“Me?” This didn’t sound good. She must’ve traveled all the way from Hereford just for this. “Come on in. Cup of tea?”
“I’d love one, I’ve had quite the drive!” She followed him into the flat, leaving the CPO with a polite farewell. As soon as the door closed Jenny shouted, “Where’re my favorite grandtwins?”
“Nana!” Madeleine shouted and ran at a Jenny’s legs to hug them. “I’m going to be a bridesmaid!”
Tom bit his lip as he put the kettle on. From the hallway he could hear Alex’s voice, the words indistinct beneath the excited chatter of the children, but even though he couldn’t make out the words, he could discern the frost in the air. A minute or so later Alex joined him in the kitchen, leaving the twins and their grandmother to settle down in the sitting room.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Surprise visit,” Tom remarked under his breath. “To see me. Why?”
“If you want me to wade in and do the protective boyfriend bit, I will. Tactfully.” Alex kissed his cheek. Alex Hart is my protective boyfriend. “Jenny can’t make demands of you, but I’m not entirely sure that she’s come all this way to be unreasonable. She’s quite willing and able to do that over the phone.”
Tom raised an eyebrow. “Maybe she’s made a special visit just to throttle me? Okay, I’ll speak to her, but if I call you, will you come in?”
“You’ve known Jenny a long time and the two of you’ve always got on.” Alex put his arms around Tom’s waist and kissed him. “But if you need me, I’ll come in.”
Tom returned his kiss. “Can we use your study?”
“This is your home too. You don’t have to ask.”
“Thanks, Alex.” Tom glanced toward the hallway where the twins were chattering to Jenny. “I’m scared, you know. Going into enemy territory, I was at least trained and prepared. Had my men with me and—now it’s me and an unhappy Nan and I really don’t know how to deal with that.”
“Do you want me to talk to her instead?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll do it.” Tom patted Alex’s arm. He went into the hallway with a mug of tea for Jenny—made how she always took it. “So you want to have a word?”
She took the mug and nodded. “I didn’t drive for three hours for a cup of tea, Tom. You and I need to have a conversation.”
Tom led the way to Alex’s study. He pushed the door open, only then remembering that this wasn’t the best room for them to talk in, as it was easily the untidiest in the flat. Files and toys, thick reports and children’s books carpeted the floor and covered the desk and every chair. Tom cleared a space for Jenny on the sofa, and on the desk chair for himself, hoping it would grant him an air of authority even if he hadn’t brushed his hair yet. He took a round fluffy ball with googly eyes from Alex’s desk and gripped it.
“Alex says geniuses make a mess. I think that’s just an excuse, though!”
“Ah, that must be where Malcolm heard it.” She put her mug on the arm of the sofa and wrapped her fingers around it. He felt as though he were in a job interview. So much for authority. “So. Where does one begin, Tom? How is my son-in-law suddenly gay?”
“Jenny, it’s probably not for me to say, but people aren’t suddenly gay. Or bi. Or trans. Or…whatever.” Was that a big enough hint? “We love each other, and it’s changed from a supportive, fraternal sort of love to…well, romance.”
He saw her jaw tighten, the movement reflected in her fingers that gripped the mug. “He and Gill were devoted to one another. Next year would’ve been their twentieth anniversary. This is a lot for Malcolm and me to take in.” She took a quick sip of tea, as though to steady herself.
“I know Gill adored you, but… He nursed her when she was ill. The first time, when we all thought she’d beat it, and at the end. There was never a moment that Alex wasn’t a rock for us all, even after he became PM. It’s important that I know…truthfully. How long has this been going on? Did he go behind her back?”
Tom was silent for a moment. It felt as if Gill were in the room with them, her vital energy, her refusal to listen to stuff and nonsense. Her presence was so keen that Tom was sure he could’ve put his hand out and touched the woollen fabric of her skirt.
“Just over a week,” Tom finally answered. “That’s all. Alex didn’t—would never have gone behind her back. You know how devoted he was to her. Just as devoted as she was to him. He would never—it would never even have occurred to him to go behind her back. I know what people say about bi men, but it’s not true. Bisexual isn’t code for sex maniac.”
