31 Days of Autumn

by Fallowfield, C. J.

  Ellie

  ‘Why are you getting up so damn early,’ Dan moaned, as I fought off his sexual advances in my struggle to get out of bed.

  ‘It’s his first day at school and mums at the school gate can be vicious, so I need to make sure I look presentable. Then I have to prepare breakfast, get Jonas and Eva ready for Mrs. McAdams to watch, get Oliver into his new uniform, and be ready for Jenny to take us.’

  ‘You’re doing a one hour journey down the mountain by car, when you could be there in less than ten minutes if you took the helicopter. That’s fifty minutes you could spend in bed with me,’ he coaxed.

  ‘I’m not having Oliver turn up on his first day in a helicopter, Dan,’ I replied, slapping his groping hands away. ‘I want the other mums to like me, and rubbing your wealth in their face, as well as setting up Oliver to be viewed differently, isn’t the way to go about it.’

  ‘Our wealth,’ he corrected, kissing my neck and making my resolve weaken by the second.

  ‘Please, this is a really big day. I want to make a good impression and for everyone to treat Oliver like any of the other four year olds. Plus, with not attending reception school, he’s already at a disadvantage as he doesn’t know anyone. We can have sex anytime, just not this morning.’

  ‘You say that, but we’ve still not had our boardroom fantasy from a few years ago,’ he sighed, letting me go. I twisted around and ran my fingers over his lips before kissing him softly.

  ‘Then we’ll make a date for the next time we’re in London, ok? God knows I’d love to spend the morning in bed with you, but today is Oliver’s big day.’

  ‘I knew having three kids would reduce our sex life,’ he grumbled between kisses.

  ‘Please, we still have it more often than any other couple I know. If you’re unhappy with the arrangement, I can always take them to London and leave you up here to stew on your own again.’

  ‘Don’t you dare,’ he growled, twisting his hand in my hair, kissing me so hard I saw stars. ‘You’re everything to me, Ellie, you and my children. I love each and every single one of you and I don’t want to change one damn thing about my life.’

  ‘And we love you just as much in return, but I still need to get up.’

  ‘Come on then, let’s go and shower and get ready. I’ll sort out Oliver and Jonas while you do Eva.’ His lust-fuelled green eyes closed for a moment as he let out a sigh of frustration.

  ‘I know you’re busy. I’ll sort them, you go and work,’ I replied, kissing him again.

  ‘If you think I’m not coming with you on Oliver’s first day, you don’t know me very well.’

  ‘I just assumed … I thought you’d need to be here for work,’ I uttered, totally surprised.

  ‘I promised that I’d do everything in my power to be the sort of father that would be there for all special occasions, and his first day of school counts as one. Come on, then. If I can’t have you before we go, I need breakfast,’ he advised as he leapt out of bed. I smiled as I watched him head into our en-suite, his pert backside flexing as he walked. He was amazing. I was so touched that he was coming with us on Oliver’s first day. He’d insisted on enrolling him at the only private school in Domartie, as it had smaller classes and more staff for personalised attention. It was also a bonus because we got to spend more time with Oliver, as they had different term dates to the state schools. Most children had started school a couple of weeks ago, but we'd been able to enjoy the rest of the summer with Oliver at home. Right now, though, those extra weeks still didn’t seem like enough. I wasn’t ready to let my little boy go.

  I stood at the kitchen island sipping my coffee as I watched them all eating breakfast. Oliver looked adorable in his grey uniform, white shirt, and navy tie and jumper. Dan had dressed Jonas in a pair of jeans with a long sleeve top and sat him on a chair next to his big brother, where they were both eating their cereal. Eva was in a red jumper with her little blue dungarees, getting frustrated that she had to sit in her high chair. She’d advanced so much faster than her brothers and always wanted to sit in a normal chair, like they did. She tried to copy them so often that we had to keep a close eye on her at all times. She absolutely adored Dan, she was a real Daddy’s girl, and I’d been surprised at how much attention he gave her, given he’d made it clear he was content with his two boys. Oliver was at the age where he was copying everything his dad did, wanting to sit with him up in his office and pretend to be on the phone, tapping the keys of the spare computer Dan had set up for him to play with. Jonas, I smiled as I looked at him, well Jonas was all about me. He ran everywhere, frequently bumping into or tripping over things, and when he did, it was me he wanted to comfort him. He suddenly looked up, his eyes searching for me, and broke into a grin when he saw me watching him. I blew him a kiss. God, he was the spitting image of my dad and really stood out as he was so blond. Eva still had a mop of Dan’s dark hair, but had all of my mum’s facial features, mine too as we looked so similar, whereas Oliver was all Dan. There was no mistaking him as Dan’s son.

