George leaned down to his feet, drawing her attention to the soft leather attaché case he carried everywhere, which was currently resting against the side of the sofa. It was so much a part of him, she hadn’t even noticed he’d brought it into the room with him. He flipped open the gold catch, the movement worn smooth with years of use, and removed a sheaf of papers, which he slid across the empty cushion between them.
Kiki’s eyes swam, the words blurring in and out of focus as she stared at a copy of her divorce papers. A post-it flagged one of the pages and she lifted the sheets in front of it with trembling fingers. She gasped at the bold, black scrawl at the foot of the page and glanced up at her father. ‘What did you do?’
‘I gave him something he wanted—my job.’
She slumped back against the arm of the sofa, trying to comprehend the enormity of those two simple words. George had defined himself through his work for her entire life. He was Professor George Thorpe, Head of Ancient Greek Studies, before everything. ‘But your job means everything to you…’
Her father lifted the papers aside to slide along the sofa and rest his hand on her leg. ‘And that will always be my biggest mistake and my deepest regret. I was a fool to put my career first, to use it as a way to hide from my problems with your mother. I’ve missed so much time with you and your sisters, and now with the little ones, too. Your mother’s illness has made me realise how skewed my priorities have been. Your boy is seven years old and I’ve never read him a bedtime story…’ He trailed off, moisture spilling over onto his cheeks.
‘Oh, Daddy.’ Kiki sat up and flung her arms around him, holding him tight as he shuddered through a couple of deep breaths. ‘It’s too much, I don’t know what to say.’
George leaned back and smiled at her through his tears. ‘It’s not nearly enough to repay what I owe you, but it’s a start. You’ve a chance at a new life here and I want you to make the most of it. Aaron and the children look like they get on well…’
She couldn’t smother the laugh bursting out of her. Lord, he was about as subtle as Madeline and Pat. ‘We’re just friends, Dad.’ Her face sobered and she squeezed his hands. ‘Don’t be looking for something that isn’t there. I already made that mistake once.’ She tilted her head towards the signed divorce papers. ‘Can we keep this between us for now? There’s so much going on and I don’t want to be another distraction from the wedding. The kids have barely got used to the idea of leaving. Come for breakfast with us on Sunday morning like we’ve already planned, and we can tell them together.’
George patted her hand. ‘If that’s what you want dear. You’ll tell Aaron, though?’
She shook her head. ‘Not yet.’ Her relief at not having to leave Butterfly Cove was tempered with a deep realisation. Continuing to live under the same roof as him was out of the question. Seeing Aaron, sharing everything with him but her heart, needing him and being rebuffed, would break her as surely as the years spent with Neil had.
One step forward, two steps back.
Chapter Twenty-One
Aaron shuffled through the pale-blue prompt cards he’d prepared for his best man’s speech one last time, checking he’d covered everything on the helpful list of what to include he’d found online. A separate stack of yellow cards rested near his elbow. The blank one on the top of the pile mocked him, and he knew he would have to tackle it if he was going to go through with things properly. He just wanted to run through his speech once more before he dealt with it.
A tap on the doorframe saved him from the silent lie burning his tongue and he cast Daniel a grateful smile for the distraction. ‘Shouldn’t you be in bed? Your ugly mug needs all the beauty sleep it can get.’
Daniel’s white teeth flashed through the darkness of the beard covering his chin. ‘Cheeky bastard. I could say the same for you, though nothing’s gonna rescue those cauliflower ears of yours.’
Aaron raised a hand and traced the slightly bumpy edge of his left ear and grinned back. ‘Adds character. The ladies like a sportsman.’ His smile faltered. He’d never been a ladies’ man and he was on the cusp of losing the only one he wanted. The yellow cards beside him might be his last chance to put things right. He sat back in his chair. ‘You’re absolutely sure Mia’s onboard with this?’
Daniel folded his arms and leaned against the frame. ‘She said, and I quote, “if that stupid arse doesn’t do something about it, I’ll never feed him again.”’
With Kiki’s imminent departure, the loss of access to Mia’s comfort food was a deadly serious threat. ‘And you don’t mind?’
