Coming Home to Maple Cottage: The perfect, cosy, feel-good romance

by Holly Martin

  ‘You’ve been practising getting married?’

  ‘Yes, we take it in turns to be the bride and groom. The bride gets to carry pretty flowers, which I like, and wear a pretty dress, which I didn’t really like wearing but Marigold said I had to. And the priest, which was Stanley last time we played weddings, says do you Marigold take you Elliot to be your awfully wedded wife and then she says I do and Stanley asks me if I want to be Marigold’s awfully wedded husband and I say I do and then Stanley says that we can kiss but Marigold won’t let me do that bit. Will you kiss Isla on your wedding day?’

  ‘Yes, I will.’

  ‘And what will I have to say?’

  Leo smiled. ‘I’m sure there will be something you will say in the ceremony. We will speak to the registrar and they will tell us all what we need to say.’

  ‘And will I carry pretty flowers?’

  ‘If you want to.’

  ‘I’d like that.’

  ‘OK,’ Leo said.

  ‘I don’t think I’ll wear a dress though.’

  ‘You can wear whatever you want.’

  ‘My Batman costume?’

  Leo cleared his throat as he imagined the wedding photos and what Isla would make of Batman attending their special day.

  ‘Why don’t we talk to Isla about what you should wear? Maybe you could wear your best clothes.’

  Elliot wrinkled his nose.

  ‘Well, I’m sure we can find something to wear that makes you and Isla happy. Are you OK about moving out of Hot Chocolate Cottage and moving in here?’

  ‘I like the idea of having a toy room. And when I have a baby sister she will need her own room too.’

  ‘That’s right, she will,’ Leo said.

  ‘And we don’t have room for that at Hot Chocolate Cottage.’

  ‘No.’

  Elliot was quiet for a moment. ‘I think I will be a bit sad. Me and Daddy painted my bedroom together.’

  Leo knew what he was trying to say but perhaps couldn’t find the words. He had memories of his time with Matthew there and he would be sad to leave those behind.

  ‘And Marshmallow Cottage,’ Elliot said.

  ‘Your treehouse?’

  ‘Yes, Daddy made that.’

  ‘We could bring Marshmallow Cottage here. Take it apart very carefully and put it back together.’

  ‘Can we?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ He put the go-kart down at the top of the hill and squatted down to face Elliot. ‘Just because we move away from Daddy’s home doesn’t mean we’ll forget about him. We have photos and videos of him we can look at any time.’

  ‘I miss him sometimes,’ Elliot said.

  ‘I do too, very much. And I know living with me will never be the same as living with Daddy but I’m going to try my best to make you happy.’

  Elliot smiled. ‘You do make me happy. I love you. This much.’

  He held out his arms really wide.

  Leo did the same. ‘I love you this much.’

  Elliot laughed and then moved back to sit in the go-kart again. He put his seatbelt on and Leo started rocking the car back and forth a second time.

  ‘Three, two, one,’ Leo said and then started running forward, pushing the go-kart.

  Elliot turned the wheel as they approached the corner but then Leo stumbled on a small bit of branch that was in the driveway, his feet tangled up in it as he went down. Leo hit the ground but as he was still holding onto the back of the go-kart he managed to turn it around. To his horror the go-kart ripped out of his hand, and flipped over, rolling sideways down the hill. Leo scrabbled to his feet as the go-kart came to a stop on its side in the grass and bushes.

  As he ran towards the go-kart, the only thought that kept screaming through his mind was that there was no sound from Elliot at all.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘You’re engaged!’ Melody exclaimed, spotting the ring almost as soon as Isla got out of the car.

  Isla laughed and nodded.

  ‘What?’ Tori’s head snapped up. She’d been making lists in her notebook as they sat outside the wedding shop waiting for her. ‘Show me the ring.’

  Isla stuck out her hand as the girls admired it with ooohs and ahhhs.

  ‘When did this happen?’

  ‘Last night. I have so much to tell you,’ Isla said.

  ‘But I thought you were taking things slow. It’s only been a few days since you got together,’ Tori said.

