Tripping On Love
Page 25
'You two know each other?' Ronnie asked, narrowing his eyes and clearing his throat of emotion. He looked on confused, his gaze travelling back and forth between Edward and I.
Lowering my eyes I stared at the carpet. How could this be possible? How could the Teddy that Ronnie had shown me in his cherished old photograph, be the same handsome Edward that stood before me.
Not daring to look at Edward and once again see the hurt that was written within his eyes since our argument, I remained with my head lowered ignoring Ronnie's question.
Edward walked closer to me, each step he took, my stomach clenching with anxiety. Did he think I was here to mock him? To rub salt into the wound that was evidently raw for both of us?
'Lizzie's my girlfriend' he said to his father.
My mind whirled with shock as it registered his words. He continued walking towards me, finally stopping in front of me and towering over me, waiting for me to look up. Intense love rippled through me as my eyes looked upwards to meet his. Tears of happiness prickled behind my eyelashes as he held out his hand towards me.
'Babe, I don’t know what’s going on here but I love you and I’ve missed you this week. Let's not argue anymore' he said gently.
Unable to stop myself, I leapt up and wrapped my arms around him, feeling the familiar warmth and security of his embrace, as he gently kissed the top of my head and squeezed me tightly.
'I'm so sorry for doubting you. I wanted to call you and make things right but I didn't know if you'd want me.' My voice cracked as I looked into his reassuring eyes, imploring me to say the words he needed to hear. 'I love you too, Edward. I want us to be how we were' I whispered, as a buzz of contentment and hope settled within me. Edward's bright smile and twinkling eyes at my words told me all that I needed to know.
Gently breaking away from my embrace, Edward looked towards his father who was standing open mouthed with a shocked expression.
'So are you going to tell me why you are here and how you know one another?' he asked Ronnie.
Ronnie broke into laughter, startling me as he pointed at Edward.
'This is the Edward you've been telling me about?' he said, touching his head in disbelief. He turned to look at his son.
'Lizzie works for me, Teddy. I own RJ Travel, we have helped do some marketing for the hotel. Purely for selfish reasons on my part, in the hope I’d get to talk with you' he said, looking at his son with anguished eyes. Edward nodded neutrally as Ronnie continued. 'I put Lizzie in charge to specifically cover the marketing and meet with your team' he laughed again. 'I can't believe you're the same Edward she's been talking about for weeks on end.'
I felt myself blush with embarrassment; the realisation that my boss was also my boyfriend's father, hitting me with force. How had Edward failed to recognise my name despite the many emails that we had corresponded with his office?
Edward rubbed his face with his hands, eyes widening.
'I just can't believe this' he said with a hint of amazement. Ronnie patted his shoulder supportively as Edward looked at him, suddenly chuckling. 'You own a travel company now? Whatever happened to the real estate business?' Ronnie gave a small shrug of his shoulders, a hint of a smile on his lips. I turned to Edward.
'What about our emails? Did you not think it was strange that you were communicating with an Elizabeth Saunders, the same name as I?'
Edward looked sheepish. 'To be truthful, Sasha has been running the project and replying everything on my behalf. You know how busy I’ve been Lizzie, with the Middle East and Asia deals. This hotel has been the last of my worries.'
'But what about your names?' I asked looking from Ronnie to Edward. Ronnie Johnson and Edward Wainwright hardly indicated a legal father and son relationship.
'What do you mean?' Ronnie asked quizzically, looking towards Edward. Lowering his head, Edward let out a painful sigh, avoiding looking at either of us.
'I go solely by the name of Edward Wainwright now.'
'But son, your name is Wainwright-Johnson?' Ronnie said, clearly hurt, his voice barely audible. Edward shrugged slightly, looking vulnerable.
'Lizzie' Ronnie looked apologetically in my direction. 'Do you mind if I have a moment alone with Teddy. There's a few things that we need to discuss.' Wringing his hands nervously, he lowered his eyes towards the ground in contemplation.
I suddenly remembered why we were here in the first place. Ronnie had things to smooth over with his son. Standing up, I smiled at both men, seeing them in a new light; past the sorrow, shock and confusion that both of them wore expressions of.
Remembering Edward's words that he had been 'orphaned', I silently wondered if they'd be able to put aside their differences. Clearly there was a mountain of anguish and havoc unsolved between them.
'I'll leave you alone with your father for a while. We can speak after' I said kissing Edward on the cheek. Walking past Ronnie, I gently squeezed his arm supportively on my way out of the boardroom.
'Good luck' I whispered quietly.
THREE MONTHS LATER
The white marquee had been erected and stood magnificently proud within the villa grounds. Creeping ivy and white roses had been entwined within its structure to form delicate decoration. A large ice sculpture of two doves took pride of place at the entrance, surrounded by petals. The tables had been decorated with forest foliage, as silver branches housing imitation white butterflies sat alongside flower and candle centrepieces.
Edward and I walked admiringly past the display and into the terrace entrance to be greeted loudly by my twin nephews.
'Auntie Lizzie' Jacob and Freddy said in unison, running speedily towards me, arms outstretched for a hug. Both five year olds looked handsome in their cream pageboy suits and peach silk ties and waistcoats.
'Hello darlings, don’t you look grown up' I said encouragingly, watching both their faces grin with pride as I leaned down to hug them.