‘Mate, as long as I get that ring on her finger I couldn’t care less what else happens tomorrow.’ Daniel softened. ‘Do it. You’ve got my support. One hundred per cent.’ He nodded towards the stairs. ‘You coming up?’
‘Soon. Just got one more thing to do. Don’t forget to set an alarm.’
Daniel laughed. ‘Already done. Watch, tablet, I’ve even borrowed that Minnie Mouse clock from Charlie’s bedside table. G’night.’
‘Night.’ He checked his watch. Perhaps it was too late to call… ‘Bloody coward,’ he said out loud and snatched his mobile from his pocket.
‘Bumble? Is something wrong?’ His dad answered on the second ring.
Aaron took a deep breath. It was now or never. ‘I’m fine, Dad. Sorry to call so late. I… I’d like to talk to Cathy if she’s around.’
‘She’s just rinsing out a couple of things in the kitchen. What’s this about?’
‘A friend told me recently I should talk to someone about a problem I’ve got.’
‘And you think Cathy’s the right person to talk to?’ Brian Spenser sounded incredulous.
‘I expanded on the original suggestion and I’ve talked with a lot of people. Cathy’s the last one on the list. I don’t want to upset her, Dad. I don’t want to upset either of you, but I have to ask her something. Please.’
The past few weeks had been a humbling, and occasionally humiliating, experience, but Aaron felt better for it. He had most of the answers he needed, enough to be sure about the next step he wanted to take. But if he didn’t cross this final item off his list, it would hang there. A loose thread he couldn’t pluck, a thorn in his side that would continue to prick and bleed him.
‘Hold on.’ The phone went quiet long enough for his stomach to turn queasy. Leave it. Just leave it. He’d almost convinced himself when there was a muffled sound in his ear and then…
‘You’ve got your dad all worried, Aaron. What do you want?’ Strangely enough, the sharp edge to her words eased his worry.
‘I won’t keep you long, Cathy. I just have to ask you one thing and then I won’t bother you again—what did I do wrong?’
She huffed out a breath, sounding aggrieved. ‘What are you talking about? When?’
Aaron sighed. He didn’t believe for a moment she didn’t know what he was talking about. ‘Always. What was it about me that made you treat me the way you did when I was growing up? The way you still do now. I tried my best, but nothing was ever good enough.’
Silence greeted him, stretching out long enough for him to wish he hadn’t bothered. She would never see things from his point of view, so why keep picking at the scab? He’d just about reached the point of hanging up when she responded, in the barest of whispers. ‘I couldn’t forgive you for being hers.’
The air left his lungs in a rush, like he’d taken a punch to the gut. Luke had been spot-on, apparently. ‘This was all about Mum?’
Her shrill laugh hurt his ear. ‘Of course it was. Everything’s always about her. Always has been, always will be. I tried, Aaron. God knows, I tried, but how could things move on with you staring at me with her eyes? Every smile you gave me showed the same dimples, the same sweet nature. And you never let me forget.’
Sick and shaken, Aaron closed his eyes. ‘Forget what?’
‘That I would always be second best. For you, for Brian. It wasn’t me either of
you really wanted. I thought once I had Luke things would be better, that I’d have something of my own, but you took him from me, too!’ Her voice choked off, and he could hear his dad murmuring in the background.
Aaron rubbed his forehead, trying to make sense of the scramble of words. ‘I was just a little boy, Cathy. I didn’t ask for any of it. I would have loved you if you’d let me.’ He tried to fight the rising hysteria in his voice, but the lonely little boy he held so deep inside was so needy, so desperate for her reassurance, even now.
It was his father who responded, though. ‘Bumble? My poor boy, I’m sorry.’
‘I loved her, Dad. I only wanted her to love me back.’ Jesus, he couldn’t stop crying.
‘I know you did, Aaron. And Cathy knows that, too. This isn’t your fault, son. Isn’t hers, really. It’s mine. I felt so guilty over your mum, over the depth of my feelings for Cathy and moving on so soon, that I tried too hard to hold on to her memory.’ Brian sighed. ‘I haven’t done right by either of you.’
Aaron raised his hand and scrubbed the snot and tears from his face. He sniffed loudly, the disgusting sound enough to make him laugh at himself. He wiped the gunk off his hand on the front of his T-shirt. ‘What a bloody mess.’
