusing.

"Because like I said, I made a promise to Jazmine. When she wants to tell Jay, that's cool but it's not my place to say it."

"Doesn't she trust, Jay?"

"They were enemies for a long time. It takes a while to build up that trust, if at all." Todd explained, knowing that this gang world was complicated. Unless you were apart of it, it wasn't always easy to make sense of it.

"So if you are trying to protect Jazmine's daughter from Jonathan, why would you throw Jazmine under the bus?" Sophie asked. "You told Jay and Matt that they couldn't trust her. That she was playing both sides."

"and I do think that. I'm almost certain that she is in it for her own sake. Just because I made a promise to protect her daughter, does not mean I'll let Jazmine get away with shit."

Todd was always suspicious of Jazmine. He knew she couldn't be trusted. Therefore, when things started to piece together, putting her under the spotlight, it made sense to him. She was always in it for herself and if this was all about putting the next generation on top, then what better way to make her name remembered than through her daughter?

"You really think she's trying to take everyone down? Jay? Matt? That whole gang?"

Jess had always told Sophie stories about her sister, confirming how truly heartless she was, but it still didn't add up to her. Why would she throw away what she had with Jay after it took so long to get here. She wasn't losing out by working with Jay's gang, she was going to benefit from it and her daughter could too.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I am almost certain that she'll go for the Gibson's but I don't know if Jay will be excluded from that. I don't know if she truly wants to work alone or if she's just targeting individual people, but I do know that she can't fully be trusted." Todd finalised, knowing that no matter what happened, he had to keep an eye on her.

Jazmine was risky and until he figured out exactly what was going on, he wasn't going to stop. He had Sophie and her kids to look out for, his own family. He wasn't going to let his past come and jeopardise the future he had ahead of him.

"Just promise me that you won't say anything to Juliet. If she finds out, she'll tell Matt but she may also freak out because of what it means in regards to her." 

That was a difficult promise for Sophie to keep. She didn't want to hold information back from Juliet, especially when in some twisted way it connected to her, but she also knew that Todd was right. At the end of the day, it was for everyone's good... for now.

"Okay, I won't say anything." Sophie promised before making her way around to Todd's side of the desk and holding out her hand.

Once he had taken it, she guided him to his feet before wrapping her arms around his chest, enveloping him in a tight hug. She knew he needed this. He was stressed beyond belief and he looked exhausted.

"Go home and get some sleep. You shouldn't be working like this."

Although Todd wanted to refuse, he knew that Sophie was right. These long nights were not doing him any good. He needed to be at his best and that wasn't happening while he was filled with exhaustion.




...

Harvey was leaving for Cambridge this morning and Grace had spent the night at his place to soak up his presence. She always slept better here too, not because Brinley woke up less, but because for some reason, she felt more content and secure. However, last night hadn't been a particularly good sleep and Brinley wasn't to blame for that.

Grace's mind had been filled with so many overpowering thoughts that kept her up. She was confused at why she felt so intensely about Harvey's trip, as it wasn't like he was going away forever. She just couldn't block out the feelings that she was going to miss him and feel slightly lost without him here. 
It was then that she was hit with realisation of how much she had been relying on him.

"You awake?" Harvey's hoarse morning voice was heard as he pressed his lips to Grace's head. She reacted by lifting it from his chest so she could look up at him.

"Yeah."

As Grace smiled tiredly up at Harvey, he reached out to brush her frantic hair from her face. He could see that she hadn't slept and to be quite honest, he hadn't had the best sleep either. Today was going to be a weird day and he felt more apprehensive about it than he was willing to let on.

"I feel fucking exhausted. I wish my dad didn't suggest leaving so early." 

"I wouldn't call 11am early, Harvey." Grace chuckled, even though she fully agreed and could easily fall back to sleep right now.

"I need my sleep..." He retaliated before the screams of Brinley were heard coming from the other room.