  ‘I know, but Melody was right, we’ve known each other for years. I’ve loved him for a long time and he loves me too. There doesn’t seem much point in waiting around. We were meant to be together, you guys know that.’

  Melody squealed with happiness. ‘I can’t believe this, I’m so happy for the two of you.’

  She got up and hugged Isla tight.

  ‘Tell me everything,’ Melody said.

  ‘Don’t we need to go into the wedding shop for our fitting?’ Isla asked.

  ‘We have time,’ Tori said. ‘Besides, this is more important. How did it happen? He’s proposed to you so many times.’

  ‘Well, actually I have news which is equally as important. Sadie has signed to say she is happy for the adoption to go ahead.’

  They stared at her.

  ‘What?’ Melody said, looking even more happy at this news.

  ‘It happened yesterday afternoon, Karie called me. I have no idea why Sadie decided to do it. I’m not sure if Karie or even Thomas had some part to play in this but, apparently, she thought it was the right thing to do. So we have our court hearing as planned in a few weeks but that’s just a formality now.’

  ‘That’s brilliant, so he will officially be yours?’ Tori said.

  Isla nodded. ‘I can’t tell you how relieved I am. So while we were celebrating that last night, Leo told me he loved me and he wanted to marry me. There was not a single doubt in my heart that this was the right thing.’

  Tori hugged her. ‘Ah, I’m so pleased for you.’

  ‘Yes, this is wonderful news,’ Melody said. ‘We’ll have to go for lunch after to celebrate.’

  Isla smiled. ‘I’ll check with Leo, he has Elliot, he might need to get into work. Although I didn’t give him a specific time I’d be back.’

  She pulled her phone out of her bag.

  ‘Ah, no reception,’ Isla said.

  ‘No, you won’t get any here, we’re in this weird pocket of the world where mobile phones don’t exist,’ Tori said.

  ‘I’ll try and phone him after,’ Isla said, slipping her phone back into her bag. ‘Let’s go try on our dresses, Tori. I can’t wait to see yours again.’

  ‘You’ll have to have a look for yourself while you’re here,’ Melody said. ‘At least get an idea of what style you want for your own wedding.’

  Isla grinned at that thought. A few days before she would have thought her dreams of having Elliot and marrying Leo were impossible but now she was living the dream.

  Leo raced towards the go-kart. As he got closer he heard Elliot let out a wail and a tiny part of him sighed in relief because if he could scream then he wasn’t dead. He fell to his knees when he reached the kart, ignoring the pain that stabbed up his side.

  ‘Are you OK, buddy?’ Leo said, cradling his body and head and carefully bringing the kart upright, before a sickening thought hit him. If Elliot had broken his back or neck, he shouldn’t have been moved at all. Christ, he knew this, he had been a firefighter for six months many years before. He had trained in first aid and when dealing with a car accident that was one of the first things to consider. But when faced with someone he loved involved in an accident, all his training and calm went out the window.

  He tried to remember what he had been taught, but from the way that Elliot was screaming it didn’t seem like he was having any trouble breathing and he didn’t seem to be holding his head in any way that would suggest a breakage in his spine or neck. He scooted round to face him and nearly cried when he saw his little face was bruised
and cut. There was blood all round his mouth but as he wiped some of it away, he could see that Elliot had bit or cut his lip.

  ‘OK Elliot, where does it hurt?’

  Elliot’s screaming went up an octave as he pointed vaguely to all over his body. From the way he was holding his left arm, Leo suspected that might be broken.

  Blood was still pouring from his lip so Leo ripped a bit of his t-shirt away and started gently dabbing at the cut as he reached round and unbuckled the seatbelt.

  ‘OK, don’t move for a second—’ Leo started to say but as soon as the seatbelt was free Elliot stood up and flung his arms around Leo’s neck, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Leo held him tight but he let out another small sigh of relief. If he could move like that, then there was nothing too wrong with him.

  Abandoning the go-kart, he quickly carried him up the drive and straight into the kitchen. Luke looked up from his dog basket, immediately circling around them, whimpering, sensing something was wrong. Leo sat Elliot on the unit top and grabbed a bowl of water and some kitchen towel to clear up some of the cuts, but the one on his lip did look like it might need stitches or at least some butterfly tape to hold it together. Elliot was still holding his arm strangely and screaming so he grabbed his keys, bundled Elliot into his car and took off to the hospital.

