by Holly Martin
Skye laughed. ‘Well, I’m definitely not pregnant. We can put that rumour to bed. Just tired.’
Noah and Angel came over then so the conversation quickly came to a stop. She watched Jesse disappear inside the kitchen, hoping he hadn’t heard what they’d just been talking about.
‘Thank you to whoever it was that lent Jesse a jacket and tie yesterday for his interview,’ Skye said.
Angel shrugged. ‘No big deal. That jacket was very lucky for me. I was wearing it when I kissed Clover for the first time, so hopefully some of that luck rubbed off on Jesse.’
Clover smiled and Angel kissed her on the cheek as he sat down next to her.
‘Although from what I’ve heard Jesse didn’t need the luck,’ Noah said. ‘Aria said he shined.’
‘He did,’ Aria said and Skye looked around for Jesse, hoping he could hear this, but he’d still not reappeared. ‘We just need to get him over here now.’
‘It shouldn’t be too much of a problem,’ Noah said. ‘My company is on the government’s official list of sponsors because I was moving people between my hotels around the world all the time. If we are offering him a full-time job, which we are, it becomes a little bit trickier as we have to prove that we advertised it and interviewed people in the UK too, which we did, so it’s not like we just handed him the job instead of giving it to a UK citizen. He got the job fair and square.’
Jesse came out the kitchen carrying two plates of what looked like that amazing bruschetta he’d made the day before.
‘I have to say though, the easiest way to get Jesse a pass to stay here is to marry him,’ Noah said, giving Skye a wink, just as Jesse arrived at the table.
That was the last thing Skye wanted. She had been married twice in her life and neither times were out of love. She had no intention of getting married again unless Jesse loved her. It was going to be a marriage of unequivocal love, not convenience.
‘Ooh bruschetta, you guys need to try this, it’s amazing,’ Skye said, taking one of the plates and firmly closing down that subject. ‘Right, let’s talk about the parade.’
They all started talking as they ate and Jesse sat down at the table too. But Skye’s heart felt a little heavy. She wasn’t sure marriage would ever happen.
After the café had closed after the lunchtime rush, Skye was on her way to the village to talk to Seamus more about the parade when she saw Sylvia rushing towards her through the hotel gardens, dragging Snowflake along with her.
‘Oh Skye, I’m so glad I’ve found you here, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to trawl the whole island for you.’
‘Is everything OK?’ Skye said.
‘Yes, well, not really. I have something important I need to tell Jesse, well I suppose two somethings actually, but one is more important than the other. Although I guess I should explain the other first so you’ll understand how I come to know the important thing.’
This wasn’t like Sylvia; she was normally so laid-back and blasé about everything.
Skye put her hand on the older woman’s arm. ‘What’s wrong? Whatever it is we can sort it out.’
Sylvia twisted her hands, as she looked around. ‘Why don’t me and you go for a little walk on the beach.’
‘Oh sure,’ Skye said. The list of things she had to do for the parade would have to wait. ‘Let’s go down to Emerald Cove, it’s quieter down there.’
They left the café behind them and went down the steps to the tiny cove. Sylvia let Snowflake off the lead and the dog went tearing across the beach, chasing all the birds.
Sylvia was quiet for a while but then she spoke. ‘I suppose I need to start at the beginning. I have three children from my first marriage, Matilda, Philip and Christopher. We were all so close when they were growing up. Matilda was such a lovely happy girl.’
Skye walked by her side, watching Snowflake charging up and down the beach. She had no idea where this was going.
‘When she was in her early twenties we had the most awful falling-out. She was getting married and I refused to go.’
‘Why?’
‘Because the man she was marrying, Robert, was utterly horrible and I knew it was a mistake. Matilda couldn’t see it, she adored him, but the man was vile and he gave me the creeps. I told Matilda all this but she didn’t believe me and the only way I could show how strongly I was against their marriage was by boycotting the wedding completely – which as you can imagine caused a big rift between us. We didn’t speak again for over twenty years. I tried to reach out to her after the wedding but she shut me out completely. They moved house and I had no idea where they went. She completely vanished. I had no idea if she was even alive.’
‘That’s awful,’ Skye said.
‘It turned out she was in an abusive relationship. They had two children: a daughter, Virginia, and a son called Joshua. I’ve never met either of them. They were born here in the UK very early into the marriage and then Robert moved them all to Canada simply to get Matilda away from everyone she knew. He cut her off from all family and friends so she had no escape. She stayed with him for twenty years before she finally got away. The children evidently grew up in a toxic environment, I think they both ended up with a few too many bruises. Virginia, the eldest, ran away from home when she was seventeen and took her younger brother with her. Matilda hasn’t heard from her since. I think that was the turning point for Matilda. She’d always put up with the abuse because her confidence was shattered, but when she saw how damaging it was for Virginia and Joshua, so much so her own children ran away, she knew she needed to make the break too. She got away and came back to England where we met for the first time in over twenty years. She’s doing OK now; she had counselling and got married again to a lovely man. I made sure I went to that wedding.’
Skye was silent, waiting for more.