As Grace immediately pushed herself up from Harvey's body, he reached out for her hand to stop her.

"I'll go. You sleep for a bit longer."

"It's fine, I can..." Grace started before being interrupted once again.

"You rarely get a break from this, it's my turn."

Those words and that gesture was something that filled Grace's body with so much warmth. Harvey would never understand how much she truly appreciated it, as it really said a lot about him as a person. 

Brinley wasn't biologically his daughter. In reality, he didn't have to do anything for her however, the fact that he was so willing really meant a lot. Therefore, watching him push himself off the bed, Grace laid her head back against the comfort of the pillows and watched him leave. Even if she just waited a few minutes, she wanted to give Harvey this moment with her daughter.

...

"Hey, hey baby girl. It's okay." Harvey soothed as he made his way into the bedroom and over to her cot. Brinley was not holding back, and he would be surprised if she hadn't woken Mia and Reece up too at this point. 

"You're gonna be a loud mouth like your mum when you get older." Harvey teased as he reached in to lift her up, instantly trying to calm her cries.

Harvey was no expert when it came to babies however, he had earned a bit of practice from his nieces and nephews, meaning he wasn't completely new to this. He was aware though that Brinley was used to her mum, and only her mum. Juliet was there to look after her a lot but other than that, Grace took on the full load. This little girl wasn't used to having a man around coming to her aid. Therefore, he was a little apprehensive that his offer of attending to her was potentially a bad one.

"I think we should get you some breakfast, yeah? What d'you think?"

Harvey didn't waste anytime in getting her a bottle sorted, knowing he'd have Reece complaining at him for the noise if not, and he wasn't prepared to start any arguments before he left. Therefore, when it was finally ready, he was met with utmost relief as it seemed to immediately soothe her.

Looking down at Brinley, Harvey smiled at her beady eyes just staring back at him with so much innocence. Since dating Grace, he had been getting to know Brinley too and with each day that passed he was beginning to really understand her ways and see her own little personality dying to shine through. It was exciting and he could genuinely say he couldn't wait for her to be a little older, so he could be apart of all the crazy antics she got up to.

...

"Right, now you're happy we need to get started on feeding your mum." Harvey announced before connecting his phone up on the bluetooth in the kitchen. "But first we need some music, right?"

Now that Brinley had finally finished her bottle, she was happily perched on Harvey's hip, while he pranced around the kitchen. Her eyes didn't leave him as she watched on in awe, occasionally expressing a smile when he pulled a funny face. 

Harvey was in his absolute element as the reality of what was happening today just faded from his mind. Instead, he having the best time with Brinley while preparing some blueberry pancakes for himself and Grace to eat. They were her absolute favourite and she'd insisted that he was the best at making them.

Grabbing all of the ingredients, Harvey was throwing it all together while keeping Brinley entertained with the music and his over the top dancing. He was earning plenty of smiles and giggles from the little girl, which was obviously biggest win ever.

"This is the greatest show!!" Harvey sang to a beaming Brinley as he flipped over the pancake, and he was completely oblivious to Grace stood in the kitchen doorway, watching the whole thing.

She didn't want to say anything, she didn't want him to know that she was there just yet. She was admiring the sight before her, appreciating every single aspect of it. Rewind a year ago, she never would have predicted this being her life now but she was incredibly grateful for it.

"Am I interrupting something?" Grace finally spoke up, watching as Harvey quickly spun around to face her.

He didn't look embarrassed at all and instead just flashed her a grin.

"You're just on time actually." He replied while making his way towards her. "Can you take her for a minute while I dish up?"

Passing Brinley in Grace's direction, Harvey then began heading back over to the oven where the pancakes were waiting. Brinley watched as he left and the sadness was evident on her face, as their little dance party very quickly came to an end. That was another thing that filled Grace's heart with warmth; knowing that her daughter had taken to Harvey so easily was such a relief.

"Take a seat and I'll serve you the best breakfast you've ever tasted!" Harvey announced causing Grace to comply.