  Using his hands-free, he dialled Isla’s number but it went straight through to answerphone.

  Shit.

  As the car bumped over a rough patch of road, Elliot’s screams intensified even more.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sitting in a cubicle, waiting to be seen by a doctor or nurse, Elliot had at least stopped crying now, although he was still sniffling and casting hurt puppy-dog eyes at Leo as if he’d done it deliberately.

  ‘I’m sorry buddy, I didn’t mean to hurt you,’ Leo said, apologising to him for what felt like the hundredth time.

  In the gap through the curtain he could see the nurse who had checked him in talking to another through the glass screen of their office, pointing at Elliot’s cubicle and swapping looks of disgust. Did they really think he’d done this to his godson deliberately?

  He stared at the nurse doing most of the talking and realised he recognised her. She had her hair up now and the last time he’d seen her her hair had been spread out over her pillow. Eva. He’d slept with her once many years before and then never called her again. That was the kind of lowlife he had been back then. Most women knew what they were getting when they slept with him: one night, maybe two, nothing serious, no strings or complications. But despite the fact he never gave the women he slept with any false promises and made it clear it was always going to be something casual, he’d known he’d broken a few hearts along the way. Eva, he remembered, was one of them. She had called him several times and even turned up at his house offering to cook him dinner. He was polite but firm, he simply wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship. He was the first to admit that he perhaps hadn’t treated women in the best way in the past, avoiding their calls, sneaking out of their bedrooms early in the morning, not committing to any kind of relationship. But he would never hit them and for Eva or anyone else to think he could do this to Elliot was sickening.

  A doctor came in then, all smiles as she addressed Elliot, obviously trying to keep him calm.

  ‘Hello Elliot, I’m Doctor Hunter. I see you’ve taken a little tumble. I’m going to have a look at you and then we might send you down for some x-rays.’

  Elliot nodded, solemnly.

  She looked into his eyes first of all, shining a torch into them which made Elliot blink, and then she gently started feeling around his head and neck.

  ‘Who is this with you today?’ Doctor Hunter asked.

  ‘This is Leo,’ Elliot said.

  ‘And is Leo your daddy?’

  ‘Yes. But not my real daddy.’

  ‘I’m his… stepdad,’ Leo said. ‘Sort of.’

  ‘What’s a stepdad?’ Elliot asked.

  ‘It’s when a man that’s not your dad marries your mummy, then he becomes your stepdad,’ Doctor Hunter explained, as she felt gently around the front of his neck and shoulders. ‘Is Leo married to your mummy?’

  Elliot shook his head. ‘No, he’s going to marry Isla.’

  ‘Who’s Isla?’

  ‘My aunty,’ Elliot said.

  Doctor Hunter frowned in confusion.

  ‘Isla is his legal guardian,’ Leo said. ‘She’s adopting him. We’re engaged.’

  ‘Ah, I presume that’s why you’re known to social services. Elliot’s name did flag up on the system when you came in.’

  ‘Yes, we’re working with social services to get Elliot formally adopted since his parents are… no longer around,’ Leo said.

  Elliot winced as she touched an obviously sore part on his shoulder.

  ‘You have been in the wars. How did it happen?’ Doctor Hunter asked.

  ‘Leo did it,’ Elliot said, sullenly.

  Christ, talk about hanging him out to dry.

  ‘It was an accident, wasn’t it buddy?’ Leo said.

  ‘I’d like to hear it from Elliot if you don’t mind.’ The doctor flashed him a smile but her eyes said she’d seen too many cases like this before and she wasn’t going to take these injuries lightly. She turned back to Elliot ‘Want to tell me what happened?’

  ‘He pushed me,’ Elliot said, his little sore lip jutting out in a pout. ‘We were playing with the go-kart and Leo was pushing me really fast and then he fell and let go and made the go-kart roll over.’

  He saw her shoulders drop a little as she relaxed. ‘Well, that does sound very scary.’

