A/N By popular demand, the final chapter, thank you all for reading, voting and commenting! 

Maddie stood in the corner of the restaurant watching Evan talk to the groom, having a high society wedding at L’Homme Nouveau was something that Evan had anticipated when he’d created this place five years ago, but he’d never imagined a Hollywood legend would call him, ask him to cater for his small but extremely exclusive wedding. He always thought he’d be cooking for these occasions, in his role as chef, but he’d taken on an amazing chef a few years back, it meant that he could spend more time with his friends and family, that was more important to him these days.

She sighed, and stretched, it was a late night and she’d been there assisting him all day and her bed was calling. She knew her role in the day was over, not that today had been a chore, it had been so amazing to talk genially to household names, so she gestured to him that she was leaving. He left the groom and strolled over to her.

                “You ok?”

She nodded, “fine, I’m just bushed. I’m going to head on home, if that’s ok?”

Evan pulled her into his arms and kissed her, briefly but passionately, “do you want me to come with you?”

Shaking her head she allowed him to lead her to the door, part of marrying a chef was the downfall of late night working, she was used to heading home alone, but she loved that he still cared after all these years.

Her car was parked across the street, and she was happy to finally sit in the driver’s seat and rest her swollen ankles. It HAD been a long day.

The drive to their new house was a little longer, but it was worth every mile, the small but modern home was replaced with a larger, older house with a garden, and a view of the countryside, room for pets - several large dogs, two horses and a selection of orphaned sheep and goats. Evan’s mother’s car was parked out front and when Maddie opened the lounge door she saw the older couple asleep either end of the sofa. She’d asked them to stay the night, but they enjoyed their own home too much, so they insisted on driving home when she returned.

Creeping up the stairs she opened the door next to her bedroom and sighed, there fast asleep was Tori, short for Victoria the three year old they had adopted on her second birthday. She was truly the greatest thing to happen to them since their wedding on a secluded beach in Cyprus five years earlier.

True to his word once they were married, and had the inclination to share each other with a child, they started to investigate. Doctors were never overly enthusiastic about her conceiving a child naturally, but neither were they closing the door on that, so they tried...for two years. Whilst it was great fun, each month that her period arrived broke her heart.

Three years earlier they’d tried IVF and she’d been over the moon when the test was positive two weeks later. But the pregnancy had lasted less than four weeks. It was then that Evan had taken her aside and suggested they adopt, Maddie wanted to have his baby more than anything, but he was insistent that she didn’t torture herself again.

It took months and months to get Tori, but from the moment she came into their home a year earlier their lives had become complete. It was everything that Maddie wanted, and Evan was never happier than seeing her so happy.

Looking at the little girl, cherubic in her sleep, her heart melted all over again.

Downstairs her parents-in-law had woken and looked up at her with a smile, as she reappeared. They treated her like a daughter, and since she’d not seen her parents after that one occasion in the Mental Health Unit, they were all the family that she had.

                “Good night darling?”

Maddie nodded, “Evan was in his element, Hollywood celebs, who’d have thought hey?”

His step-father chuckled, “that’s the boy I remember! He was always destined for big things.”

                “Was she good?” Maddie asked, kicking off her shoes.

                “Little monkey, puts years on me,” Malcolm chuckled.

His mother swatted at her husband then turned to Maddie, “she was an absolute angel, are you ok? Do you want us to hang around until Evan gets home?”

Maddie shook her head, “I’ll be fine, put my feet up, the dogs’ll look after me.”

All three looked at the three dogs draped out across one end of the room all snoring, the least likely guard dogs imaginable.

                “You feeling ok?” Evan’s mother asked pulling on her coat.

Maddie looked down at her swollen belly, seven months pregnant. Who’d have thought that after the miscarriage she’d get pregnant naturally? It was having Tori that changed things; she knew that, neither of them had thought about anything beyond settling that little girl into their home. And then BOOM! She was pregnant.

Slumping into an armchair, she rested a hand over her belly and murmured words of love to her unborn baby, then flicked through the TV channels until she found a late night movie.

And that was the sight that greeted Evan when he entered the house a few hours later. Seeing her sleeping, the dogs at her feet, he skipped upstairs to check on his daughter, seeing her fast asleep too, he returned to his wife of five years, and woke her with a kiss.

                “Come on darling, we’ll no doubt have an early wakeup call from that little madam upstairs, you need sleep...in our bed.”

She opened her eyes and smiled, “I love you Evan.”

He laughed; he loved her in these moments when she was half asleep, and overly affectionate. “And I love you Mrs Tate, now come on, we’ve got fourteen children arriving for Lady Tori’s third birthday party in the morning, you need to be on form!”

Smiling sleepily she let him lead her up to bed.

As she fell asleep her spine pressed up against his chest, his arms wrapped around her, placed over her stomach, she loved every inch of her life. And like every night Maddie found it hard to believe that she’d not only found Evan, but that she finally felt protected, safe and loved, and it was all thanks to him, the man who changed her life.