Her stomach was filled with butterflies but not from nerves, from excitement and happiness. She was in her absolute element and was doing everything to force away her brains reminders of what was happening this morning. So making her way over to the table, Grace took a seat with Brinley still in her arms. Having a 4 month year old baby was not an easy task in situations like this however, Grace had mastered the act of multitasking, even though her little girl never made it easy.

"Ah ah!" Grace warned as Brinley instantly attempted to reach out for something on the table. "That's not yours."

"What is it?" Harvey asked as he turned around to see Grace moving a key from Brinley's reach.

"It's just a key."

"Oh right, that's yours."

Harvey's comment was spoken so casually that Grace was a bit taken back and confused. It was a key... a key that she had never seen before so why was he saying that it was hers?

"That's not mine, Harv." Grace replied and he instantly picked up on her confusion as he was watching her in amusement.

"It is now." 

"What? What do you mean?"

Putting the pancakes onto a plate, Harvey then made his way over to the table and laid them down in front of Grace. He then pulled out the seat beside her before holding his hands out for her to pass Brinley back over to him. Grace complied because it made her life a lot easier while she ate the food however, his silence was just putting her more on edge.

"Harvey, what do you mean?" She asked him once again, as he began tickling Brinley's side. She couldn't judge his emotions. She didn't know what he was thinking. That was just making her feel worse.

"That key is for you." Harvey began as he finally looked at Grace while reaching out for her hand. "It's for this place, in case you want to come here while I'm away."

Grace's mouth dropped open at those words; unbelieving to what had just left his lips.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. If things get crazy at home and you want a bit of peace... although, you obviously won't be completely alone here..." Harvey chuckled. "...you're welcome to come whenever."

"Fuck, Harvey... thank you!" Grace breathed, feeling a wash of emotions consume her whole body. To some, that gesture may mean nothing but to her it meant everything. 

She wasn't used to this. She didn't know how this whole relationship thing was supposed to work however, one thing she knew for sure was that she was going to miss Harvey like crazy. Therefore, him giving her a key to his place filled her with so much comfort. If things did get too much, she could come here to be in his home, sleep in his bed and feel like he hadn't really left. It sounded pathetic to say out loud but it was the truth, it was the true intensity of her feelings for him.

"I just wanna make sure you're alright while I'm gone." Harvey squeezed Grace's hand and he genuinely meant that.

He felt bad for leaving. He had just asked her to be his girlfriend and now he was running off to another part of England. He knew she was going through a lot with this whole first time mum thing and just as he was there to support her, he was now leaving.

"This means a lot, really." Grace replied as she stood to her feet and took a seat on his lap. 

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Harvey reacted by wrapping his spare one around her waist. Then for the next few moments, him, Grace and Brinley shared a group hug full of so many emotions. This was the start of a brand new chapter in their life. Harvey may be going away but their relationship would continue to grow and that created so much excitement.

Last year Grace had been filled with fear and sadness. She had felt lost and confused about what her life would entail due to her pregnancy. However, she now saw a bright future with a man she cared a lot about and her beautiful baby girl, who she loved more than anything in this world.


....

"Did you have a good time Grace?" Juliet asked as she walked in to see her daughter enveloping Brinley into her arms.

Placing a kiss to Brinley's head, being met with her beautiful smile in return, Grace then turned around to face her mum.

"Yeah, it was amazing. I had fun."

"That was sweet of Harvey to invite you to that. That's a pretty big deal." Juliet said, clearly implying something here and trying to get Grace to open up.

She knew that they wouldn't just invite anyone to those BBQ's. It had taken James a while to get one when him and Ellie had first started dating. Therefore, Juliet was already assuming things that her daughter had not said out loud yet.

"It was..." Grace trailed off with a smile on her face, unsure if to just give in and say out loud what her mum was waiting for. She wanted to tell her because she was still beaming about it however, at the same time, her mind was now filled with the announcement Harvey had made to her, which naturally put a slight downer on things.