'Mum said we're not allowed to do anything other than sit still and if we get any dirt on our outfits then Grandma won’t bring us gifts back from her honeymoon' Freddy volunteered, indiscreetly staring at the small grass stain already on his trousers. Edward laughed beside me.
'Well I think you should take notice of your mother, boys. If an hour of sitting still means that you might get a bag of goodies, then I'd say that was a good trade off' Edward said, winking at the twins conspiratorially, before holding his hand up for a high five.
'Yeah, high five' both boys shouted, punching Edward's hand in a display of male solidarity and running off towards the garden. Edward grinned, watching them.
'Well let’s hope that means they'll still be in one piece by the time the blessing begins.' He reached for my hand and gently stroked my knuckles with his thumb.
Since the launch we had spent little time apart. Adjusting to the revelation hadn't been easy at first, especially with Edward's hesitation to let his father back into his life. However, the closer he had grown with Maddie, the easier it had become for him to understand the importance of family. Ronnie was now a permanent fixture within Edward's contact list. The change within the relationship had also ensured that Ronnie had gained a granddaughter, as well as his son.
Ronnie was noticeably happier with the arrangement; even the office atmosphere seemed to have changed into a place of positivity. The decision not to come to Spain to head up the Real Estate hadn't been a difficult one to make; Ronnie had answered it for me by retracting his offer, much to my relief. The reason being that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he ruined his son's chances at a successful relationship. Especially since much had changed in the past few weeks.
I turned towards Edward and, standing on tip toes, reached up to kiss him on the lips. I was so lucky to have found someone that made me feel happy on every level.
'What was that for?' Edward asked, a hint of a smile on his lips as his eyes creased at the corners.
A sharp retort came from the landing above us as a door slammed, causing us both
to look up.
‘Goodness that sounded like Stella. I had better go up and see how they are getting on. Doesn’t sound like all is going to plan' I sighed, rolling my eyes and walking towards the stairs.
'OK babe, I’ll join Sampson, Miles and the others' Edward said with a slight squeeze of my hand. Breaking away from him, my heels clicked loudly against the marble as I ascended the staircase and walked towards my mother’s bedroom.
'You can’t wear it like that. It looks ridiculous' I heard Stella hiss at my mother as I opened the door and entered the room.
My mother was standing in front of her large, oval floor length mirror. Her peach bridal shift dress pinned up awkwardly to reveal the tops of her thighs and her toned, slender knees.
'Lizzie thank goodness you’re here. Tell mum how ridiculous she looks with the dress pinned up that extra six inches. There’s really no need!' Stella exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air to show her frustration.
I stared at my mother, astounded. Aside from her dress, her hair had been wrapped into a loose chignon, complemented with tiny freshwater pearls. A simple pair of diamond earrings and minimal make-up completed her look. She looked beautiful; a truly stunning bride.
'Mum you look exquisite' I said, eyes filling with tears as I walked towards her and kissed her gently on her cheek.
'Thank you my darling' she said wiping my eyes tenderly and smiling at me with heartfelt understanding.
'Oh, I don’t believe this.' Stella shook her head in frustration, crossing her arms and nodded towards the dress, waiting for me to comment.
Backing away from my mother, I studied her dress. The simple, well measured design hung perfectly against her figure. I knew it had cost a small fortune, despite its plain appearance. Yet Stella had a valid argument. The shortened length looked ridiculous, especially for a marriage blessing.
'I think I have to agree. The dress looked better in the dress rehearsal when you had it at the original length, just above your knee' I said, nodding my head in agreement with Stella.
'Oh don’t you start as well Lizzie' she said annoyed, looking to Jemima for support. Jemima remained quiet, sitting on the bed watching, yet wisely not engaging in the discussion.
'I’m fifty years old and I've spent the last three months doing combined Zumba and Ceroc classes in order to shape these thighs. Ask Jemima. I want to show the bloody things off on my big day. Is that too much to ask?' Irritated she waved at us dismissively, moving closer to the mirror to consider her reflection carefully.
'Yes but we aren’t saying you don’t have good thighs, we are saying the dress looks better that little bit longer' I said tactfully, encouraging both Jemima and Stella with a furious nod of the head.
'They're only saying it because they want you to look your best' Jemima imputed kindly.
'Fine' my mother said defeated, indicating for one of us to unzip her. 'I’ll unpin the hem and wear it on the knee if that’s what’s going to get you three to stop nagging at me.'
Twenty five minutes later and with the hem back to its original length, my mother was finally ready. Standing beside her, Stella and I linked arms as Jemima poured four celebratory glasses of champagne. The only person missing was Mel. My mother had invited her to attend alongside the three of us as bridesmaids, but Mel had reluctantly declined. Still infectious with the novelty of their recent Asia travel, Hugo had surprised Mel with a romantic trip to Venice. Upon my return to the UK with Edward, I was certain to hear all about it.
Surrounded by my family, I felt a fresh wave of contentment descend upon me. What more could a woman ask for than to see her mother finally marry the man that she loved. Not to mention her sister happy with her husband and children, and her soon to be step-sister taking her first steps within the modelling world. Even more so, knowing that the man she was in love with herself, fitted perfectly within her life.
Rubbing my tiny pregnancy baby bump, I took the small measure of champagne Jemima had poured me and raised my glass alongside the others.
'To the girls' I toasted proudly, before carefully descending the staircase behind my mother, towards the gathering crowd of guests below.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
CHAPTER FORTY THREE
THREE MONTHS LATER