‘But I always wondered what happened to my grandchildren, Virginia and Joshua, and what they turned out like. Recently I found out what kind of person Virginia is and, well, I don’t like it. And I wonder if it was my fault. If I had done more to stop Matilda marrying Robert, maybe if I had done more to find Matilda after they had got married, I could have maybe rescued Matilda and my grandchildren from living in such an abusive environment. Maybe Virginia would have turned out differently.’
‘I don’t think you can blame yourself for any of this. Robert ruined all their lives, not you,’ Skye said.
Sylvia nodded, sadly. ‘I can’t change the past and although I couldn’t be there for Matilda or Virginia and Joshua, I can be there for Virginia’s daughter.’
‘She has a child too?’
Sylvia nodded but didn’t speak for the longest time. ‘Skye, Bea is my great-granddaughter.’
Chapter Twenty
‘What?’
Pennies started dropping into place. Skye knew Bea’s mum only as Ginny but of course that was likely to be short for Virginia.
‘Jesse’s ex-wife is Matilda’s daughter?’
‘Yes.’
Skye’s head was spinning. ‘But… How do you know this when you’ve never even met Virginia, let alone her daughter?’
‘I saw Bea running on the beach one day, this beach actually, and it was like stepping back in time. She is the spitting image of Matilda when she was that age. And I just knew, right then, I knew. I went over and chatted to her and she is such a warm and open child. It didn’t take a lot for her to start telling me about her parents, about Ginny leaving.’
‘Maybe it’s just a coincidence, the names being the same.’
Sylvia shook her head. ‘Bea has an uncle called Joshua, she met him a few times when she was little. She asked him about his parents as Ginny would never talk about them. He wouldn’t really talk about them either but Bea did find out her grandmother was called Matilda.’
Skye let out a heavy breath. There was no getting away from that.
‘Have you told Bea?’
‘No, and I would ask you not to do the same, not yet anyway. I just wanted to
get to know her, spend some time with her without her feeling weird because we’re related. If Ginny has told her about her negative relationship with her parents, I wonder if Bea would see me in the same light.’
‘I’m sure she wouldn’t, she’s a very savvy bright little girl. I’m sure she would judge you on the kind of person you are, not anything else. Does Jesse know?’
‘Well, I was hoping you could tell him for me, when the time is right.’
That was huge news to drop at Jesse’s feet.
‘I’m happy to tell him and I think he will be pleased to hear it. He’s always felt Bea has missed out on having an extended family because Ginny didn’t have any connection with hers and his parents walked out on him when he was young. It’s just been Jesse, Bea and Madison, his sister, for so long. This will be good for Bea and I’m sure Jesse will recognise that. He is a wonderful man, I’m sure you won’t have anything to worry about.’
Sylvia nodded as Snowflake came bounding back over to show off a big branch he’d found. ‘He is a good man, I thought that long before I knew he was Bea’s father. And you and he…?’
‘Well, that’s a complicated question I have no idea how to answer,’ Skye said, thinking about the last few days.
‘But you love him?’
‘Yes I do.’
‘And do you love Bea?’ Sylvia asked.
‘With all my heart,’ Skye said.
Sylvia nodded her approval. ‘The thing is, now is probably not the best time to tell him all this.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, that brings me on to the important thing I need you to tell him. The thing Jesse needs to know before all this, and before he accidentally finds out, is that Ginny is pregnant again.’
Skye stared at Sylvia in surprise; she hadn’t been expecting that. ‘What? How do you know?’
‘I stalk her Facebook. Don’t look at me like that. She’s my granddaughter and I like to check in with what she’s doing from time to time. Not always, not every day or every week, just now and again. And the girl is hardly private, she makes it very easy for me to creep on her occasionally. I was talking to Bea about her yesterday and I hadn’t looked at her profile for a while, so I had a quick look last night and that’s when I saw it.’
How was it fair that a woman who hated children and didn’t want any could be pregnant with her second child when Skye would probably never have one?
Sylvia stopped and dug out her phone. ‘I’ll show you.’
‘You don’t need to do that, I believe you.’ Skye didn’t exactly want to see Ginny again, the woman who had ruined Jesse so spectacularly he hadn’t been able to move on since.
‘I think you need to see it,’ Sylvia said, swiping across her screen a few times and then turning the phone round.
Skye steeled herself and there was Ginny, presumably with the man she’d left Jesse for. There were several photos of her and her oversized bump and in every single one she looked gloriously happy. Ginny was practically glowing as she lovingly held her belly.
Jesse was going to be crushed by this.
The post that came with the photos was even worse.
We are delighted to announce we are pregnant with our first child. I’m so excited and I cannot wait to welcome this little one into the world.
This wasn’t good at all.
Skye walked into the kitchen at Cones in the Cove and saw Jesse was in there tapping away on the laptop. As she opened the door he turned to see her and smiled, taking her into his arms and kissing her on the forehead.
‘How are you feeling today?’
‘Oh fine,’ Skye said. She was still bone-tired but she didn’t need to worry him. ‘Listen, I need to talk to you about something.’
