Family Portrait (Kingsley Family Trilogy Book 1)

by Rebecca Paulinyi

  “I’m just going to get a drink – anyone want anything?” Eve asked. The two shook their heads, and Imogen wondered whether she just didn’t want to be in the presence of the couple. Did she think Imogen would continue to discuss the pregnancy? Did she think Zach might start freaking out? Imogen didn’t know, but it didn’t go unnoticed, how quickly Eve had left…

  “Had a good day?” Imogen asked, squinting up through the sunlight, at Zach.

  “Eh, it was all right. Scott had a hell of a lot of stuff he needed shifting into his new house – good job there were three of us, really.” Zach had been a little annoyed at having to give up his Sunday morning, but he’d promised he would help his friend move house.

  “Three?” Imogen asked, wondering who the third aid was, hoping it wasn’t Danny. She didn’t think Zach was over his anger with him yet.

  “Daryl,” Zach answered, and Imogen relaxed.

  “Ella wants to book me in for an early scan,” Imogen said, glancing back at Zach to see his response to this. His face remained impassive. She hoped this wouldn’t be the thing that would make him ‘freak out’, as Evangeline had put it.

  For Imogen, it just seemed to make the whole thing real. And real turned out to be pretty scary.

  “Sometime at the end of May, I think she said.” Zach didn’t comment for a moment or two, and Imogen felt her heart pounding irrationally, expecting some sort of rejection.

  “Okay.” Zach’s answer was simple, and yet it was enough to calm her down. “After school?”

  “Yep. This is Ella Kingsley we’re talking about – missing school is hardly on her list of things to advocate to teens!”

  Zach laughed.

  “How is she about all of this, anyway?” Imogen didn’t miss the way Zach referred to the pregnancy as ‘this’, and wondered whether he was having the same issues with accepting it was all real as she was.

  “She’s…” Imogen wasn’t sure how to describe the way Ella had reacted. Understanding, accepting, those words just didn’t seem quite right. But how else could she put it? “She’s surprisingly okay with it,” she said. She couldn’t tell Zach why Ella was being so understanding, and so she thought it was best to steer clear of the subject all together.

  As the sun began to fade on the Monroes’ garden, Imogen decided it was time to go home. She wanted to spend some time with Abby before she went to bed, and she knew Ella would be cooking dinner for them all. Besides, she was feeling pretty exhausted herself, despite napping in the garden earlier in the day.

  ***

  After Abby was snuggled up in bed, and the Kingsleys were gathered in the living room, watching the television, Imogen decided to open her birthday presents. She hadn’t got round to it in the week since her birthday, but now she felt an urge to open them.

  She turned over a carefully wrapped package, which was covered in black tissue paper, suddenly curious. She read the label: Imogen, Happy Birthday! Sara x. Peeling off the sellotape, a cellophane wrapped item fell out. A deep blue linen set, the most gorgeous shade of deep blue with The Killers’ logo sewn intricately in the bottom right hand corner, lay in her hands. Imogen was surprised to find she loved it immediately.

  The next present was wrapped in paper in a shade of pink that would have annoyed Imogen if it were from anyone other than Abby. As it was, however, she grinned: she’d never received a gift from Abby before, and the idea that Ella had helped Abby choose something, paid for it and helped her to wrap it (it was clear, from the wonky sellotape, that Abby had had some input!) made Imogen the teeniest bit emotional. She mentally blamed it on pregnancy hormones: Imogen Meyer would not have gotten emotional over something like that! Imogen Kingsley, on the other hand…

  She removed the paper, and a black velvet box slid out. Inside was a necklace: a gold padlock, in the shape of a heart. A smile graced her face as she remembered the little key dangling from Abby’s neck; they seemed to be a matching set.

  The final present was from the rest of the family. A delicate black and silver flowery jewellery box was in the package. As she examined it – surprised, once more, that she loved it – she noticed the careful engraving on the bottom. To Imogen, on your sixteenth birthday. With love from Ella, William, Milly, Dana and Daisy.

  “Thank you, for the presents,” she said as she entered the living room moments later. The eyes that had been focused on the television suddenly flicked in her direction.

