Page 74 of An Island Promise

He pushed his glasses further up his nose and put his plate on the coffee table. ‘I know you’re watching me.’ He turned to her with a grin.

‘It’s ’cos you’re so handsome.’ They’d been together since they were nineteen and, whatever life had in store for them,she couldn’t imagine growing old with anyone else. ‘I’ve been thinking about next year.’ Laurie pulled the blanket up around them and took his hand. ‘Not a New Year’s resolution as such but I keep thinking about doing something drastic. Starting off as I mean to go on by, er, handing my notice in…’

‘Yes.’ His grip on her hand tightened as he nodded. ‘You should absolutely do that, Laurie.’

She leaned back, completely taken aback by his serious expression and unquestioning support. ‘I thought you’d suggest I wait and see how the third IVF goes before making such a big decision.’

‘You’re miserable at work and have been the whole time. I’m not sure sticking it out and hating it while going through treatment is beneficial.’ He lifted her chin and kissed her. ‘So yes, do it. First day back at work in January. Then start looking for something you love.’

‘I’ve already dropped my CV off at a bookshop.’ She shrugged. ‘It was on a whim; saw the advert and thought, what do I have to lose.’

Outside, the wind swirled, whistling down into the wood burner and knocking the overhanging tree branches against the roof. Laurie shifted closer to Ade, so familiar and comforting, the smell of fried bacon mixing with his musky cologne.

‘I’ve also got some news.’ He put his arm around her. ‘Now seems like the perfect time to share it. From March I’ll have a choice of changing my contract to predominately homeworking. I’d only have to be in the office once a month or so, which means…’

‘We could move out of Manchester,’ Laurie said breathlessly.

‘I know you constantly look at houses on Rightmove.’ The knowing look he gave her was adorable. ‘I’ve had a look too and there’s a house in New Mills I think we should look at. ThePeak District on the doorstep, and still commuting distance from Manchester.’

Laurie threw her arms round him. If she’d felt content out on the deck earlier, the feeling was amplified now. She’d never loved him more than she did in that moment. He’d understood her struggles and seen the sacrifices she’d made to support him and now he was helping her with her own dreams, whether that was a new job somewhere she’d be happy or a move away from the city. There was still so much uncertainty but there was also the potential of an exciting new start that could be actively planned and not just hoped for.

Ade held her tight. ‘I think we need to live for the here and now, not what may or may not happen in the future. All I care about is us being happy.’

With tears in her eyes, Laurie kissed him. ‘I want us to be happy too. It’s all that matters.’

July, One Year Later – Gem

Gem had never been more nervous than on the drive to Maria and Juan’s house. Jack was going to meet Diego and his new extended family for the first time. She was so grateful that Belle and Caleb were coming with her and that she had their support. Jack and Diego had video called each other a couple of times and had bonded over football and Diego’s promise that he’d teach Jack to play the guitar. Her nervousness was less about Jack and Diego but about how the rest of his family would react.

Belle had told Gem all about being witness to Diego telling Maria that he was a father and that she had a nine-year-old grandchild she hadn’t yet met. After her initial shock had wornoff, she’d berated him for having had unprotected sex – which left Diego red-faced and his brothers and Caleb sniggering like teenagers – then pulled him into a crushing hug. Gem liked the sound of Maria enormously and from everything Belle had said, she couldn’t have hoped for a better family for Jack. This still didn’t take away her nerves.

With Caleb and Belle leading the way, Jack took everything in his stride as they entered the terraced garden at the back of the house. They were greeted by adults chatting, music playing and children running around. The delicious smells of cooking food wafted into the summer air. There was no time to feel nervous as brothers and wives were introduced, drinks were placed in their hands and they were enveloped into the beating heart of the family.

Gem couldn’t have been prouder of the way Jack had handled her and Dan’s breakup and the news about his biological father. That initial conversation with Dan had been the most stressful of her life, but the one that had followed with Jack, with Dan by her side, had been a revelation.

