Page 74 of Kiss Me Ever After
Laughter announced Amber and Sonya’s return.
“Uh oh, sounds like they’ve been at the gin,” commented Alex, slugging his own beer, then swearing at the screen as one of the strikers missed an open goal.
I knew they’d been out for the day, but I didn’t know where they’d gone.
They barrelled into the living room. Amber dumped several shopping bags on the floor before sitting next to me on the sofa, and Sonya dropped into the other big armchair.
“Could you believe that woman on the train? Non-stop talking in the quiet carriage!” chattered Amber.
“I almost said something before she got off. It was constant!” agreed Sonya.
“Talking of chatting, we’re watching telly,” said Alex, pointedly.
“You’re watching twenty two men kick a ball around a field, it’s hardly Agatha Christie, is it?” Sonya reached over for the remote, but Alex slapped her hand away.
“Oi, stop it. Although it is a mystery what’s happened to our defence,” he said, then sighed. “Never mind, there’s only five minutes left. I’m sure you can find an episode of Love Island instead.” He stood up and tossed the remote towards his mother. “I’m going to bed.”
“And I thought we could have some family time together.” Sonya looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. “We can tell you all about our trip to London.”
London.
Did that mean they’d seen Lennon?
I glanced over at Amber, who seemed to be engrossed in her phone. Instantly, I knew they had seen her. Desperate to find out how she was, I willed Sonya to follow Alex out of the room so I could ask Amber outright.
“You couldn’t get your old mum a drink, could you, Alex?” Sonya called after him. “G&T would be nice…”
“I bet the three you had on the train were nice too. Honestly, Mum, if I didn’t love you…” His voice trailed off as he headed towards the kitchen.
“I think I’ll get an early night too.” Amber got up. “Don’t know what it is about sitting on a train that makes me so tired. Plus I want to talk to Curtis before I go to sleep. He’s going to love his present.” She pulled out a Harrods teddy bear from her bag and waggled it at me.
My heart contracted at her words. I could have had that, talking to Lennon before I went to sleep. If everything hadn’t have got so fucked up. I drained the rest of my beer, suddenly more awake than ever.
“Night, love. It was a good day, wasn’t it?” Sonya blew her a kiss as she left.
While we waited for Alex to come back, Sonya switched the TV on to the news channel where they were talking about the latest bad weather to hit the Highlands. Neither of us spoke, eyes fixed on the screen. Eventually, he came back with a drink for his Mum and another can of beer for me, which he threw straight into my lap.
“Thought you might need it if you’re going to stay up chatting with Mum.” He grinned. “See you in the morning,” he called over his shoulder as he left the room.
As if sensing I wanted to talk, Sonya said, “She’s doing fine, Justin, absolutely fine.”
I swung my head towards her. “How did you…?”
Sonya shrugged. “Amber wasn’t going to tell you anything. She promised Lennon she wouldn’t. I, on the other hand, had no such restrictions placed on me. She looked well, if a little tired. I think she’s been working and studying too hard.” She took a long gulp of her gin, then turned to me, a serious expression on her face. “Justin, it’s been great having you here and I know it’s been rough for you since Lennon’s left, but don’t you think you need a more permanent arrangement now? Particularly with Candace to think about.”
“Sonya, I really appreciate you letting me stay here.” I swirled my beer around in the can. “It will be difficult to go home. I’ve been away such a long time, almost the whole summer.”
“I know how you ended up here in the first place. What that man did to you was out of order, but surely your mum must know what’s going on.” Sonya folded her arms across her chest. “Things might have changed by now, given the amount of time you haven’t been there.”
Knowing Ted the way I did, I doubted that very much. I’d avoided all the places I knew he hung out and deliberately hadn’t looked for him. Sonya had a point about my mum, though. We’d been in touch via message and the occasional call, but she’d never asked when I was coming home.
“I’ve tried to talk to Candace about moving into her place, but she always blanks the question. Surely she’d want me to be there in case anything happened to her before the baby’s born?”
“Sounds like a great idea.” She reached across and touched my knee. “And I don’t want to be the bad guy here, but if that doesn’t work out you really should think about going home.” Sonya yawned. “I think Amber may have been right about the travelling. I’ll see you in the morning.” She left the room, leaving me alone with all my fractured thoughts.
* * *
After another less thanrestful night’s sleep, I woke up in the morning determined to put everything right. Well, everything in Ealynn Sands anyway. There didn’t appear to be much I could do about Lennon and London right now. Sonya’s suggestion I move back home was at the forefront of my mind. If I told Mum about Candace, she’d definitely have some ideas what to do for the best. As I packed my stuff into my bags, a steely resolve settled over me.