Jenny studied him, as though satisfying herself with the veracity of his words. Then she nodded and said, “I’ve been so afraid of Alex meeting someone new, Tom. Of course he should be happy and he deserves to be, but…what about Gill? The children were so young when she died, they won’t remember her and—” She took a tissue from her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes. “Everybody moving on like this. I’m terrified we’ll become just a necessary evil. A trip out to Hereford once a year just because you think you should.”
As she spoke, the sound of childish footsteps could be heard passing the study. They paused and Alastair said, “But we want to show Nana!”
“She’s talking,” Alex told him, their voices growing distant again. “Show Nana and Tom when they’ve had their chat.”
“You’d never be forgotten—the twins adore you, and so does Alex. And I see you more than I see my own father.” Tom rolled his chair a couple of inches nearer to the sofa. “We’ve known each other for four years, Jenny. And Gill became such a good friend of mine, I’ll never forget her. And I’d hate the twins never to know her. They love hearing stories about her, and seeing photos. She’s alive to them in a way I couldn’t ever explain.”
And now I’m going to cry.
“It’s funny, really. When the French fellow visited last year with that terribly glamorous First Lady and the press were saying, Oh, isn’t it time Alex met someone new? and obviously I didn’t know that he was—” She gestured helplessly, then leaned forward a little and patted Tom’s knee. “And I looked at Malcolm and I said to him, It’s a shame Tom’s not a woman, he’d be perfect for Alex. I did, you can ask him.”
Tom laughed, even as he brushed away a tear. “Well—your wish came true. Not exactly, but…”
“I can’t help but think that Gill would’ve been delighted by this,” Jenny admitted. “And the children love you, and children do tend to have a sixth sense, don’t they? When I said that Alex was there for us all, I should’ve said that he wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you. I suppose even a rock needs a rock sometimes.”
“Gill asked me to look after them all, and I have,” Tom said. “When I came here to work, it was just another job, but before I knew it—it wasn’t a job, it was a duty. And I was part of the family.” Tom rolled his chair forward again and stopped beside the sofa. He reached for Jenny’s hand. “Do you know, I was convinced that Alex would find a new woman and she’d throw me out on my ear! I’d’ve missed the twins and Alex so much. I suppose we’ve all been worrying about the same thing, haven’t we? Losing the ones we love.”
She dabbed her eyes again and smiled. “It seems as though we have. Welcome to the family, Tom, and thank you for keeping the twins smiling and Alex’s feet on the ground.”
He felt that presence again, as if Gill were in the room with them—no-nonsense, but happy.
“Hug?” Tom asked. It was a risk, he knew, but it was a risk worth taking. Jenny put her mug down and nodded.
“I think Gill would like that.”
“I think she would.” Tom wrapped his arms around Jenny, his chin on her shoulder. After a moment she returned the hug, patting his back very softly. And in some ways, this felt like a bigger win than the march yesterday. Jenny wasn’t easily swayed, he knew, just like her daughter.
“Thanks, Gill,” Tom said. There was a suspicious silence from outside, punctuated only by the sound of the twins laughing. Hi
s nannying instincts must have been more finely honed than ever, because often, silence meant mischief. More so when their father was with them.
Tom chuckled. “I think we better check on the twins…and their dad!”
They emerged from the office and made their way to the sitting room just in time to see Alex closing his laptop, the twins sitting one on either side of him. At the sound of their arrival he looked over his shoulder and said, “Mum and Dad have found Wi-Fi in Nepal. They’re at base camp or something, I’m not quite sure where exactly!”
“Have you…” Tom couldn’t think of the best word to use and described a circle with his hand. “Told them?”
Alex nodded, then asked, “And you two are…?”
“Thick as thieves,” Jenny told him with a wink. “So you’d better watch out!”
Tom draped his arm around Jenny’s shoulder. “Yeah, Nana and manny! There’ll be no mucking about on our watch.”
“Mum and Dad say hello.” Alex scooped the merry twins into his arms and stood. Alastair pressed the Madastair to his cheek and made a spirited smooching sound. “And congratulations. Jenny, you’re not driving back to Hereford tonight, surely? You’ll stay here, I hope?”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t sure I’d be invited. I was having a bit of a silly moment. I’m staying in Wimbledon with Auntie Di.”
