Grounded
Page 29
“Sure,” Simon agreed. “Although, Abbots is months away. We can discuss it over the phone another day. I speak to you nearly every day.”
“From what I hear, you two talk more than Lucy and I talk and we live together,” Tom interjected.
“I’m a fascinating conversationalist,” Simon said.
“Not what Emily says,” Tom joked.
“Well, we may possibly need to—probably, actually, need to cut back on our conversations,” Olivia began.
“Yes, Sophie did mention something. Trying to get us to talk about work less?” Simon asked.
“Indeed,” Olivia confirmed. “After the wedding, I will, hopefully, be preoccupied.”
“You’re going to feed America with this ridiculously large vegetable garden?” Simon joked.
Olivia chuckled. “Not quite. We’re going to try for a baby. If all goes well, I’ll be carrying a child.”
“That’s fantastic news.” Simon gently stepped into the mud and hugged her. Tom was right behind him offering his own congratulations.
“Thank you, both of you. And, Tom, I was wondering if you could do something for me?”
“Sure, anything,” Tom answered immediately.
“Obviously, Emily’s guest list is a little sparse, especially with her lack of family,” Olivia explained. “I was wondering if you would agree to a sort of father-of-the-bride role? I have my uncle Richard to give me away, but Emily really has no one other than you, Lucy, and Henry. Henry has other duties to perform, mainly upstaging the two brides.”
“I would be absolutely honoured.” Tom smiled.
“Thank you. Keep it a secret for now. We’ll tell her over dinner.”
“Right.” Tom nodded in agreement.
“I know it would mean a lot to her. Well, I assume it would. She’s taken to calling me Bridezilla and refusing to talk about the details of the wedding. I’m still waiting for a confirmation on the confetti designs I sent to her. I don’t think she knows we’re only four days away.”
“I’m perfectly aware that we are four days away.” Olivia turned around to see Emily behind her holding a tray with three mugs perched on it. “And I replied to you on the confetti designs. Not that I knew what confetti designs were until you started to fixate on them.”
“I’m not fixated on them,” Olivia huffed.
“You sent me twenty-seven different designs in an e-mail sent at three o’clock in the morning.” Emily held the tray out towards Tom, who took a mug.
“They sound like a married couple already.” Tom chuckled.
“I feel so proud.” Simon took the second mug.
“Proud?” Olivia questioned.
“Yeah, without me you two probably would never have gotten together.”
Olivia scoffed a laugh. “Well, if we’re playing that game, then I’m taking credit for you and Sophie. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go inside and say hello to her.”
Olivia grabbed the last mug from the tray and placed a kiss on Emily’s cheek before making her way inside.
* * *
Later that evening, Tom and Simon were manning the barbeque while Lucy, Nicole, and Emily sat at the large patio table enjoying the hot summer’s evening. Olivia walked with Sophie around the garden, pointing out new plants and explaining her plans for her vegetable patch, which had taken over a large part of the garden.
“Of course, the problem with growing all this food is that you need to have someone who eats it,” Olivia explained. “Henry’s getting there, but he’d still rather eat sweets than something that will actually fill and nourish him.”
Sophie chuckled. “He’s a kid. That’s what they do, isn’t it?”
Olivia sighed. “I suppose so. He likes cucumbers. That will be my legacy with him.”
“I’m sure your legacy with him will be much bigger than that. He told me you taught him how to count to a million.”
“I did. Well, the theory of it anyway.” Olivia looked at the young woman with a tilt of her head and then over at the other guests. When she was sure they were out of hearing distance, she finally said what had been on her mind. “How far along are you?”
Sophie looked at Olivia in shock, and she worried for a moment that she had said the wrong thing.
“How did you know? Am I showing? Did Simon tell you?”
Olivia shook her head. “No, not at all. You’re holding your stomach a lot, and you seem different. I notice odd things.”
