The first thing I was aware of when I woke up the next morning was a feeling of great euphoria. Although, I struggled to work out why that was.

There was a presence in my bed. I felt the weight of something heavy, yet comforting wrapped around my middle. Hot skin against hot skin.

And then, as my eyelids fluttered open, I saw the reason for my happiness.

Draco Malfoy was in my bed and I was in his arms. Naked.

"Morning, Potter," he chuckled sleepily, his arms tightening around me as grey eyes fluttered open, instantly softening the second they met mine.

"Sleep well?" I asked, my lips tugging up at the corners into a helpless smile that ached my face.

I always sleep well when I'm with you," he drawled huskily, dipping his head to graze his teeth down the underside of my chin, "especially when I've got you like this."

He ran a hand down the length of my naked body, his cool touch igniting the flame in my core almost instantly. And, judging by the feel of a certain something prodding into my thigh, I wasn't the only one feeling horny.

His eyes glinted into mine and, before I knew it, we were working on a repeat performance of the previous night.

"Fuck!" I gasped as we both rolled onto our backs, panting heavily side by side as we waited for our racing hearts to calm down.

"Mmmm, I feel like we have a lot of making up to do," Draco chuckled, pulling me back into his arms as I nuzzled my head into his chest. "Perhaps we should just spend the day here."

"As much as I would love to," I said, lifting my head to kiss the tip of his nose, "it's a Friday, and I have work to get to."

Draco gave a loud, dramatic groan. "Do you have to? Can't you call in sick?"

"I'm the boss!" I laughed. "I can't go pulling sickies. It doesn't set a very good example."

"Well then, take a day off for me," he pouted, reminding me so much of the boy who once asked me to bunk off school with him to go to the fair.

"Draco," I said scornfully, talking to him as though he were an unruly teenage boy. "I've got meetings to attend and paperwork to catch up on. We are not school kids anymore, we - well, I - have responsibilities to uphold."

"But what if I said that I needed you here to look after me?" He chuckled, slyly winking. "Properly."

Rolling my eyes, I playfully smacked his arm. "You're a big boy, Draco." And that he certainly was. "I'm sure you can survive without me."

"Never." He grabbed my wrist, grey eyes piercing mine, the intensity of this action making the breath hitch in the back of my throat. "I am done being without you, Etta."

My heart fluttering, I pressed my lips firmly against his. "You don't have to be without me anymore, Draco." I said after I pulled away, delicately touching my fingertips to his cheek. "I'm yours."

With dancing eyes, he leant in and claimed my mouth again, curling an arm around my neck to pull me in closer.

"But I do have to go to work today," I said, after reluctantly prising myself off him, "and then we can have the whole weekend together... if you want?"

"Of course I want, Potter." He murmured, his eyes shining softly up at me as he brushed my hair away from my face. "I want nothing more."

*****

"So, how did you survive your first night as a free woman?" Ron asked as we stood side by side in the office kitchen, simultaneously stirring our morning coffees.

"Um... it wasn't so bad actually." I shrugged, feeling my face grow hot as the memory of Draco slowly undressing me flashed in my mind.

"I expect that was down to the relief of Malfoy finally buggering out of your spare bedroom."

"Yes," I nodded, knowing I could answer this one easily, "it was much better him no longer being in that bedroom."

Ron nodded sagely back at me as though in understanding. "I don't care if he is Al's father, Etta, he's better off out of your lives. He can't use you to help replace his dead wife."

I froze, ceasing the stirring of my coffee. "That's not what he was doing, Ron." I said through clenched teeth.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for the guy - what with losing his wife and all," Ron continued, ignoring me, "but to go and throw himself into another family before the poor woman is even cold in the ground-"

"Just leave it, Ron!" I snapped, feeling irritation spark in my stomach.

He looked up at me with a startled expression on his face.

"Etta?"

But I did not answer, instead, slopping coffee everywhere, I stormed out and stropped back to my office.

My happy high had been completely deflated thanks to Ronald bloody Weasley.

I exhaled a furious sigh as I sat down heavily at my desk. I was pissed off because of what Ron said. Because it was exactly what everyone was just going to think.

And normally I wouldn't give a flying fuck what other people thought, but it was not just about me and Draco; we had Albus and Scorpius to consider too. It was a reality we couldn't ignore and one that made me feel sick with dread every time I thought about it.

I was starting to feel like we were fucking cursed.

*****

"SIR, YOU NEED TO MAKE AN APPOINT-"

I glanced up from my desk to see a large bouquet of white lilies bursting through the door.

"Draco, what the fuck are you doing?" I hissed, jumping up from my desk to hurriedly run over and close the door behind him.

He slowly lowered the flowers, pale face falling. "I thought this was the kind of thing you wanted from a relationship?" he said, the hurt evident in his voice.

"Draco, I want you," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair in exasperation. "And this," I added, gesturing to the ridiculously expensive looking bouquet in his arms, "is not you. This is Tony."