"Does this mean...?" Juliet began before pausing as though she wanted Grace to finish it for her.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend, so yeah, it's official." 

As Grace spoke those words, there were so many things that rushed across Juliet's face. You could see the happiness, the excitement, the adoration, but you could also see the slight worry there too. Nevertheless, Juliet managed to contain them all for a moment as she just focused on the happiness and reached out to urge her daughter into a hug.

"Wow, Grace, I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you, mum." Grace chuckled, while attempting to hug her back while still holding Brinley. "But you don't have to make a big deal out of it."

"I know, I know, I won't." Juliet agreed, yet that wasn't so easy to do. There were so many questions she wanted to ask and so many things she wanted to say too, yet she also didn't want to come across as too much. "Have you spoken about everything then?"

"Spoken about what?"

Grace was now watching her mum with a frown on her face considering she wasn't quite sure what she was implying here. However, she was guessing this was what the worry aspect on her face had been all about.

"About Brinley and your life. I'm over the moon for you Grace but you need to make sure you have that conversations. It's a big deal starting a relationship anyway but even bigger when there is a baby involved."

"Mum..." Grace sighed, not wanting to go down the road she knew would follow. "It's Harvey. He's surrounded by kids. He's fine."

"I know he is and that's great but it's not the same. Being surrounded by kids that are not your own, is different from getting into a relationship with someone who has a baby. He will become a father figure for Brin and you need to make sure he's prepared for that."

Even though Juliet was doing her best to just prepare Grace and make sure she went into this with full control, Grace wasn't so keen on having this conversation. She couldn't think of anything worse than saying to Harvey that he had to accept to be a father figure to Brinley if they wanted this to work. It was a lot to take in when he'd only just asked her to be his girlfriend.

"He loves Brinley and knows that she comes along with being with me. That's all that needs to be said at the moment, mum. I don't wanna put pressure on him."

Juliet was about to say something to argue that point but decided to bite her tongue. She knew that this was Grace's life and she had to be the one who made the decisions. Juliet could only be there to offer the advice and if her daughter chose not to take it then she had to accept that.

Juliet had learned from growing up herself that the more her mum tried to push things onto her, the more it caused resentment. She didn't want that kind of relationship with Grace therefore, she had to know when to back off.

"Okay then sweetheart." Juliet began with a soft voice. "I'm very happy for you. This is amazing."

"Yeah, it is..." Grace nodded her head but that tone of voice said the complete opposite.

Juliet was dying to question it, dying to jump in and try to save whatever battling thoughts Grace had going through her head right now, but she didn't want to assume. Therefore, she just stood back and watched for a moment as Grace laid Brinley back down in her cot and began running her hand gently over her soft skin, as she slowly fell to sleep. It wasn't until Brinley had fully shut her eyes that Grace turned back around again and Juliet just hovered there feeling slightly apprehensive.

"Are you okay?" She finally came right out and asked that question, causing an amused smile to form across Grace's face.

"How can you tell that I'm not? I'm usually quite good at hiding my feelings."

"I'm your mum, I can tell a lot."

Letting out a long sigh, Grace took a seat on the sofa that was positioned to the right of Brinley's cot. Looking over at her mum, she picked up on her concerned eyes and felt slightly reassured in telling her mum. 

Grace could have had this conversation with her friends but she knew she would get completely different opinions. Her mum had a whole lot more life experience too which made her a bit of a pro when it came to advice.

"Harvey told me this morning that he's going to Cambridge for the next two months to run the garage there." Grace began and watched as her mum's lips parted slightly in surprise. "...and I'm so happy for him, of course, but I'm also kind of sad and I don't know if that's fair."

Composing herself once again, Juliet made her way over to the sofa where Grace was sat and took the spot beside her.

"Why don't you think it's fair to feel sad?"

"Because it's an amazing opportunity for him."