Sophie smiled and shook her head. “You must do. Good observation.” She looked down at her hand, which hovered over her stomach, and quickly dropped her arm to her side. “I’ll have to watch out for that.”
“Is it a secret?” Olivia asked.
“We didn’t want to steal your thunder,” Sophie admitted.
Olivia frowned. “You shouldn’t keep your good news a secret for us. We’re all friends here.”
“Olivia!” Henry shouted as he ran across the garden in wild excitement. “Grandma is here! Mommy, Grandma is here.”
Olivia and Emily barely had time to respond as Henry barrelled into the house at speed and the doorbell sounded a moment after.
“Excuse me,” Olivia said and made her way into the house.
Once she got there, Irene was already in the kitchen, being dragged through to the garden by Henry.
“Olivia, Grandma is here.”
“So I see,” Olivia replied. “Why don’t you give her a moment to say hello to people before you show her your tree house?”
Henry nodded and let go of Irene’s hand. She pulled Olivia into a hug, and when Emily entered the kitchen, Irene pulled her into the hug as well. “Oh, I’m so glad to see the two of you.”
“We’re glad you could make it; did you have a good flight?” Emily asked.
Irene pulled back and let them go. “Yes. I travelled Crown.” She winked.
“Crown? That terrible outfit?” Simon said as he entered the kitchen and greeted Irene.
“Let’s take this outside. We can complain about Crown Airlines where there is alcohol.” Emily laughed.
They stepped outside, where Irene greeted everyone and was offered a glass of wine as she sat down at the table.
“What’s so funny?” Nicole asked Emily.
“We were talking about Crown Airlines,” Emily said.
“Oh, I hear the cabin crew service has improved recently,” Lucy joked.
Emily feigned horror.
“Technically, you should thank them. Without them you wouldn’t be together,” Sophie commented.
“She’s not wrong,” Nicole agreed with a laugh.
“You know, you’re right.” Emily picked up her wine glass from the table. “Ladies and gentlemen, please charge your glasses.”
Everyone picked up a glass of wine or beer, and Irene poured Henry some orange juice. When everyone had a full glass Emily raised hers into the air and declared, “To flight SQA016, where it all started.”
Tom, Simon, and Olivia repeated the flight code verbatim, while everyone else replaced the letters and numbers with some yadda yaddas. Henry simply guzzled his juice, ignoring whatever was happening with the adults.
Emily sat down beside Olivia and kissed her cheek.
“So,” Olivia started, “I had an idea about the confetti—”
Emily chuckled. “Olivia, darling?”
“Yes?” Olivia frowned.
“I love you.” Emily smiled and pulled Olivia in, silencing her with a kiss.
* * *
ABOUT A.E. RADLEY
A.E. Radley is an English company director with surprisingly zero interest in reading, despite being married to a qualified librarian. Writing for pleasure and often simply to quell the tedium of long train journeys, she was surprised to discover a receptive and even captivated audience.
When not writing, Radley can be found working or buying unnecessary cat accessories on a popular online store for her two ungrateful strays whom she has threatened to return for the last six years.
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A former pensions expert, she has only ever been invited to a dinner party once.
CONNECT WITH A.E. RADLEY:
Website: www.a-e-radley.com
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DARK HORSE
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Sometimes, going back is the only way forward.
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Grounded
© 2017 by A.E. Radley
ISBN (mobi): 978-3-95533-779-7
ISBN (epub): 978-3-95533-780-3
ISBN (pdf): 978-3-95533-781-0
Also available as paperback.
Published by Ylva Publishing, legal entity of Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.
Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.
Owner: Astrid Ohletz
Am Kirschgarten 2
65830 Kriftel
Germany
www.ylva-publishing.com
First edition: 2017
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Credits
Edited by Andrea Bramhall, Jacqueline McCarthy, and Alissa McGowan
Proofread by JoSelle Vanderhooft
Vector Designed by Freepik.com
Cover Design by Esther Koster