He wasn’t the only one crying. He could hear Cathy’s sobs and his father talking quietly to her. ‘Dad?’
‘I’m here.’
‘Tell Cathy it’s okay. And tell yourself the same thing whilst you’re at it. All this guilt and hurt, where has it got any of us? I’m so tired of it; God knows you both must be, too. I’d like to start again. If and when she’s ready, let me know.’ It hurt, but it was a good, clean pain. The poison in his childhood wounds had been lanced, and he knew they’d finally start to heal.
‘You’re such a good lad, Bumble. Hold on one moment for me.’ The phone rustled and Aaron could picture his dad pressing it against his chest the way he always did. It rustled again and he caught the end of a question not directed at him. ‘…If you’re sure?’ Another brief pause, followed by, ‘Cathy wants to know if you’d like to come for Sunday lunch next weekend?’
The olive branch surprised him. It was one thing to say he was ready to start again, another to actually take the risk of being hurt if Cathy changed her mind. He thought about Kiki, about the way she kept opening herself up, to him, to her dad, when there was every reason to pull down the shutters and lock her heart safely away. Time to see if he had an ounce of her courage. ‘I’d like that.’
Aaron ended the call and took the blank yellow card from the top of the pile. He wrote a couple of lines then shuffled it to the back. He placed the stack next to the ones for his speech and turned off the desk lamp. Faint light from the landing drifted down the stairs, calling him to bed. Feeling drained, but ready for the morning, he headed up to his room, stripped off his filthy T-shirt and collapsed face down onto his bed. Sleep came quickly, and he didn’t stir.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Aaron rolled onto his back, blinking to free the sticky mess clinging to his lashes. He fumbled for the off button on the side of his phone. Although Daniel had assured him he’d set multiple alarms, Aaron hadn’t wanted to leave anything to chance. Beep. Beep. Beep.
‘Bloody thing.’ He glared at his phone before realising the noise came from one of the other bedrooms. Desperate for a drink of water, he forced himself up and out onto the landing, coming face to face with a groggy-looking Luke. His brother rubbed his eyes then suddenly looked a lot more awake.
‘Dibs on the bathroom!’ Luke made a dash for the end of the corridor.
‘Git. I’ll go and put the coffee on and then see if Daniel’s awake.’ Shrill bells rang from what was usually Kiki’s room – Minnie Mouse was on the case already, it seemed. He shuffled towards Matty’s room and tapped on the door. ‘You awake, little man?’
The door swung open and Matty grinned up at him. ‘Is it time?’
Aaron grinned and ruffled his already messy hair. ‘Time for breakfast. You want Cornflakes?’
Matty shook his head.
‘Scrambled eggs?’
‘Nuh-uh.’
Aaron wracked his brain as he made his way downstairs with the little boy hopping and skipping after him. He could do with some of the energy Matty seemed to be brimming with. ‘Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding? Fish fingers? Apple pie and custard?’ He listed the unlikeliest of breakfast dishes and was rewarded with a giggle.
Entering the kitchen, he flicked the switch on the coffee machine and opened the fridge. He glanced back over his shoulder at Matty and waggled his eyebrows. ‘Jelly and ice cream?’
‘Pancakes!’
‘Pancakes? Sounds like a great idea.’ Daniel wandered into the kitchen, clad in a pair of boxer shorts and a T-shirt. He slid into a free chair and Matty pulled one close to him and sat down. ‘Hello, squirt, you all ready for today? Know what you need to do?’
Matty nodded solemnly. ‘I have to keep the rings safe until the lady asks for them.’ He’d been thrilled to be asked to be the ring bearer. Charlie was equally excited about her job as flower girl.
‘That’s right. You’re the only man I can trust with the job.’ Daniel slung his arm across the back of Matty’s chair and the little boy squirmed closer to lean against him.
Fighting a lump in his throat, Aaron made himself busy, pulling milk, butter and eggs out of the fridge. He opened the cupboard Kiki used to store her dry ingredients and the lump grew a little bigger. Soon, there’d be no more scents of baking wafting through the house, no more high-pitched voices or little footsteps clattering up and down the stairs. Giving himself a shake, he dug around for plain flour, and sugar for sprinkling.