"and why do you feel sad?" Juliet asked and her voice was so calm, settling the crazy emotions that had previously been running through Grace.

"I guess..." Grace shrugged her shoulders. "...I guess I'm going to miss him. It sounds pathetic but I'm just used to him being here and now I'm going to have to wait. I can't just go over and see him, I have to call and that's not the same."

Juliet got it. She understood exactly how Grace would be feeling right now. Being distanced from someone you cared so much about wasn't easy. However, it was also difficult for Grace because Harvey was the first and only person she had fully allowed in.

This girl had grown up being very independent, to the point where she would keep everything to herself and handle all of her own difficulties. She didn't let anyone else soothe her when she was feeling down. She refused a hug to make her feel better when she was crying and instead, would hide away in her room. But that had all changed now and Harvey was finally that person she would let in to do it.

With him gone, that changed things and she'd be back to square one. However, this time, she had experienced the amazing feeling of having someone there to comfort you and this time, she would be missing it intensely.

"I understand that sweetie, it's going to be difficult as two months is a very long time. But, he'll visit and you can visit him. I'll help with Brinley whenever you need it." Juliet began, trying to offer anything that provided her daughter with some kind of reassurance.

"I know but visiting him will be pointless as he'll be busy. I'll be stuck in an apartment in a city that I don't even know. He said he'd come back weekends, so I know that's good but..."

"...but you're still worried." Juliet finished that sentence for Grace, already knowing what was coming.

She had been in similar situations with Matt before and nothing could calm you of those concerns. When Matt had gone to Vegas in the past, she had always worried that he would prefer the life out there and forget what he had here.

"I'm just scared that things will be better there for him. I know we're in a relationship now but it's new, so he could be swayed."

Reaching out to take her daughter's hands, Juliet then gave them a tight squeeze. She wished she could take the worry away and replace it with some security that everything would be okay but that wasn't possible.

Harvey being away would be a great learning opportunity for the both of them. It could confirm their feelings for one another and make them realise what they had. They always said that distance made the heart grow fonder, so Juliet had all faith that this could be the perfect opportunity for that.

"It will be difficult, of course it will. But, don't be afraid to let him know how you feel. Call him lots if you miss him and make the most of the time you get when he does visit. There's not point in trying to act all tough, like I know you will, because then he won't know how you're feeling. He'll just think that you're okay."

Grace knew that her mum was right. She was so good at just shutting things out and acting like she was totally fine. She hated sharing her feelings with anyone, but this situation meant she'd have to do a whole lot more of that.

She was happy for Harvey and wanted him to enjoy himself but she also wanted him to know that she would miss him. She wanted him to know that she was serious about this, about them, and that being without him there for 2 months was going to be incredibly difficult for her.



...

"Why don't I just come with you now?" Theo asked as came down the stairs, dressed and ready to go car shopping.

Harvey was stood in the hallway with Grace, ready to drop her off home and to also reveal the news he had received from his dad this morning. Things had been a bit hectic when Grace woke, as the family had sat down for hours eating food and talking, while at Harvey's request, not bringing up the trip.

"I'll come back and get you man. I'll be like 20 minutes." Harvey insisted, desperate for his brother not to ask anymore questions but knowing that was unlikely.

"Why? It's easier if I come now."

"I wanna talk to Grace. Just wait here." Harvey instructed and gave Theo a look that he finally seemed to process.

Taking that opportunity to make his escape, Harvey took Grace's hand before leading her out of the house. He didn't dare look at her for a moment because he knew he would probably be faced with some confusion over his comment. He was nervous enough as it was for her reaction and this was just building it up even more.

"What did you wanna talk to me about?" Grace asked as she got into the passenger side and glimpsed over at Harvey.

She knew this must be something he felt on edge about or he wouldn't have chosen the drive back to hers to discuss it. The car was a place where you could have a difficult conversation in the most comfortable way. You didn't have to look at the other person and that meant you could be oblivious to their reactions, and they wouldn't see yours either.

