Distinction: The Distraction Trilogy #3

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Distinction: The Distraction Trilogy #3 Page 29

by Murphy, A. E.


  “Everything okay?” My dad yells from the kitchen.

  “No idea.”

  “What happened?” He steps into the hallway.

  I shrug. “I don’t know if we just fell out or not.”

  “If in doubt, send flowers.” My dad wisely tells me.

  “Good point.” I say and pull up the browser on my phone. I find a florist local to Elle and I send her the largest bunch of flowers that I can afford.

  Then I call my bank and put everything back to how it was.

  Eloise

  “I need you Saturday. If we’re going to fit interior design into your training, I’m going to need you on the weekends.” Hamish says softly.

  Isaac isn’t going to like this.

  “I understand and I appreciate you putting in the extra time.”

  He shrugs and downs his drink. “No problem. I work most Saturdays anyway.”

  We finish our lunch, chatting about the high end restaurant we’ll be starting the plans on tomorrow, though my heart isn’t in it. My heart is with my ex-husband. I need to tell him.

  I’m scared though. What if he doesn’t understand? What if we end up hating each other again?

  No…

  I need to have faith in him. He’s changed. He’s different now. He has to be. Nothing will be like it was. He won’t get jealous and upset over things I want or can’t control. I won’t be made to feel guilty because I’m making a career for myself.

  “I’m just going to make a call,” I say to Hamish as we walk back to his office. He nods his understanding and plows on ahead as I linger in the background, being mindful of the people around me. The phone rings and rings and rings and I start to think that maybe I shouldn’t tell him now. Maybe I should wait until we’ve both finished work.

  Just as I’m about to hang up, he answers. “Hey. So… I just looked online and I found this amazing campsite called Kielder campsite. It’s right next to Kielder forest park and Northumberland national park.”

  Oh fuck. “Isaac…”

  “I’ve gotten my dad’s old tent out but I’ve bought new sleeping bags that zip together so we can share…”

  “Isaac.”

  He falls silent. “Is everything okay? Is the baby okay?”

  “Everything is fine, the baby is hopefully fine.” I sigh deeply. “Hamish is adding interior design to my apprenticeship.”

  “That’s great, Elle!”

  “Yeah, but…” I feel like I’m about to kick a puppy. “I’m not going to be able to do weekends.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll only get half a day on Tuesday off, half a day Thursday and then Sunday.”

  I can hear him breathing so I know he’s still there, despite his lack of words.

  “I’m sorry. I want to be with you but I can’t pass this up. It’s only for three more months,” I explain, hoping that we don’t have to make a big deal out of this. “If I don’t take this now, I’ll have to do more training when I come back.”

  “I…” I hear a chair squeak as he sits. “I can’t take any more time off work, Elle, or I’m going to lose my job.”

  “I know. It’s okay, though… right?” I need his reassurance.

  “I’m going to miss the first scan.” My heart aches. I never even thought of that. “I’m going to miss the first appointment.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “The first four months are the most tiring. I’ve been reading up online and asking friends at work. How are you going to handle just one full day off a week?”

  I’ve already started to feel the exhaustion that comes with pregnancy. “I’ll manage.”

  “I suppose you’ll have to.” His voice sounds so sad, I feel awful. “I feel so fucking useless right now. I should be there with you.”

  “It happens like this sometimes,” I tell him softly. “Not just to us.”

  “It’s only two months… right?”

  “Three.” I clear my throat. “I’ll be home mid-December.”

  He falls silent again and I hate this but what can I do? This is the real world. If we want to succeed we have to make sacrifices. When he finally does speak, his voice is hushed and laced with pain. “What if you decide you don’t want me anymore?”

  It sends pins and needles shooting through me. My chest feels tight and I want to cry. “You’ll have to trust in me as I’m going to trust in you.”

  “This isn’t about trust…” He whispers, sounding so defeated.

  “Isaac, I love you and I know you love me. We’re just going to have to wait a while. Absence makes the heart grow stronger, right?”

  “It didn’t last time.” He states gruffly. I hear the school bell ring and realise that his time is up. “Promise me you won’t stop loving me again.”

  “I never stopped loving you to begin with, Isaac. I just… lost faith in us.”

  “Will you lose faith this time?”

  I smile softly, though he can’t see it. I can’t help but feel a certain amount of joy in the fact that he’s as scared to lose me again as I am him. “No.”

  “Because you’re pregnant?”

  “Because you’re the only person in my life other than our parents and Hayley that I’ve ever loved. I want to be with you until I die.”

