Page 63 of Lilly
“Nothing, it’s fine. Taylor, this is Elaine, Lucas’ mum. Elaine, this is Taylor, my practically naked flat mate. Please ignore him; he’s trying to sleep off his hangover.” Taylor gives me a scowl and disappears back inside. Elaine doesn’t look away quick enough and I catch her checking out his backside. I smile and raise an eyebrow ather.
“What?” she asks innocently. “Don’t tell me you haven’t,” she adds with alaugh.
I make a non-committal noise in response, because she’s not wrong, Taylor does have a good body. I think if he hadn’t decided to be a photographer, he would have been just as good the other side of thecamera.
Elaine shakes her head before looking serious. “I’m so sorry to just turn up like this, but I thought…well, I don’t know what I thought,but…”
“It’s okay, Elaine. Shall we go and get a coffee?” Iask.
Thankfully, when we get to the car park, she offers to drive. I slide into her brand new Mercedes, grateful that she isn’t doing the same with my rustbucket.
Once we’ve got drinks and found a table, Elaine starts talking. I mean, it’s pretty obvious why she’s here, but I did presume she knew more than she obviouslydoes.
“What’s happened, Lilly? No one can get hold of Lucas. We have no idea where he is. We’ve called all our hotels but no one has seen him. He’s not at his house. Sylvie hasn’t seen sight nor sound of him. We’ve been so worried after what happened the other night, and then Christopher found out you’d handed your notice in with immediate effect, and I just didn’t know what tothink.”
I let out a huge breath before I just go for it. “I’m pregnant, Elaine. That’s why I passed out. I had no idea, I didn’t even think I could have kids, but apparently, a miracle happened. I haven’t seen Lucas since we got a taxi back from the hospital. I left him outside having a cigarette.” I don’t miss the way she curls her lip in disgust at that. “I’ve not seen or heard from him since. Apart from a large deposit of money into my bank account that I’m not too happyabout.”
“Oh my goodness, congratulations, Lilly,” she says, her eyes shining with tears. “I’m going to be agrandmother?”
I nod at her question and grab her hand that’s resting on the table. “It’s twins,” I admit. Her chin drops open in shock at the same time a tear drops from hereye.
“Oh, I never thought I’d ever be a grandmother,” she says, sniffling as she rummages around in her bag for a tissue. “I’m sorry,” she says, “I just didn’t see thiscoming.”
“It’s okay. Trust me, I know it’s ashock.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” she says looking completely blindsided. “It would explain Lucas’ disappearance, though. How much has he told you about hispast?”
“Not a lot. I know you and Christopher adopted him and that his life before was awful. He told me he lived in London for a while, but that it wasn’t a good time in his life. That’s about it,really.”
“That’s more than I expected. He’s been really trying to let you in, Lilly.” I know she’s right; I could see him trying and fighting the urge to keep everythinghidden.
“I won’t break his trust in me by telling you everything. I probably already said too much that day on the phone. Lucas is right—he had an awful childhood and because of that, he always swore he never wanted a family of his own. He’s always had a fear that he would end up like his mum and he would never want to submit anyone to that kind of life. I can only imagine what’s going on in his head rightnow.”
I let that information sink in before saying anything. None of it’s a surprise; it’s pretty much what I expected, but to hear it said aloud hits me deep. “So you haven’t heard anything fromhim?”
“No, nothing. I’ve been ringing every day. I wanted to know you werealright.”
We chat for a long time. She gives a little more information about Lucas, but nothing that I hadn’t already guessed, before she tells me about how her and Christopher could never conceive which is why they jumped at the chance of adopting Lucas went they foundhim.
By the time there’s a break in our conversation, I realise that I’m late for dinner at my parents’. Elaine drives me back to the flat so a can jump in my car and head over there. Before I leave, she gives me a huge hug and hands me a business card with her contact deals on, telling me she wants to be involved as much as I would like her to be. She also promises to be in touch if she hears anything from Lucas, and I promise to do the same. When we part, there are tears filling oureyes.
I sit in my car for a few minutes as I try to pull myself back together enough to face all my family. I realise I’m going to have to put off telling my parents until later, because I can’t face doing in front ofeveryone.
“Lilly, there you are,” my mum says as I walk into their packed diningroom.
Everyone is here today, so Mum has had to add a fold away table to the end of our usual dining table and dragged in some of the garden chairs for everyone to sit on. All eyes turn to me at Mum’s words, and I swallow down the sudden rush of emotion that being surrounded by my family bringson.
I walk towards my empty seat, pausing on the way to give Lois a kiss on the cheek. She gives me a smile and starts shouting, “Li Li,” at the top of hervoice.
“Are you okay? You look tired,” Mum whispers to me when I take my seat next toher.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I say, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “I’m starving,” I add to try to distract her. I’m not lying though—the smell had my stomach rumbling the second I walked in thehouse.
“Lilly, do you want wine?” Dad asks when he gets to myglass.
“No thank you, I went out with Taylor last night and had plenty,” I say, in the hope it will be enough to stop them questioning myrefusal.
“Emma?” heasks.