"Oh yeah..." Harvey began as he pulled off his parents driver and joined the road. "... I didn't want to bring it up at home with everyone there."

"Bring what up?"

It was obvious that Harvey was trying to stall this conversation. His eyes were focused on the road ahead as his speed picked up and it was only making Grace more unsure.

"My dad asked me this morning if I wanted to go and run the garage in Cambridge for the next 2 months. Corey's going away, so they need someone." Harvey finally spat it out and it felt like such a huge relief.

"Wow..." Was all Grace managed to say to begin with as she processed what that meant. "You're..."

"...going to be in Cambridge for the next 2 months."

Harvey knew what was likely going through Grace's head right now and he instantly felt guilty. She was gutted, yet she was trying to hide it.

"That's amazing, Harvey! Wow. That will be so cool for you."

"Yeah." Harvey just nodded, yet there was very little enthusiasm from his voice, and Grace's too. "It's a huge responsibility but it will be good."

"So you'll be gone for the whole 2 months then?"  Grace finally directed the factor that had made her heart sink.

"I will be back at the weekends, so it won't seem that long."

As Harvey continued to drive down the road, passing rows of houses, the car was just filled with silence. He wanted to say something, he wanted to provide Grace with reassurance that this wouldn't change anything but he didn't know what to say. He couldn't judge what she was thinking.

Grace also wanted to say something too. She didn't want Harvey thinking that she wasn't excited for him because she was, but she couldn't hide that she was gutted. 

"You okay?" Harvey finally broke the silence as he reached over to gently squeeze her thigh.

Glimpsing over at him, Grace nodded her head.

"Yeah, sorry I'm fine. I am so happy for you, I don't want you to think I'm not. It's just that 2 months is a long time... and I will miss you."

As Harvey momentarily stopped at a traffic lights, he took that opportunity to finally look at Grace. Lifting his hand to cup her chin, he angled her face so she had no choice but to hold his gaze.

"Trust me, I'll miss you too but it will just be Monday to Friday. I'll be home on a Friday night. It won't feel that different."

"I know and I will look forward to that." Grace nodded, accepting what Harvey was saying, even though on the inside she couldn't help but feel gutted. 

This wasn't like her at all. She suddenly felt so needy yet couldn't seem to control the emotions. She had finally started something with Harvey that was very new to her and that brought so many feelings with it too. Although many of those feelings were always filled with so much joy and warmth, she wasn't a fan of the opposite side of it. It was the other extreme and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block it out.

...

The rest of the car journey back to Grace's consisted of very little conversation being shared between the two. Instead, all that could be heard was the faint sound of the radio as both Grace and Harvey's minds were filled with thoughts. Neither of them really knew what to say, so it seemed like a better idea to just say nothing at all. It wasn't until Harvey pulled up outside of Grace's parents house that she did finally break the silence.

"When do you leave?" She asked, desperately hoping that he would respond with a month or more.

"Next week." Harvey replied, looking apologetic as he knew that wasn't that long at all.

"Okay, well I'll see you sometime this week and if you need help packing, let me know." Grace forced a smile in response, trying to lighten the mood slightly.

Smiling back at her, Harvey seemed relieved that some of the tension had been reduced however, knew that she was probably hiding the true emotions.

"I will definitely need it. You and Brin can come over tomorrow and help me figure out what to take."

Nodding her head, Grace then watched as Harvey leaned across the car to close the space between them, so that he could place a soft kiss to her lips. Even though they were still both on edge, that kiss was something Grace definitely needed. It gave her a sense of reassurance and as much as she wanted to deny it, reassurance was definitely what she needed right now.


......

When Harvey woke to Grace still sound asleep, he decided it was best to try and sneak out without her hearing. He knew that she probably needed the sleep as Brinley didn't always allow her to get many hours in. Therefore, carefully getting out of his bed, he headed downstairs to the kitchen, where he heard faint voices and the most amazing smell of a traditional English breakfast cooking.