  “My students are here. I have to go.”

  “I love you, Isaac. Do you trust me?”

  He goes quiet again as if contemplating his answer, but then he finally says, “More than anyone or anything else.”

  “Call me later.” I hang up and smile at my phone. Despite the distance between us, for once I actually feel like we’re going to do things right.

  Epilogue

  Isaac

  “Daddy!” The room erupts with laughter when a blur of red hair and white satin fabric comes racing down the aisle.

  “Adriana,” my dad clucks as she wraps herself around my legs. He tries to pry her off but it’s not use.

  “I missed you!” She grins as I scoop her into my arms and hold her tight.

  “You look stunning,” I say softly in her ear. “But you were supposed to walk down the aisle slowly and throw your pretty petals in the air.”

  She looks around the large room and blushes when she sees that all eyes are on her. “Oh.”

  I flick her pouting lower lip with my thumb and kiss her forehead. “Go back down there, pick up your flower basket and start again.”

  “But I missed you.”

  “And I missed you.” I hold her tight to me again before placing her back on the floor. “But mummy is ready to get married now.”

  She skips back down the aisle, her little five year old legs carrying her to the other end quickly. “Hi auntie Hayley!” She waves through the doors to the right and I know that Elle is about to step through those doors any moment now.

  “Adriana!” My dad laughs, clicking his fingers at his granddaughter before standing behind her in order to keep her in check, something that none of us can ever do. She’s wild, from the roots of her shocking red hair to the green nail polish on her little toes.

  “You mustn’t stand on the flowers, grandpa!” She chastises, pointing her chubby forefinger at my dad. He loves it; he loves her. He’s the one who taught her the point in the first place.

  The soft harp begins to play once more and Adriana finally starts to walk at the correct speed down the aisle, throwing daisy petals into the air as she goes. They flutter around her and her eyes watch them with childlike wonder. She looks so much like her mother.

  I’m screwed. Totally fucking screwed when she becomes old enough to start liking boys.

  That is why we gave her a brother only one year after bringing her into the world. That and I didn’t want her growing up an only child. Having nobody to play with is the worst thing for a child. I’m still surprised that Eloise went along with it.

  I look down at my son, Jonathan, who is playing on my phone, mostly to keep him in place by my side. Both of my kids are naughty little buggers that
I have no control over. Eloise surprisingly loves it. She loves their mischief, their pranks and their antics nearly as much as I do.

  “I did it!” Adriana cries when she reaches me and, sure enough, she did.

  “That is the most beautiful trail of flowers I have ever seen.” I hear my dad say quietly, but my eyes remain on the aisle as Hayley, looking beautiful in mint green with a swollen belly lifting the soft fabric, walks towards me. She winks at Tyler who is my best man, standing to the left of Jonathan. It seemed only fitting that, once we established a man code, we became fast friends. He’s a great guy and he keeps me company when Hayley and Eloise are getting up to no good while dragging us along behind them. Which is often, especially now that their three year old daughter and our four year old son are inseparable.

  Speaking of their three year old daughter… I lean toward Tyler. “Where’s Charlie?” We call her Charlie though her actual name is Charla, like Charlotte but without the T sound at the end.

  He looks at Hayley who stands on the opposite side of the aisle. They mouth a silent conversation to each other.

  “Apparently she’s somewhere in here.”

  Their daughter is quiet, too quiet, but she’s pure mischief. She’s excellent at hiding. It scares me to death but Tyler and Hayley seem to have it handled.

  “There she is.” Tyler points under the chairs and sure enough, a golden haired girl comes crawling from beneath Eloise’s mum’s chair. I have to grab Jonathan by the back of his suit to stop him from chasing after her when he sees her.

  Bloody hell.

  Finally the harp turns to the soft sound of a piano. The tune of ‘Nothing else matters’ is played softly and slowly as my bride to be finally comes into view.

  She takes my breath away.

  Eloise

  I stare into his eyes, seeking the strength I need to get to the end of the aisle without falling or fainting. I knew we should have eloped but I promised my mum and Hayley a proper service and a party.

  He smiles softly at me and his eyes trail up and down my body which is being hugged by a tight, ivory gown made from beautiful silks and other fabrics that feel so stiff I can hardly breathe. It hugs my legs to my knees before fanning out to form a beautiful train. I’m lucky I can walk at all.

  I’m thankful for my dad’s support. He keeps my hand tucked in his arm and his other hand over mine as we walk in time to the slow tune. It was after the birth of Adriana that I forgave him for all he’d done, and only because Isaac forgave him. Now we’re all as close as can be, not including when my parents and John argue over who has the kids when. We’re rarely in need of childcare.