  ‘Cuddles, Mummy,’ Jonas called.

  ‘Eat your cereal first please, then everyone gets cuddles.’

  ‘Me too?’ asked Dan with a twinkle in his eye as he glanced up at me.

  ‘You especially,’ I smiled. ‘You did a great job getting the boys ready this morning.’ I waved as I saw Jenny heading up. Oliver jumped off his seat and ran over to fling his arms around her legs as soon as she opened the front door.

  ‘Morning,’ she laughed. ‘Did someone miss me?’

  ‘He always misses you, Jenny. Coffee?’

  ‘No, I’m good thanks. Is it weird that I’m feeling nervous about his first day?’

  ‘Thank God it’s not just me. I’m close to tears already and Dan thinks I’m crazy.’

  ‘He’s only going to be gone for three quarters of the day,’ Dan reminded me with a roll of his eyes.

  ‘Half a day would be too long when I’ve had him with me for the last four and a bit years,’ I protested, quickly finishing my drink. Oliver dragged Jenny to his bedroom to show her his latest drawing while I packed his small school bag with a couple of drinks and a snack box with an apple, orange, and some yogurt-coated raisins. I looked down at my outfit and chewed my lip.

  ‘You look gorgeous. There’s no need to change again, Ellie,’ Dan called, sensing my thoughts. I’d showcased about four different outfits to him before finally choosing this one. I’d gone with a pair of black jeans, high heels, and an emerald cashmere sweater, leaving my long hair down. I’d even put on some makeup. I wanted to look smart, yet casual and effortless. ‘Besides, the mums will all be too busy looking at me to check you out,’ he winked. I laughed, he probably had a point.

  Twenty minutes later, the house was a hive of activity. Mrs. McAdams was in the playroom entertaining Jonas and Eva, Jenny was chasing Oliver around the dining table, and Andy had arrived and headed straight upstairs to see Dan. I frowned as I looked up at them on the mezzanine. I’d noticed them having a number of private discussions lately and I had a feeling something was going on that they didn’t want me to know about. I went to kiss Jonas and Eva goodbye and grabbed my bag, then called up to Dan that it was time.

  ‘Morning, Mrs. Davenport,’ nodded Andy as he joined me at the front door. I looked at him surprised. We had a connecting door from the security extension through to our utility room, so I wondered why he was standing here next to me.

  ‘Morning. What’s going on? Are you coming with us, too?’

  ‘I am,’ he confirmed.

  ‘Is that necessary? Dan’s coming and we’re only dropping Oliver at the school gates.’

  ‘No,’ called Dan from upstairs as I heard him walking around to the stairs. ‘We’re spending the day in Domartie. I’m taking you shopping and out for lunch, and we’ll pick up Oliver when we’re done. I’ve asked Jenny and Andy to come with us.’

  ‘Dan, I don’t want everyone looking at us. Two bodyguards is a bit much,’ I protested
, giving him my best pleading face as he jogged down the stairs.

  ‘They’ll stay at a discreet distance, but I’m not budging on the matter. Andy will drive, Jenny upfront and you, Oliver and I in the back. Ready?’

  ‘Yes, but I still think it’s overkill.’

  ‘I don’t. Ollie, come on, time to go,’ he called. Oliver raced over and Dan picked him up and kissed him, while Jenny grabbed his rucksack before joining us. I bit my tongue. I wasn’t going to argue with Dan in front of our staff, but he was hiding something from me.

  ‘I don’t want to go, Mummy,’ Oliver moaned as I undid his seat belt.

  ‘I know that it’s new and scary, but look, see how many other little boys and girls are here. They all feel the same, but think how many friends you’re going to make and all the fun you’ll have.’

  ‘I have fun at home. Why can’t Jonas come, too?’

  ‘Because he’s too young. Only big boys and girls get to come to school. I promise, it might seem scary now, but by the end of the day, you’ll be so excited to tell me everything that you’ve done.’

  ‘Come on, Ollie. What did Daddy tell you in the car?’ Dan asked as he reached in and lifted him out.