He flinched at the mention of my ex-boyfriend's name. I felt an instant wave of pity, he was trying, after all.

"And besides," I continued, softening my voice as I took the flowers from him, "shouldn't we be keeping this on the downlow until we tell the boys? You, waltzing into my office with a huge bunch of flowers is about as subtle as getting the words 'I'm fucking Potter' tattooed across your forehead."

A smirk twitched at his lips. "I could though, if you asked me nicely."

I went to smack his arm, but he reacted quicker and snapped his fingers around my wrist, giving it a swift tug so that I fell against his chest, crushing the flowers between us in the process.

"Secret liaisons it is then, Potter," he drawled, dipping his head to brush his lips against mine.

When I failed to respond he lifted his head, frowning. "What is it?" He asked, panic rising in his voice. "You're not having second thoughts about us, are you?"

I shook my head at once in my haste to reassure him. "No, I'm just worried about the boys, Draco." I confessed. "They are going to hate us."

"No, no they won't, Etta," he said immediately, circling his arms around me as he pressed his lips against my forehead. "They love you; I love you, and once they see how happy we are together, they will be happy for us."

"I don't know, Draco," I said, anxiously biting my lower lip, "Scorp only lost his mother less than six months ago, he's going to feel like I'm trying to replace her."

"But when we explain that it's more than that, that you and I go way back-"

"Then he's going to hate us even more when he discovers that we were having an affair resulting in the birth of his brother, who - by the way, happens to be his best friend! Oh god!" I wailed, beginning to hyperventilate as panic rose in my chest. "We've lied to them for too long now! They are never going to forgive us!"

"Hey, shush, it's okay," Draco soothed, stroking my hair as he held me close, the sound of cellophane crinkling between us. "I promise you that when the time comes, we will sit them down and tell them calmly together. We will tell them everything and take what comes next as a family. You are not on your own anymore, Etta. You've got me and I'm not going to leave your side. The boys will just have to learn to accept that over time."

"You really mean it, don't you?" I said, lifting my face to look up at him, the intensity of his gaze causing my breath to catch in my throat. "You want us to be a family."

"Of course I do," he said, his voice solemn, "I love you, Etta. I love you and I want to be with you and finally be a father to our son."

"I love you too," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "I don't think I have ever stopped."

He closed his eyes as a soft sigh passed his semi parted lips. When he opened them again, they were swimming with raw emotion. "You don't know how long I have been waiting to hear you say those words, Etta."

I reached up on tiptoes to brush my lips against his, feeling instantly giddy with desire as he began to softly kiss me back. I had the sudden urge to ditch work and just take Draco back to mine. It was insane how much I wanted him.

But as Draco pulled me harder against him, deepening the kiss, the sound of cellophane once again rustling between us caused a sudden alarming thought to pop into my head.

"Lilies stain," I murmured against his lips.

He lifted his head, a frown creasing his brow; baffled at my words.

"The flowers," I pointed out, moving away from him as I looked down. The entire front of my white shirt was covered in dark orange pollen.

"Nice look, Potter," Draco smirked as I frustratedly slammed the crushed flowers down onto the desk.

I scowled at him, reaching inside my pocket for my wand. But before I could remove it, Draco reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to him.

"Here, let me," he snickered, and without further ado, his fingers began to swiftly flick open each button, revealing my red lacy bra underneath.

"Draco, stop-" I scolded half heartedly, but was cut off by his lips as he caught my mouth back in his, his hands working hard to get my shirt off.

"Fuck, I love you in red," he murmured ardently against my lips as he pushed me against the desk.

"Did I just see Malfoy entering your office with- oh- fuck!"

I was filled with horror as Draco and I jumped guiltily apart. Ron was standing at my office door with mouth agape, his eyes bulging out of their sockets as he stared dumbfounded at the shirt hanging off my shoulders.

"Shit!" I gasped, whirling around to hurriedly do the buttons up, feeling my face flame with humiliation.

"Have you never heard of knocking, Weasley?" Draco drawled lazily, sounding completely unfazed at being caught in such a compromising position.

"HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD OF RESPECTFULLY GRIEVING YOUR DEAD WIFE, MALFOY?!"

"Ron!" I hissed angrily, turning back round to glare at him. "Will you keep it down! This has nothing to do with you!"

"It has everything to do with me when you are choosing to have secret trysts with married men on your office desk!" Ron spluttered, his face growing puce with rage as he held a hand up in front of him. "And learn how to dress, would you? I can still see your... bits."

I glanced down to discover a red lacy cup still very much on display as it peeked through a gap in my haphazardly buttoned up shirt.

"Fuck," I muttered, hurriedly trying to correct it just as Carol's head appeared behind Ron's shoulder.

"What in Merlin's beard..." she tailed off, glancing around the room, from a messy haired Draco to the squashed flowers on my desk, finally resting on me as I finished buttoning up my shirt. "You know what, never mind. I'm taking an early lunch. And when I get back, I would like to have a small discussion about my pay."

*****