5 Weeks

by June Hopkins

  Tom had returned from the wedding visit with a slightly different slant on things. By the time Melanie followed him home a few days later it appeared that he had had an epiphany. He'd been completely honest with her, told her everything. She told me how much he regretted it, how embarrassed and ashamed he was over the whole sordid mess. It had taken a number of months for him to get back to normal. After his visit to us in October he came home and proposed; they were married before Christmas and Melanie is convinced that the baby was conceived while they were in the UK. I do hope they are not going to call it Becksley. Clearly she knew how to play the long game and won. Now they are having a baby and moving to the suburbs into a white picket-fenced property complete with porch swing and swimming pool where all she wants to do is cook apple pies and be a yummy mummy. She truly believes that Tom has come to his senses and has got over Lissa, and I think she's right. They certainly seem to be happy and relaxed in their relationship.

  As for Ben and Lissa, they actually went through with the wedding, although I refused to attend. My forgiveness did not stretch that far back then. However, we do see a little of each other now and we are beginning to create some sort of relationship, although I will never feel the same about her. I have felt angrier with her than Tom, because she always knew my deepest secrets. Her lies hurt so much more than his. Lissa is also pregnant; she is four months’ gone and Ben is over the moon. It took him a long time to get his head round it all, and for the first five months they argued constantly but things have settled and I think he finally believes that she loves him and is over Tom. Ben refuses point blank to have anything to do with Tom and I can hardly blame him for that. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have anything to do with him either. I don't get involved with their problems; I refuse to be piggy in the middle. I won't answer questions from any of them and they have stopped asking. Where if anywhere they go from here will have nothing to do with me.

  I am happier than I have ever been in my life with James. I adore him, he is gorgeous. Our relationship is amazing. We moved in together in James's house back in November and I have made it my own, helped in part by the overly generous child support that I now get from Tom each month. Harry absolutely loves living with James and having a man in his life all the time. He is even excited about the new baby, thank goodness. James got down on one knee last month and we plan to get married next spring. Hopefully I will have managed to get rid of some of the baby weight and I want the full on white church wedding. I've started planning it already, and my mum is beside herself with excitement. Luckily she gets on well with James's mother, Joy, and the two of them are proving difficult to control. If I'm not careful I will end up in a surprise ceremony. They will plan the entire thing without consulting me at all! Dad is over the moon; he thinks the world of James. I think he's grateful to him for taking me off the shelf. He says he can finally relax now that he is sure that Harry and I are being looked after.

  Best of all Mia has hooked up with Alex and they are so in lurve. Alex split up with Louise not long after the airport incident and he met Mia on a night out with me and James. They have been inseparable ever since. I honestly don't think it will be long before they follow us down the aisle, but it's fab for me as we have a great couples relationship and we all spend loads of time together. I've never had that before, I'm used to being the one that makes up the numbers. I finally feel like a grown up with my own family and circle of friends.

  "Right you lot, let's eat. I'm starving," James says as he waltzes past me with a steaming bowl of pasta, stopping on the way to give me a sloppy kiss. I grab the salad and garlic bread and follow. I would happily follow him anywhere.

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