  ‘That I had to be a brave boy,’ he replied, his bottom lip wobbling. I had to bite mine to stop myself from crying as I slid out of the Range Rover to join them. Dan took my hand as he started walking us towards the entrance.

  ‘And what do brave boys get for dinner on their first day of school?’

  ‘Pizza?’ he replied, looking over at me. It was all I could do to nod.

  ‘Not just pizza,’ Dan replied. ‘Pepperoni pizza with a cheese-stuffed crust and Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream for pudding.’

  ‘Cookie Dough?’ Oliver asked, his eyes suddenly wide with excitement. He usually only had that as a birthday treat. I was pretty strict when it came to not letting them have too many sugary snacks.

  ‘Hmmmm,’ Dan confirmed. ‘So do you think you can be brave now?’

  ‘Yes,’ he nodded vigorously.

  ‘Now remember, no looking up ladies’ skirts. That’s not the sort of thing big boys do.’

  ‘Don’t you look up Mummy’s skirt anymore?’ he asked, making me giggle and Dan try to contain his laughter. Oliver had come into the kitchen one night and caught me sitting on the island, with Dan’s head up my skirt as he pleasured me. We’d both been mortified and it had taken some backtracking to try and explain what we were doing to an inquisitive four year old.

  ‘No,’ Dan lied as we followed the other mothers with young children through the double wooden doors. I noticed that there were no other men so far and squeezed Dan’s hand, proud that he’d made the effort. We were welcomed by Mrs. Taylor, who was in charge of the class. Dan discreetly pointed out Andy and Jenny and reminded her that if there were any emergencies, the school had full authority to release Oliver to their care. We’d had a meeting with the Headmistress to explain our special circumstances and to be clear that Oliver never left with anyone that wasn’t on the authorised list and for whom they’d not had a picture of. All of a sudden, my anxiety started to rise. The thought of leaving him here, unprotected, had me sick with worry. ‘Ellie, we need to go,’ Dan coaxed, after kissing Oliver and setting him down.

  ‘Just give me a minute, ok?’ I pleaded, dropping to my knees in front of my little boy. ‘You promise Mummy you’ll be a good boy and play nicely with all the other children?’

  ‘I promise, Mummy,’ he nodded, flinging his arms around my neck. I hugged him tightly, taking some deep gulps of air as I fought the urge to cry. I noticed that tears were already flowing for quite a few of the other mums and children.

  ‘I’m going to miss you so much, darling,’ I whispered, kissing his neck. ‘Daddy and I won’t be far away and we’ll be waiting when you come out later, ok?’

  ‘Can’t you stay, too?’ he begged, looking up at me with watery green eyes.

  ‘School’s not for grown-ups, darling,’ I replied with a shake of my head. ‘I remember my mummy dropping me off for my first day of school too, and while it was really scary, I had so much fun. I got to play with lots of boys and girls, made new friends, and did so much drawing and reading that I didn’t want to leave when it was time to go home.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really, I promise. Give me a kiss as we need to go, Mrs. Taylor’s waiting for us all to leave.’

  ‘I love you, Mummy,’ he announced, planting a kiss on my lips.

  ‘I love you too, Oliver,’ I whispered, reluctantly letting him go. ‘So much. See you later.’ I watched as Dan crouched and gave him a hug, whispering something in his ear. He stood up and took my hand and gently tugged, encouraging me to head to the door with him. I kept looking back over my shoulder as Oliver stood there, his bag dangling from his hand, all alone. Some of the other children were huddled together laughing, others were crying and refusing to let go of their mums. It broke my heart to walk away from him. I blew a kiss before Dan pulled me out of the room and out of sight and all of my resolve to be brave melted. I started sobbing and Dan quickly pulled me into his arms, Andy and Jenny discreetly turning around to give us some privacy.

  ‘Hey, hey, he’ll be fine. He’ll be so busy he won’t have time to miss us,’ Dan murmured as he kissed the top of my head.

  ‘He’s just a baby,’ I moaned between gasps for air.

  ‘He’s four now, Ellie. It will do him good to have some children of his own age to play with. It will be you that will be upset all day until you see him later, which is why I planned for us to spend it together, to take your mind off it.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I feel so pathetic,’ I sniffed, trying to dry my eyes on the monogrammed handkerchief he’d handed to me.