  “No problem,” Ella replied. “Glad you liked them. Abby was especially excited about the necklace.” Her grin widened as she noticed Imogen was already wearing it. “Did you see, she’s got a matching one?” Imogen nodded.

  “I saw. It’s great, thanks. And the jewellery box too. And Sara, where did you get the duvet cover? It’s really nice, thank-you.” Imogen and Zach’s reunion had certainly done wonders to her mood: before, she wouldn’t have even opened her presents. Now, she was practically gushing with thanks!

  “I got it at the bed linen store in town. But I sewed on The Killers design myself,” she said. Imogen looked shocked for a moment.

  “You did that?” she asked, and Sara nodded. “Wow.” She was more than mildly impressed by Sara’s skills, but said no more. Instead, she curled up at the end of one of the sofas, and joined with the rest of them in watching some sitcom that William found hilarious, but that was not really that amusing. Still, they all sat and watched it because, hey, that was what families did.

  “Anyone want a drink?” she asked, stretching her legs out as the programme ended.

  “Tea, please!”

  “Me too.”

  “Coffee for me, if you’re making it.”

  Once orders had been placed, Imogen headed for the kitchen, filling the kettle to the brim: with a family as large as hers, there was never any point in filling the kettle any less than full. Her eye was caught by the mail to the left of the kettle and the seven mugs that she had set out.

  Fanned out on the breakfast bar were cream envelopes: seven of them. Picking out the one that was addressed to her, she opened it carefully, and out fell an invitation.

  Rupert Stone and Phoebe Ashley would like to request the company of Imogen Kingsley and Zach Monroe at their marriage. RSVP

  Imogen smiled: Ella must have let Rupert know that she would want Zach to be invited. It was quite sweet of them both, actually, now that she came to think of it – although she would never have admitted her thoughts to anyone. The fan of envelopes included one for William, one for Ella, one for Sara and one each for Abby, Dana and Daisy. Rupert must have known the kids would get a kick out of having their own invites – now that really was quite a sweet gesture. She shook her head; had she just used the word ‘sweet’ subconsciously – twice? What was happening to her?

  Whatever it was, it didn’t feel so bad.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  ‘What the hell could be thrown at the Kingsley family next?’ Imogen thought, wondering if there was really much else fate could chuck at the Kingsleys and their somewhat troubled adoptee. She smiled wryly; it was always best not to tempt fate by expecting things to run smoothly.

  Honestly, the sixteen-year-old hadn’t a clue what she would have to face next, or where she’d end up – but then if someone had told her a year previously, as she’d packed up a life’s worth of belongings into four bags, that she’d be so settled, so accepted, so…happy – yes, it was really the only word for how she was feeling – well, she’d never have believed them. Okay, so everything wasn’t ideal; being pregnant at sixteen had not factored into her life plans – not that she’d really had any. But that didn’t change the fact that she was happy.

  The train slowed as it approached a station, and Imogen glanced to see where they were. With only one stop to go before theirs, she wondered whether she ought to wake Zach up, but couldn’t bring herself to.

  Slouched in her seat to avoid the sunlight blinding her, she allowed her eyes to wander the seats surrounding hers: seats filled with family. Only one girl
present shared her blood, but that was fine; Imogen wasn’t sure she agreed with the standard definition any more. How could she?

  Asleep in the chair across the aisle from Imogen, her head resting on her boyfriend’s chest, was Ella. Ella who had one biological child – and yet was so much more of a mother to her niece and the children she’d taken in than she’d ever had a chance to be to him. Like Imogen, he probably had a family somewhere – one which he knew wasn’t technically his, but which felt like it all the same; which felt like the next best thing.

  Braden, awake with his arm gently placed around his girlfriend’s shoulders, seemed to be becoming a permanent fixture in the Kingsley household; Imogen was confident that the next wedding they’d be attending after this one would be theirs. A new mother and a new father, so very different from her first set, but right for Imogen in a completely different way.

  Abby. Abby who was growing up, and who was becoming more of a sister and less of a daughter to Imogen, the way it always should – would – have been, had Imogen grown up in a ‘normal’ (another word which Imogen believed had a dubious definition) family – looked as though she was playing a game of human dominoes. Daisy was slumped against the window, with Abby fast asleep against her side. The sunlight glinted from their blonde locks, and Imogen marvelled, and not for the first time, at the physical similarities between the two girls.