Coming back to his family home was always something Harvey made sure to appreciate, especially when all of his siblings were here. He felt like he was a young boy once again, yet now he appreciated everything he had taken for granted back then. His mum's cooking skills and his dad's best attempts at helping, were key additions to that.

"Morning!" Harvey announced to everyone in the kitchen as he walked inside and instantly gained their surprised attention.

"Wow, you actually woke up before 11am for once!" Theo called out as he flashed his older brother a teasing look. "What a shocker!"

"Bet you woke up about 5 minutes ago too though, didn't you?" Harvey remarked back and Theo's guilty expression was enough proof.

"Maybe." He just shrugged. "Are you doing anything today?"

"I don't think so, why?"

"I want you to come and help me look for cars."

Theo was watching Harvey with a hopeful look in his eyes, as he'd been dying for a spare day that they could spend together. He had always looked up to his older brother and missed him intensely now that he wasn't at home everyday. 

Jack and Kian had both offered to help Theo look for a car however, he had been adamant that he wanted Harvey to do it. He was desperate to find one but still very willing to wait for his brother until doing so.

"Yeah I'll come and help you look, man." Harvey agreed, noticing the look of excitement fall across the 18-year old's face. "Grace is here still though, so it'll have to be when she's gone alright?"

"That's cool." Theo said, as he was just grateful to get the time with his brother, even if he did have to wait around for his girlfriend to leave.

"Harvey, do you and Grace both want breakfast?" Jess called over from where her and Jack were currently plating up the food for everyone.

Turning around and making his way over, Harvey was then urged into a side hug by his mum, giving him the perfect opportunity to reach past her and grab one of the pieces of bacon.

"Yes please." He grinned while she was now looking at him in warning. "Can you just plate Grace one up though? She's sleeping."

"Yes of course..." Jess began before turning around to see Jack doing exactly what Harvey had been doing 5 seconds ago. "...if there is anything left by the time you have both finished with it."

"Your cooking is way too good to wait, babe." Jack teased, while trailing his hand up Jess' neck before placing a kiss to her cheek.

While Jess just rolled her eyes at him and turned her back to continue dishing up, Jack reached for another piece of the bacon as Harvey did the exact same. The pair of them were like big kids with the mischievous looks over their faces. It was as though they both wanted to get caught.

"Oh, Harv, I've got a proposition for you." Jack then announced, as momentarily paused from putting the bacon into his mouth.

"What's that mean?" Harvey asked in bewilderment, causing Addie to make a bad attempt at containing a grin at her brother's innocence.

"An idea, a plan, work related." Jack laughed as he watched the re-wording cause some clarification in Harvey's mind.

"Alright, what is it?"

Usually Jess made a rule that work was never to be discussed during meals, especially during precious family time. It wasn't often they all got together like this, so she felt that they should use their time talking about more personal things. However, in this case she was fine to accept it considering what it entailed.

"Right, so you know the garage in Cambridge that Corey's in charge of?" Jack began, causing Harvey to nod his head. "Well Corey's going to New York to visit Soph, and to also just take a long holiday for 2 months, so he's not going to be around. So I didn't know how you'd feel about going over there for that time to run the garage? I don't fancy just getting any old person in and I thought you might wanna do it?"

"Wait, what? Really?" Harvey looked back at his dad in slight shock. That sounded like a huge responsibility and he was slightly apprehensive that he wasn't capable of doing it.

"I wanted to do it." Theo spoke up. "But dad wouldn't let me, so you better appreciate that offer."

"You're too young Theo." Jack chuckled, feeling a little bad that he'd turned down his enthusiasm but knowing now wasn't the right time. "Give it a few more years and you'll get your chance."

"You want me to go up there for 2 months?" Harvey clarified, ensuring he understood what his dad was suggesting.

"Yeah, I'll rent you a place while you're there and you can come home on the weekends, it'll just be weekdays."

