Page 57 of Wish You Once More
I scrambled out from under the covers, grabbing the first item of clothing I could lay my hands on and dashed out into the living area. Mat sat on the sofa; his eyes focused on his laptop screen. I could see a train booking site open.
“Hey.”
Mat’s head jerked around to see me. “Morning.”
“Looks like you’ve been busy.” I stepped across the room and settled myself in his lap, the hem of the t-shirt I’d picked riding up my thighs.
His fingertip grazed my skin, almost as if it were a distraction. Something to take his mind off whatever he’d been organising. “Our train leaves at nine twenty five.”
I glanced up at the huge clock on the wall in the kitchen. It gave us a little under two hours to pack and get to the station. “I already had a return ticket.” It seemed a little redundant to say it.
“But I bet it wasn’t in First Class.” A tiny smile played at the corner of his mouth. “So at least you can travel back in comfort. Although, wait. If you got a return did that mean you didn’t think we’d work things out?”
I drew in my bottom lip. “I didn’t know how you’d react. I had to have a contingency plan.”
His face fell.
“If it’s any consolation, it was an open return, so I wouldn’t have to have gone home for a month.”
“Home.” Mat breathed the word, his tone tinged with sadness. “I’m not sure I know where home is now.” His chocolate brown eyes bored into mine. “I might have one idea though.” He tipped me backwards and met my lips with a tender kiss. “Come on, we need to get ready.” Without ceremony, he dumped me on the sofa and went back into his bedroom.
Waiting until I heard the shower running, I got my phone from my bag and messaged Callie.
Bree: I’m coming home today. Should be back sometime this afternoon xx
Not expecting a reply, I was surprised when she replied almost immediately.
Callie: Shit, sorry, Bree. Things not go to plan? I can have wine ready… xx
Bree: Mat’s coming back with me.
Callie didn’t reply, but my phone burst into life as she called me instead. “What the actual fuck?” she exclaimed.
“Good morning, sunshine.” I laughed.
“What do you mean Mat’s coming back with you.”
“I thought it was pretty clear in my message.”
“But why? If anything I thought you’d stay there with him if all went to plan. What happened?”
Briefly I filled her in on the events of the past twenty-four hours. Her excited squeal, when I told her Mat and I looked like we were back together, was high-pitched enough to be heard by dogs.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry to hear about his dad.” Her tone returned to a more sombre level as I broke the news about Oliver Redmond. “That’s awful. He’s coming back for the funeral then?”
“We don’t know any of the details yet. Plus he’s got to patch up his relationship with Jonny first. Can you imagine how dreadful it would be if they haven’t sorted things out by the time they bury their dad?” I gripped the phone tightly. My next call had to be to Melinda, and I didn’t know if I was ready for that.
“Let me know if you need anything?”
“If you could maybe make sure there’s clean bed linen on my bed, I’d be eternally grateful. I’ll even do your laundry for a week or cook dinner?”
“Done! Don’t be silly, you don’t owe me anything in return.”
“Thanks, Callie. We’ll see you tonight.” I hung up on her and then cocked my head, listening to make sure Mat was still in the shower. I didn’t want him to overhear my conversation with Melinda. Sucking in a deep breath, I found Melinda’s number and called. Given the time of day, I suspected a four-year-old would be taking up one hundred percent of her attention, but she answered straight away.
“Bree, how are you?” she breathed. “And how’s Mat?”
“He’s in the shower. We’re coming back today.” I decided to keep to the facts, I didn’t want to do too much with the feelings, because honestly, I didn’t know how Mat felt this morning.