  ‘You’re not pathetic, you’re just a concerned mother, like every other mother of a four year old across the country today. I’ll miss him, too. Who else will do their best to copy my Chinese when I’m in the middle of a conference call? Or climb on my lap for a cuddle while I’m on a video conference?’

  ‘Jonas soon,’ I smiled, drying my tears. ‘We may have to put you back down in the cinema room to give you some peace and quiet.’

  ‘I sort of like the distraction, especially when you wander through in your sexy underwear,’ he teased as he put his arm around me and we started heading for the exit. Andy quickly strode ahead, with Jenny bringing up the rear.

  ‘Can we talk?’ I tested. Andy seemed more focussed than normal.

  ‘Isn’t that what we’re doing?’ Dan replied, kissing my temple.

  ‘What’s going on? And don’t say nothing. Has there been a threat against you?’

  ‘Ellie,’ he sighed, his body tensing in an instant.

  ‘Dan, don’t you dare lie to me,’ I warned, shooting him my best stern look. ‘If you, or any of our family, are in danger, I need to know.’

  ‘We’ll talk over lunch, I promise. For now, can we just enjoy our morning? I’m even prepared to return to the Christmas shop to get supplies for Ollie’s upgraded bedroom.’ He gave me his best pleading look, so I reluctantly nodded, but so help me God, if he didn’t open up at lunchtime, he was going to know about it.

  ‘We haven’t been to the Christmas shop together since that first winter, when you molested me in the car.’

  ‘Molested you?’ he laughed, looking left and right as we exited the school gates and made our way back to the Range Rover. ‘You’d been looking at me all morning with your “Please kiss me, Dan,” face on. I was only giving you what you wanted.’

  ‘It must have been such a chore for you,’ I responded with a roll of my eyes. As Andy checked the car, Dan pulled up and clasped my face, angling it up to his. My breath hitched as I looked up at him. His green eyes had such depth of emotion and his lips … I wanted him to kiss me again, and he could probably read that all over my face.

  ‘You were never a chore. A pain in my arse, a delicious temptation, a woman born to test my patience and my sexual urg
es, but never a chore. I fell in love with you that winter, Ellie. There’s been no one since and there never will be.’

  ‘Nor for me,’ I whispered. I clutched his powerful biceps as he dipped his head, his lips warm and soft against mine. They were a total contrast to his firm and demanding tongue as it sank into my mouth. My fingers found their way into his hair as one of his hands grasped my bottom, the other holding the nape of my neck. We lost ourselves for a moment, forgetting where we were. All of my fears suddenly melted away. He’d always made me feel so safe. I blinked a few times, in a slight daze, when he broke the kiss.

  ‘Still as tempting as ever, but we have an audience,’ he chuckled, an amused smile spreading across his face. I looked around and blushed to see a group of mums staring at us and whispering.

  ‘I don’t think it’s me that’s the temptation,’ I observed, feeling proud that he was my husband.

  ‘Wait until some of the dads turn up for the school run. I’ll have to send the entire security team to keep you safe,’ he smiled, offering me his hand as Andy held the back door of the car open for me to get in. I squealed and giggled when Dan slapped my backside as I climbed in. He sat beside me and linked his fingers with mine, squeezing tightly.

  ‘What I wouldn’t give for the privacy of the limo right now,’ he groaned.

  ‘You and me both,’ I agreed. I cast one last look over at the school, making a silent prayer that Oliver would be ok as I swallowed the ball of emotion threatening to overcome me.

  ‘He’ll be fine,’ Dan advised. ‘Kiss me, that will distract you.’

  Dan

  I ordered coffee as our dessert plates were cleared away, quickly looking over at Andy and Jenny, who were seated at another table at a discreet distance, eating while they observed us. I’d filled Ellie in on the fact that I thought I’d been watched in London for some time, but didn’t mention any of my suspicions as to who it might be. She only needed to know that it was under control. The more information I gave her, the more likely she was to worry about it. It was my job to worry, mine and the team’s, Ellie’s was to be as relaxed and happy as possible so our children felt the same. It was my job to shelter them from any of the stresses that came with my work, and I’d not done a great job of that last year. I needed to make more of an effort moving forwards. She seemed satisfied with my explanation, trusting that I had it all under control, but I was sure that she’d be on edge until we picked Ollie up and she was reassured that he’d been ok.