‘Two families means two lots of presents on birthdays and Christmas, right?’ Jack had shrugged. ‘I can live with that.’ Trust him to have seen the silver lining of having two dads and a complicated family set-up. Of course it hadn’t all been plain sailing. His true emotions and underlying confusion rose to the surface at times, particularly when he was tired or something else troubled him. But Gem had quickly realised that honesty was the best way forward. Burying truths and emotions had done no one any good, least of all her.

As Belle had predicted, Dan had led the way, once again stepping up like he had when Gem had first told him she’d been pregnant with Jack. His openness, acceptance and understanding made her question why on earth they hadn’t worked out. But sitting on Maria’s terrace under the Ibizansummer sun, she knew the truth. She’d never loved Dan the way she loved Diego. She was still getting to know Diego, a process they were both navigating and trying to figure out. Their feelings weren’t one sided, he’d said as much, but they weren’t straightforward either.

Gem’s fears during the drive over were unfounded because the Torres Corchado family were as wonderful as Belle had said. They were big-hearted, open and so incredibly loving. They’d kept Caleb close when they’d lost their daughter and had accepted Belle when she and Caleb had got together. Gem swallowed back tears but realised she was fighting a losing battle with her emotions because this was a hell of a wonderfully emotional day. The only thing that would have made it better was if Laurie could have been here too, but she was a day away from the end of her two-week wait and her third round of IVF. Although with Belle having made a permanent move to the White Isle, and with Gem’s own connection to the island and Diego, there would be many more chances for them to all be here together again.

The mouth-watering smells from the meat roasting on the barbecue drifted into the air. Gem chose a spot away from everyone to sit and have a quiet moment. Jack was chatting and laughing with Diego’s eldest niece and nephew. His cousins. The thought swooped in, battering her heart in the best possible way. He hadn’t lost a family but had gained an extra one. Dan was still his dad but Diego was too, and he’d brought extra cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, a new culture and love into his life. Shit, it was only a matter of time before she completely lost a grip on her emotions.

Gem switched her attention to Belle and Caleb and the effortless way they had with each other with gentle touches and the looks of love that would make even the most cynical heart melt. Although they were perfect together, her initial thoughthad been he was too good to be true. She’d been doubtful that they’d last the summer because while Caleb was navigating love after loss, the thought had crossed her mind that Caleb was purely Belle’s replacement for Diego. She was glad to have been proved wrong. Their love ran deep and seeing them together highlighted what perfect partners they were, their love more than just physical. They worked closely together and supported each other unconditionally. It was the kind of relationship Gem could only dream of. Yet she felt lucky and actually happier on her own. Independent yet still supported by her family, her friends and by Dan who she had a renewed respect for. And Diego. Diego was the love of her life. But her life was in England, his on Ibiza. While the children were young, she couldn’t disrupt their lives or take either of them away from Dan, but there was hope and possibility and freedom, and she was more than okay with that. When she was with Diego, everything made sense; the sex was incredible but also they had a solid friendship and understanding, plus a bond through Jack that would always pull them back together again.

Belle heading towards her holding out her phone turned Gem’s attention away from her thoughts.

‘It’s Laurie.’ Belle sat next to her on the stone wall and put her on speakerphone.

‘I did the test a day early.’ Laurie’s gentle voice was overpowered by the chatter and commotion from the terrace so they had to concentrate to hear her. ‘I couldn’t bear the wait any longer.’

‘And?’ Gem prompted, leaning closer.

‘I’m pregnant.’

It took a moment for her words to sink in before Gem and Belle turned to each other. Their squeals drowned out Laurie’s own laughter.

‘Honestly, this isthebest day,’ Gem said, trying desperately to hold it together because she was on the verge of sobbing happy tears. ‘You’re pregnant. Jack’s cool about meeting Diego and the rest of his new family. I’m happy, you’re happy, and Belle’s unbelievably happy and loved up.’

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