  ‘It hurt a lot.’

  ‘I imagine it did. And you’ve been here before, about eighteen months ago. Can you remember? The notes said you… walked into a cupboard.’

  She eyed Leo as if she didn’t totally believe that version of events. Leo had a flashback to Elliot’s fourth birthday party, chasing him with a water pistol. As Elliot had run inside the house, his wet feet had skidded on the kitchen floor and he’d headbutted a cupboard door. The lump on his head had swollen to the size of a potato within seconds. Leo had felt awful but Matthew had still been alive then and he’d brought him into hospital to have him checked over. Matthew had totally laughed it off afterwards as just one of those things and kids will be kids.

  Elliot nodded. ‘I was running away from Leo.’

  This was just getting worse and worse.

  ‘And why were you running away from Leo?’

  ‘Because I didn’t want him to catch me,’ Elliot said.

  She ran her fingers down his arm. ‘And does Leo chase you a lot?’

  Elliot nodded. ‘Sometimes at bedtime, he chases me into bed and then he lies in bed with me and I like that.’

  The doctor looked at Leo with a raised eyebrow. Christ, he’d always lain next to Elliot in his bed while he read him a bedtime story. He’d never thought anything of it before.

  ‘What do you like about lying in bed with Leo?’

  Holy shit, this was sounding all kinds of wrong now.

  ‘Because…’ Elliot was obviously struggling to find the words. ‘It makes me feel all nice inside, like I’m happy and excited at the same time.’

  Leo swallowed down the huge lump in his throat at the lovely way Elliot had described how he made him feel. He only hoped the doctor wouldn’t twist that into something else too.

  ‘OK, I think we’ll take you down to be x-rayed. I suspect you might have broken your wrist. Do you want Leo to come with you?’

  Elliot nodded.

  Leo stood up.

  ‘And one of the nurses has put a call out to your social worker, is it Karie Matthews?’

  Leo nodded, his heart sinking. He liked Karie but what was she going to make of this?

  ‘Is that really necessary?’ Leo said and realised that made it sound like he had something to hide.

  ‘It’s just a formal
ity,’ Doctor Hunter said. ‘If you have an assigned social worker, they need to be kept informed. Elliot, are you OK to walk to the x-ray department? It’s just down the corridor.’

  ‘Leo can carry me,’ Elliot said and Leo smiled slightly at that sense of entitlement, like a king ordering one of his subjects.

  Leo obliged and picked him up carefully. Pain sliced through his side again, which he tried to ignore. Elliot leaned his head on his shoulder. Clearly he had been forgiven. They followed Doctor Hunter down the corridor a little way.

  ‘Is Elliot allergic to anything, any medication?’ she asked.

  ‘I… don’t think so,’ Leo said. He had no idea whether Elliot was or not. He wracked his brains for anything that Matthew or Isla might have mentioned but came up blank. He really should know stuff like this.

  ‘OK,’ she said, slowly, obviously not impressed that he didn’t know for sure. ‘We really need to get in touch with Isla then.’

  Leo decided not to mention that he’d already phoned her twenty times. He knew that didn’t look good either. ‘I’ll give her a call.’

  Elliot had just finished having his arm set in plaster when Isla arrived, her face ashen with worry.

  Leo tried to look at Elliot through her eyes. He knew he looked awful.

  ‘Oh god, my beautiful boy, are you OK?’ Isla said, hurrying to the bedside and giving Elliot a gentle hug.

  ‘I’m OK, it doesn’t really hurt too much any more,’ Elliot said, bravely.

  Leo was relieved that Isla had arrived now and not earlier when Elliot was still bleeding and crying.

  ‘They’ve given him some paracetamol,’ Leo explained. ‘He has a broken wrist and a hairline fracture on his collarbone.’

  ‘Leo has a broken rib,’ Elliot said.

  The x-ray nurse had taken one look at Leo when he’d stiffly placed Elliot down on the bed to be x-rayed and insisted on x-raying Leo too. Though there was nothing that could be done for a cracked rib.

  Isla looked at him. ‘Ah no, both my boys in the wars. I’ll have to take good care of you both tonight.’