Page 53 of A Wedding at The Cornish Garden Café
When the tables were cleared of plates and glasses, and the sun’s fading warmth cast long shadows over the gardens, space was made for a dance floor. Fairy lights glowed in trees and around the pergolas, and candle flames flickered in jars on the tables.
Edith had located her wrap, and she slid it around her shoulders as she walked around, the sweet scent of honeysuckle heady in the air.
‘Hey.’ Wyatt had appeared at her elbow. His shirt collar was open, and she could see the hollow of his throat, the pulse that beat beneath the skin. She felt the urge to press her lips to his skin to breathe him in, to fall into his arms and ask for one more night with him when they could forget the past and just be together. ‘Walk with me?’ he asked, holding out his hand.
Edith nodded, her heart pounding as she took his hand and they walked around the gardens and up to the bench overlooking the bay. The time had come to hear what Wyatt had to say. Wyatt thought it was something terrible, but she couldn’t imagine what could be so bad that he’d never been able to share it with her before.
When they reached the bench, Wyatt sat down first and gestured for her to join him. She did, close but not quite touching. They were silent for a while, losing themselves in the horizon's beautypainted in pastels of blue and pink. Edith let herself admire it, allowing its vastness to anchor her even as a quiet apprehension settled in, bracing herself for whatever Wyatt was about to say.
Wyatt took a shaky breath then said, ‘I’ve rehearsed these words thousands of times over the years but never been able to find the right way to say them. I have failed to make them sound gentler than they are. Failed to find a way to explain that doesn’t make me look like some kind of ogre. But I’ve made peace with the fact that I need to tell you the truth, to explain why I’ve always been closed off, and I hope you will hear me out. I hope once I’ve told you that you won’t hate me, but I will understand if you do.’
Edith swallowed hard. This wasn’t easy to prepare for because she could only think that he’d either cheated on her or someone else or hurt someone. What else could be that bad?
But instead of allowing the anger to creep in, she reached for his hand and took it between both of hers. Whatever it was, she had nothing to lose now and at least she would finally have the chance to understand why Wyatt behaved the way he did.
The time had come for the truth, and she would hear him out with an open heart and mind. He deserved that much at least.
39
WYATT
‘When we first met, I was utterly gobsmacked. You were so beautiful inside and out — intelligent, driven, funny and witty. You made me laugh, and it was incredibly refreshing. Studying the same course at university meant that we had so much in common, and I felt like I’d found my perfect partner for life. But there was always something at the back of my mind telling me I wasn’t good enough for you.’ He frowned at the memory. It had been so hard to shake that feeling. ‘When we were in Bath, I could pretend that everything was fine and that I was a normal man with no terrible secrets in my past. But whenever I went back to America, it was a different matter.’
Edith’s gaze drifted over Wyatt’s face as she nodded slowly, a fine line settling between her brows.
‘See… You knew there were some issues with my mother, but I couldn’t explain why. When Dad was alive, I still had a certain amount of freedom, but after he passed away just after graduation, everything fell to me. Not having any siblings or… or anyone around to help with Mum was tough. I’m not askingfor pity here, just trying to explain as clearly as I can why things have been so hard.’
With a shaky breath, he cleared his throat, the tension vibrating in the air around him.
‘See… Mum is remarried now. Has been for the past five years… but after Dad died, she only had me. I felt responsible for her, and she needed me. Still does in a way, but?—’
Edith shook her head. ‘Wyatt… I don’t think I need to know this, really. Your mum needs you, so what’s changed? You have to be there for her, and therefore, I have no place in your life. I can’t keep reopening this wound. W-we had our chance, once again after being reunited, but you have other priorities, and I’m sorry, but I can’t be second best. Not anymore. Time is passing, and I want, Ineed, to be my partner’s priority. If I settle for less than that, where will that leave me? What if we had children and then your mum was still your priority? It wouldn’t work.’ Her throat tightened. ‘That’s if you’re even suggesting that because, for all I know, you don’t want me, just a chance to explain why things are as they are.’
Her eyes glistened, dark fathomless pools in the fading light. Wyatt’s chest throbbed with sadness and guilt. He had made her unhappy, and it devastated him.
‘Please… Let me keep going because I can’t bear for this to happen again. I need to tell you everything now, or I’ll lose my nerve. It was never about you, Edith; you were always everything.’ His voice cracked, so he coughed and then swallowed against the pain. ‘See… My mum always had some issues. When I was very young, she was quite… volatile. Dad was good at tempering that volatility, but then, one day, somethingterrible happened that sent her spiralling, and she has never forgiven me for it.’
‘What could you possibly have done to cause her to struggle like that?’ Edith’s eyes were glistening, and she was shaking her head in disbelief. ‘It’s not like you murdered someone.’
Wyatt moaned, and Edith’s eyes widened.
‘No! Not… not exactly,’ he blurted. ‘When I was six, I had a younger brother, Parker. He was two years younger than me.’
‘I never knew that,’ she whispered.
‘I never told you.’ Wyatt rubbed a hand over his heart as the ache intensified. ‘P-Parker was a sweet boy. He was gentle and kind, curious and sweet. We were in Brooklyn one day on the way to the park. It was sunny. A beautiful, sunny day. Mum went into a shop to buy cigarettes because she’d run out, and she told me to watch Parker.’
‘When you were six?’ Edith asked, frowning.
‘It was only for a few minutes.’
‘Butsix? You were a baby yourself.’
‘Yes, but… I don’t know, things seemed different back then. I was used to Mum and Dad not always being around and?—’
‘Not always around? Were you and your little brother left alone?’ Her incredulity was written all over her face.
‘Sometimes.’ He hung his head. ‘I don’t recall much of it. I mean, I was very young. But I remember waking one night because Parker was crying and Mum and Dad weren’t there. Parker had wet the bed, so I had to find him some clean pyjamas, and then he got into bed with me.’