“Not before dinner, you’re not,” he said. “In fact, not before you’ve helped put the terrible two to bed, I hope!”
“Will you read us a story, Nana? Tom does train noises,” Madeleine told her.
Alex settled the children on the sofa and clapped his hands. Then he crossed to the door and said, “And while you’re doing that, Jen, Tom and I can get supper ready. How does that sound?”
“It sounds very sensible,” Jenny smiled. “I’d love to.”
Once Jenny had taken the twins to their room, Tom said to Alex, “So Jenny is Tolex’s first dinner guest?”
“Unexpected but fitting.” Alex took his hand. “How did it go? Was she angry?”
“At one point I thought she was going to crack her mug, she was holding it so tightly!” Tom chuckled. “She was just worried we’d forget about her and forget about Gill. And that’s the last thing that’d ever happen.”
“It’s never going to.” Alex shook his head and held Tom’s hand that little bit tighter. “Mum and Dad were delighted, if a little surprised. Apparently they always thought you’d end up with someone as ridiculously good-looking as you, rather than a middle-aged dad.”
“You’re a babe, though.” Tom tweaked Alex’s cheek. “I’m glad, I really am. They’ll have to come over when they get back from Nepal. And I will make sure to tell them that their son is gorgeous and thousands of people across the country are madly jealous of me.”
As their lips met, the sound of Alex’s phone ringing sounded through the flat. He gave a resigned groan and asked, “Should we ignore it?”
Tom bumped his forehead against Alex’s. “I’d like to say yes, but I suspect I’ll have to say no.”
Alex sighed and murmured, “Wouldn’t it be something to have a job where the phone didn’t ring on a Sunday night? I’ll be as quick as I can, darling.”
Tom tapped Alex’s bottom. “Quick, march, Trooper!”
“Yes, sir.” He winked, throwing his hand up into a smart salute as he crossed the room and picked up his mobile. “Oh god, Mandy.”
At almost the same moment, Tom’s own mobile buzzed with an incoming message. Tom groaned as he took his phone out of his pocket. “What now?”
“She’s going to tear me off a strip for something, the only question is what?” He put the phone to his ear. “Mandy, hello!”
Tom looked at phone. It was Stuart.
Hey tbird. Soz about papers no hard feelings mate. Gotta make coin xxx
Tom inhaled, counting to ten in his head, then breathed out, counting to ten again.
Then he told himself, Calm. Be calm. Nice and calm. Don’t reply. Don’t, whatever you do, reply.
“You utter bastard, Stuart,” Tom said at the phone. “You utter, traitorous git.”
“I don’t think it’s for—” At Tom’s words, Alex turned to face him and mouthed, “What is it?”
“Stuart’s texted me,” Tom whispered. He held out his phone to show Alex.
“Just a minute, Mandy.” Alex pressed his phone to his chest and looked at Tom’s screen. His jaw grew tight the moment before he murmured, “He’s got some bloody nerve. Do you know what I’d do, but you don’t have to?”
“What’s that, chuck him in the Thames?” Tom was only half-joking.
“Block his number, let him get on with Big Brother or wherever the road takes him, and forget him.” Alex raised his eyebrow. “Mandy wants me to do the British Morning Show tomorrow. They want to talk about the marches and this Love Is Love thing. My instinct’s to say no, but after that…what do you think?”
Tom considered for a moment, then replied, “I think you should. You’re the first male PM to have a boyfriend he’s not shy of admitting to—that’s a big deal, and if people see you as a Love Is Love figurehead then, why not?”
“Do you think? I’m not rolling out our private life to the nation, but…” He looked thoughtful. “Pierce Cowell, though. He’s an odious little bugger, but it’d be nice to thank everyone that came out in support of not being odious little buggers, wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah—yeah, it would!” Tom hugged Alex. “It hit a nerve—there’s a lot of people rooting for you, and you’ve become a spokesman for people who didn’t have one before. That’s so important and so awesome.”