His brow creased in concern. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘Yes, let’s go out here for a moment,’ Skye gestured to the main café area. She pushed the door open and walked over to one of the booths overlooking Emerald Cove. Jesse sat opposite her looking worried. She reached out and took his hand. ‘Look, I have something I need to tell you, don’t ask me how I know because that’s a whole other complicated bombshell to deal with although definitely a good one, but it can certainly wait until another time.’ Skye shook her head, almost smiling to herself. Now she sounded like Sylvia. Finding out that Sylvia was Bea’s great-grandmother was really pretty amazing, but it would just complicate things to tell Jesse about it now.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Ginny’s pregnant.’
Jesse stared at her for a moment and then exhaled a long heavy breath. ‘OK. Wow, I pity that poor kid, growing up unwanted and unloved.’
He took his hand from hers and folded his arms, looking out over the sea, and in that moment she felt he was distancing himself from her. She didn’t want to be one of those couples who withdrew from each other when the going got tough. She wanted to be able to be there for him through his bad times and for him to support her through hers. When she had miscarried her first baby, there had been no support from Oliver, just anger and blame at a time when a real man would have held her and cried with her. She wanted to hold Jesse now, to be with him, but he didn’t exactly look receptive to that. It was obvious he was a million miles away from here. She left her hand outstretched across the table for a moment but he didn’t return his hand to hers.
‘Are you OK?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah.’
He quite clearly wasn’t and she had no idea whether to make it worse by showing him the photos or not. But she didn’t want him to find them on Facebook when he was by himself or, even worse, for Bea to find them. Forewarned was forearmed.
‘Jesse, Ginny is… very happy about it. She’s excited.’
He frowned. ‘What? How do you know all this?’
‘It’s on her Facebook.’
‘You’re stalking her Facebook?’
‘No, definitely not. Someone else showed me.’
‘Who?’
‘That doesn’t matter.’
His eyes widened. ‘Bea?’
‘No, she has no idea about this – well at least I don’t think she does. It wasn’t Bea.’
‘And Ginny… she’s posted that she’s happy about this?’
Skye bit her lip and nodded. ‘I have the photos if you want to see them.’
‘Why would I want to see them?’
‘I don’t know, so you’re aware.’
‘I have no interest in seeing that woman ever again.’
‘OK… I just thought…’
‘Why would I want to see photos of my ex-wife happy and excited about having a baby with another man, when she was never excited or happy about having my baby?’
‘I’m sorry Jesse, I know this has got to hurt.’
‘She hated being pregnant with Bea. She never shared it on Facebook, she didn’t post excited pictures of her and her bump. I wanted to shout about it to the world but she wanted to pretend it didn’t exist. And when she did start telling people, it was always “He got me pregnant” as if it was all my fault and she hated me for it.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘I thought when Bea was born she would bond with her, but Ginny barely wanted anything to do with her. As time went on I could see she resented me, resented the time we spent together, and most of all she resented Bea, this child that had bound us both together. She started spending more and more time away from home and it was almost a relief when she was gone.’
‘Why didn’t you leave her if it was that bad?’ Skye said.
‘Because I was scared she would try to get custody of Bea just to spite me. If it went to court, she would win, moms always do. I couldn’t lose Bea, and I couldn’t let her be raised by a woman who hated her, so, as she never brought it up, neither did I, we just survived. She wanted me to get a vasectomy, because she said she never wanted any more children, but what she clearly meant was she didn’t want any more children with me. Of course I didn’t. We stopped having sex after that and she decided t
o go elsewhere for it. And now she’s pregnant again and excited about it? What the hell did I do wrong?’
‘Maybe she wasn’t ready for marriage and a baby when you and Bea came along.’
‘Are you trying to excuse her?’ Jesse said, incredulously.
‘I’m trying to think of reasons, because it sure as hell wasn’t anything to do with you. You’re a wonderful man.’
He looked away over the sea, clearly not believing that for one minute.
‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you. I just thought it was better for you to know than to find out.’
Jesse shook his head, angrily.
Skye felt awful. Should she not have told him? But she’d had to tell him, if only for Bea’s sake. ‘I was also thinking about Bea and how it might be better to come from you than for her to find it on her own.’
Jesse swore.
‘Are you going to tell her?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe. I need to think.’
‘We can tell her together, if you want.’
‘No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
She sat back, surprised at how much that hurt. Jesse saw her reaction to it and swore again.
‘I’m sorry. I can’t do this.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘This.’ He pointed between the two of them and she felt that like a slap round the face. ‘I’m such an idiot. Why did I ever think I could make a success of this? I ruin everything.’ He sighed and shook his head. ‘Look, I need to go.’
He got up and without another word he walked out.
Skye stared out over the sea, feeling numb. Even after offering him the job, she’d still had a feeling that he would change his mind, that what she was offering him was not enough. Going through all the immigrational red tape to come here, moving house, leaving his home, changing schools for Bea, it was a lot of hoops to jump through if he didn’t actually love her. What kind of future did they have if he didn’t trust her to stand by him through the ups and downs, to tackle the pitfalls in life as a team? One bump in the road and he was back-pedalling already, withdrawing, pushing her away.