  Sara was, well, Sara. The two girls would never be best friends, but they fought like sisters; deep down, they did care for each other – although Imogen would never have admitted that. In many ways, Imogen was jealous of Sara – something else she’d never have admitted to. Sara had an outright claim on the family, had an unconditional right to the love and the stability of the Kingsleys – even if they’d not always been as stable as they currently were. She was sat protectively watching Dana, and Imogen wondered whether she was destined to become like her aunt – although that didn’t seem like a bad prospect to Imogen.

  Not anymore.

  Sure, Ella and Imogen were two very different people – but there were much worse ways to end up than to be like Ella Kingsley. That was something Imogen would not have admitted six months previously.

  Zach’s eyes were on her as she glanced out of the window once more, and she smiled.

  “Hey, sleepy head. I was just about to wake you.” Zach stretched, stifling a yawn.

  “Are we nearly there yet?” Imogen’s smile widened as he spoke the words common to petulant children on long journeys, and nodded.

  “Uh-huh. One more stop to go. Then we’ve got to get to the hotel, and change for the rehearsal dinner…”

  “What is it with your family and weddings?” Zach asked, but he was smiling. Imogen batted his hand away as he ruffled her hair, and poked him in the ribs for his grumbling.

  “No-one said you had to come!”

  “Yes, actually, you did!” Zach retorted, and Imogen couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Did I?” she asked, trying to look innocent and failing miserably.

  “I thought we established on the first day I met you that you couldn’t do innocent or goody-two-shoes. And yes, Miss Kingsley, you did – if I remember correctly, your exact words were ‘I might die of boredom if I have to go to Rupert’s wedding without you.’ Besides, I wasn’t going to let you be escorted down the aisle by some usher – not with how irresistible you look in that dress.”

  They both laughed softly, so as not to wake the sleeping passengers surrounding them, and Imogen twisted in her seat so that she could kiss Zach. After knowing him for over a year, each kiss felt just as exciting as their first stolen moment, at Evangeline’s sleepover. Their lips moved together briefly, before being interrupted by a murmured comment.

  “Get a room!” The words were not loud, but in the near-silent carriage, they were enough to make Imogen turn quickly enough to see Braden grin and roll his eyes. She rolled hers right back at him, laughing once more. Zach smirked at the teasing in the seat next to her.

  “Okay, so I forced you to come with me,” Imogen said, settling her head on Zach’s chest for the final leg of the journey. “Thank-you, anyway, for coming – even if I didn’t give you a choice.” As much as she’d realised that she cared for the Kingsleys, three days in their undiluted company was more than she fancied handling. Besides, she missed Zach when she was away from him.

  “Wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Zach replied, kissing the top of her head gently, and wrapping an arm around her waist.

  At that moment, the girl once known as Imogen Meyer felt as though she had it all: boyfriend, family, friends and happiness. She hated how much she’d had to lose and get through to get this, and could not allow herself to think ‘what if’ about anything: she was living, and enjoying, the present. But if she couldn’t have her mother back…well, she wouldn’t have had it any other way either.

  Closing her eyes momentarily against the sunshine, a smile played on Imogen Kingsley’s lips. That scene, right there, provided a pretty good portrait of her family.

  Thank you!

  Thank you for reading Imogen’s story so far in Family Portrait! I hope you enjoyed it.

  If you want to know what happens, don’t panic! Book 2 in the series, Snap Shot, will be available on Amazon on October 1st.

  I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about Family Portrait. If you are kind enough to leave a review, please email me at rebeccapaulinyi@gmail.com and I’d love to give you a shout out! Reviewers will also get a free Family Portrait short story and will b entered into a prize draw for a £15 Amazon voucher! Any other queries, questions or comments can also be sent to that email.

  My standalone Young Adult novel ‘Oh, Brother’ is available NOW on Kindle! Buy it here at https://hyperurl.co/ohbrother .

  For information about new releases, blog posts and a FREE short story from Oh, Brother, sign up at rebeccapaulinyi.com.

  Happy reading!

  Rebecca Paulinyi