“An accidental spokesman.” Alex shrugged and put his arm around Tom, then returned the phone to his ear. “I’ll do it, Mandy. On a couple of conditions. First, Tom and I are off limits, we’re not up for public discussion. Second, I want a charity donation from the channel. Well, it might be unorthodox, but so is having the PM on to talk about impromptu street parties.” A few seconds passed before he grinned. “Wonderful, I’ll ask my office to pass on the charity— No, Tom won’t be on the sofa. Yeah, well, I’m sorry about it too, but— Mandy, text me the details and let me eat my supper. Okay, night.”
Tom clapped. “Excellent. This is going to be brilliant. You’re going to be brilliant. Can I come to the studio? I’ll lurk in your dressing room. This is your five-minute call, Mr. Hart!”
“They want you on camera. Apparently you’ve got box-office looks! I’d love you to come to the studio, but I didn’t think you’d fancy being on camera. It’s a seven o’clock call. Is that going to work with all things mini-Hart?”
“Box-office looks? Certainly not at seven in the morning!” Tom chuckled. “I’m not sure I’d want to go on telly in front of that many people live. Erm…seven o’clock isn’t great for getting them to preschool. It’s okay—I’ll stay here. It’s more important they’re washed, dressed and breakfasted and ferried off to lessons than it is me faffing about in a TV studio.”
“Isn’t that what grandmothers are for?” Jenny asked casually as she joined them. “Two children out like lights and no supper cooking. What time do you need me here? Alex? Tom?”
“Would you?” Tom clasped his hands, pleading. “It would be such a help, and they’d love to show their Nana to all their friends. I mean, not like show-and-tell, but you know what I mean!”
“I get up at the crack of dawn on the farm, it’d be a pleasure to help.” Jenny smiled. “But since my son-in-law’s the prime minister, is it too much to ask you to send a car to Di’s?”
Alex laughed. “Not at all. You’ll travel in luxury.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jenny seemed extremely pleased to be ferried off in a limo.
“I was worried, I’ll admit it.” Tom shrugged. “But all’s well that ends well. And you need to get a good sleep so you look dashing and fab on telly tomorrow morning.”
“Is that your way of telling me it’s bedtime?” Alex looked more relaxed
than he had in a long time, as though the final hurdle of telling the various parents had been all he needed to lift the last weight from his shoulders. “Did you block Stuart’s number in the end?”
“Yes, I did. And I enjoyed doing it!” Tom kissed Alex. “Your bed or mine?”
“Where do you fancy?”
“I don’t mind, as long as you’re in it!”
“Mine’s bigger.” Alex smiled, perhaps recalling that first night together. “Ours?”
“Ours.” Tom had already moved in anyway, having transferred half his bedside table to the one on his side of Alex’s bed. But he liked to ask him which bed he wanted to sleep in, as if they were dating and living in separate houses. “Would you like a back rub? Make you all nice and relaxed for tomorrow?”
“I’d love one.” He kissed Tom’s hand, chivalrous as ever. “Do I get to take my shirt off this time?”
“Yes, please. I even have some nice oil.” Tom grinned as they went into the bedroom. “I couldn’t help it—the bottle just leaped off the shelf into my shopping basket!”
Alex said nothing, but took Tom’s hands and guided them to his shirt, kissing him as he did. He teased his tongue against Tom’s, letting the kiss deepen. How he loved Alex’s kisses, so loving and heated, as elegant and assured as he was. As each button fell away, Tom stroked over Alex’s chest and stomach, feeling his muscles tense then relax under his touch. Then he broke from the kiss as an image came into his mind.
“Alex…would you wear a towel around your waist as I massage you?”
If that was a surprise, Alex did his best not to show it, but there was a look of affectionate amusement on his face when he said, “If that’s what you want, darling, of course I will.”
“I know how cheesy that sounds, but when I was rubbing your back before, I pictured you with a towel around you, and me…” Tom combed his hand through his hair, awkward. “Would you like me to keep dressed, or…?”
“When you pictured it, me in my towel…” Alex took Tom’s hand and returned it to his chest, holding over the spot where his heart pounded. “What were you wearing?”
The Captain and the Prime Minister Page 20