He’d just poured the first of the batter mix into a hot pan when Matty spoke up. ‘If you’re marrying Aunty Mia, does that mean you’ll be my uncle?’
The things kids came out with. Aaron glanced over as Daniel shifted in his chair so he could turn to meet Matty’s inquisitive gaze. ‘That’s right. You’ll be able to call me Uncle Daniel, if you’d like to.’
Matty nodded. ‘I used to have an Uncle Jamie, but he died and Aunty Mia was very sad. You won’t die, will you?’
Daniel pulled the little boy close and stared wide-eyed over the top of his head at Aaron. The panic in his eyes said he wasn’t sure what to say. Aaron raised his shoulders helplessly. What could one say to a question like that? His friend pulled back and gripped Matty’s chin gently. ‘I love your Aunty Mia very much and I promise to do everything I possibly can to stay safe so I can look after her for a long, long time, okay?’
‘Okay.’ Apparently satisfied, Matty moved on to his next topic. ‘I’m going to have Nutella on my pancakes, what are you going to have?’
Bloody hell. If any of them made it through the day without bawling, it would be a miracle. Aaron turned back towards the pan, just as it began to smoke. Grabbing a spatula, he loosened the edges and managed to flip the pancake over without dropping it on the floor. The bottom looked a little singed, but he didn’t think his breakfast companions would complain. He shook the pan a few times and flipped the finished pancake onto a plate. ‘Who’s first?’
***
‘I appreciate your help with this.’ Kiki smiled at the older woman arranging a pair of exquisite crystal flutes on a silver, scallop-edged tray on the chest of drawers beside the bed. Maggie had arrived late the previous evening, looking immaculate after three and a half hours on a crowded train. Even this early in the morning, her hair was styled into a neat French twist. Kiki raised a hand to her headful of heated rollers with a rueful shrug.
Maggie placed a single pale peach rose on the tray then glanced over her shoulder at Kiki. ‘It’s my absolute pleasure, my dear. I adored your sister from the first moment we met, and Daniel has always been more to me than a client. When he told me they were engaged, I couldn’t have been happier.’ She bent and drew a white box with a lilac ribbon wrapped around it and held it up. ‘Here or in the bathroom?’
>
Kiki crossed to take the Molton Brown bath products from her. ‘I’ll put this next to the tub. If we leave the gifts in different places it will give them more surprises.’
‘That’s a wonderful idea. Where shall I hide these fabulous chocolates?’ Maggie did a slow circle and her eyes lit up as, through the open door to the adjoining sitting room, she spied a low table next to the plush velvet couch. ‘What about in there?’
‘Perfect.’
A tap on the door drew their attention. Madeline poked her head around the door. ‘Oh, it looks wonderful in here. Hello, Maggie, how are you?’ The two older women exchanged kisses and hugs. Although her hair was a sleek, shiny bob, Madeline’s face was bare and her Capri pants and T-shirt looked a little too casual. She followed Kiki’s glance down at her outfit and grinned. ‘I’ve brought my dress with me. I couldn’t stand waiting at home a moment longer in case I missed out on anything.’ Her blunt admission set them all smiling.
‘Why don’t you put your things in my room?’ Maggie offered. ‘I’m in that gorgeous country cottage room. We can get ready together once everything else is done.’
‘That would be lovely. Richard dropped me off and he’s gone over to the cottage to see how the boys are getting on.’ Madeline smiled. ‘He couldn’t bear to miss out either. So, what else do we need to do in here?’
Kiki popped into the bathroom to put the luxury bath products on the side of the tub. She couldn’t resist brushing her hand over the thick cotton towels hanging neatly on the rail. Pastel-coloured tea lights lined the windowsill and a glass shelf above the sink, ready to provide some romantic lighting. Pulling the door closed, she ran through her mental checklist. Other than the champagne, which she would sneak up to put in the ice bucket later, the room was ready. ‘I think we’re all set.’ She checked her watch. ‘I’m going to go and wake Charlie and see how Mia is getting on.’
Wedding Bells at Butterfly Cove Page 21