"What about you? Why aren't you doing it? Or Kian?" Harvey asked and he was surprising both Jack and Jess at how apprehensive he sounded.

"I thought you might wanna do it. You're fully capable and it would be good experience."

"You don't have to do it Harvey." Jess quickly added, unsure if he was scared to say no as he had other plans for himself. "But if it's because you're worried, like your dad said, you're fully capable."

Harvey wanted to do it, that wasn't the problem. He just wasn't confident enough in his own abilities, which was surprising considering he was usually one of the most confident people you would ever meet. He had grown up watching his dad run the business like an absolute pro and Harvey wasn't sure how he would match that.

He knew it wasn't the same as running the Brighton one as that was bigger and held a lot more responsibility. However, Harvey was only used to being an employee, who got his jobs, usually with the same customers, and that was that. He didn't have any experience of being a manager and actually telling other people what to do.

"I wanna do it, I just dunno..." Harvey trailed off, catching the looks of both his mum and dad's faces. "It's a big responsibility."

"You won't be alone, I'll just be a phone call away, and if you need it I can come up and help, but I really don't think you' will. You know how it all works and the people there are really good." Jack tried to reassure his son, wanting nothing more than him to hold confidence in himself with this.

Jack had always been super cocky when he was younger. He'd been willing to take on more work the moment his own dad offered it to him. Therefore, he wasn't used to seeing such uncertainty, especially when he knew that Harvey could do it in his sleep.

"Are the people there older than me?" Harvey asked, considering telling those what to do who were much older than him, seemed slightly odd.

"Most are around your age, some older, some younger."

"and you've met them all? They're alright people? Because you can't really beat the Brighton lot."

"No, you can't." Jack chuckled, considering they were all like a family now. "But I know you'll get on with them."

Nodding his head, Harvey knew that he just had to do this. No matter how apprehensive he felt, this was a great chance for him to grow. He loved this family business as much as his dad and now was his turn to make a big difference.

"Plus, you'll love Cambridge!" Addie beamed, considering her attending university there meant she knew it like the back of her hand. "I'll come and show you around!"

"I don't think you'll get a better tour guide than that." Jess smiled, appreciating the fact that Harvey would have Addie there and he wouldn't be completely alone.

"Alright then, yeah I'll do it." Harvey finally gave in and agreed. Knowing if he put it off now, there was a chance he'd just continue to do so.

Stepping out of his comfort zone wasn't something he usually found that challenging but in this case, it felt like a lot more responsibility. However, he did know that he would have his dad's support no matter what. 

"Ay!" Theo called out as he began clapping his hands. "But how are you gonna cope without your new girlfriend? You two don't spend a second apart."

"Fuck off." Harvey laughed at his younger brother's comment, yet it also quickly ignited something within him.

He hadn't even thought about Grace or what that would mean for them. He had just asked her to be his girlfriend the night before, yet now he would be fucking off to Cambridge for 2 months and leaving her behind.

Of course there was the option of inviting her along with him but he couldn't help but think that was a terrible idea. He didn't want to move too fast and cause them to get sick of one another. He needed to pace himself. However, he was also aware that 2 months was a long time and if he wasn't coming home every weekend, those 2 months would drag by.

"Do you wanna speak to her first?" Jack asked more seriously, knowing that although they hadn't been together long, it was still something he would have discussed with Jess first, to save any misunderstandings.

"Nah, it's cool. She'll be fine. It's only 2 months." Harvey shrugged and Jack just nodded his head.

That part wasn't really his business to get involved with and he trusted that his son would have it handled. Therefore, he was just grateful that Harvey had agreed to do it, knowing it would be good for him.

It was a big responsibility for the 26-year old but Jack remembered appreciating every opportunity his own dad gave him when he was younger. It was all part of the family run business. They shared the load and as a dad, Jack had to mentor his own children so they were prepared to take it over from him one day.