  A blur of red hair shoots by me as I lose myself in the eyes of the man I love, followed by a blur of gold hair, followed by a blur of white blond hair belonging to Jonathan. John cried when we said we were naming our son after him.

  Nobody cares that the kids are running wild. They seem entertained by it all, which is good because this next part is the most boring for everybody else. Not for us though. I’ve been waiting for this moment for far too long.

  I make it to my husband and want to kiss his perfect lips and mess up his perfect hair with my hands. He’s so handsome, especially in a black three-piece suit.

  Sensing my dark thoughts, he circles his thumb on the inside of my wrist as the officiant begins to speak.

  I lose myself in his eyes again as I try to share my thoughts with him, my memories and happiness. The past five years haven’t been easy and they haven’t been without error. We haven’t been happy in love like love-sick little kids for the entire time. There have been times where I’ve threatened to leave and I’ve wanted to punch him in the nose, just as there have been times where he has no doubt felt the same. But we’ve persevered and we’ve been good to each other. We’ll continue persevering and being good to each other because we love each other deeply.

  I don’t want anyone else. I can’t imagine being with anyone else.

  He’s my everything.

  My kids are my everything.

  This room is full of people who mean something to us.

  Life is good.

  No… life is great.

  “Elle…” Isaac squeezes my hand and Hayley starts sniggering behind me.

  “Huh?” I blink away my thoughts and my eyes widen with horror. “Oh… yes. I do.”

  Isaac rolls his eyes heavenward as the room erupts with laughter. “You’re supposed to be saying your vows.”

  “I knew that.” My cheeks flame with embarrassment and I quickly repeat after the officiant as my kids and Hayley’s kid run screaming around our legs. Finally, after what seems like a lifetime of waiting, I get to say ‘I do’ and kiss my husband. In the church, in the centre of town, in front of everyone.

  THE END

  Continue flicking the pages for a sample of, ‘Second Hand Purses’ by the amazing and talented, ‘Elizabeth Butts’.

  Also by the Author

  The Distraction Trilogy

  Distraction

  Destruction

  The Little Bits Series

  A Little Bit of Crazy

  A Little Bit of Us

  A Little Bit of Trouble

  A Little Bit of Truth

  The Broken Series

  Broken

  Connected

  About The Author

  I'm now 25 and I’ve been writing since I could hold a pen in my hand! I love to write, it’s my passion, and I never stop. In fact I love to write so much I have started over one hundred and fifty different books before finally completing my first ever novel 'A Little Bit of Crazy' which I published in May 2013 on Amazon for Kindle. I was grateful when I received feedback as it helps me be a better writer.

  When I'm not writing, I love spending time with my family and when I get some spare time (not easy with young children!) it’s either reading or listening to music. You won’t find me without a book or my Kindle in my hand. I read whilst I’m cooking, cleaning, talking, walking… you could say reading is my other passion!

  Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I appreciate any kind of feedback be it good or bad. This has been a huge learning curve for me and I'm happy to receive any advice/criticism...praise? That you wish to provide. Don’t be shy. Thank you,

  Love Alex

  Contact Details

  To get in touch with me please use the following.

  www.facebook.com/a.e.murphy.author

  Email

  [email protected]

  Twitter

  @A_E_Murphy

  Chapter 1

  2005

  I looked at my watch and sighed. I kept walking. Why did I have to tell mom and dad that I was going to hang out with friends after school today? Now I had at least another half hour to kill before I could go home. If I went home now, I’d just have a ton of questions to answer. “Why are you home so early?” “Did you have a bad time?”

  If I could just hold out another forty five minutes I could answer the ‘did you have a good time, sweetie?’ question with a quick ‘yeah’, and run up the stairs to my room. Why did I think this city was going to be any different?

  We had moved every few years because of my dad’s job. I should have known by now that the bullshit they always told me about getting to start over and how exciting it is was just that. Bullshit.

  They wanted me to make friends. They wanted me to be happy. I wanted to make friends and to be happy, too. It just wasn’t easy for me. Some people were able to walk into a room and they were instantly BFFs with about ten people. Me, I had to take time to get to know people and build a friendship. I just wasn’t the type of person that people flocked to. Plus, when you moved all the time, you had to deal with being ‘the new kid’ all the time. Being the new kid was the same as being a social pariah. And if you had to start a new school, new city in the middle of the school year? Forget about it. And somehow, every time, the new classmates knew that I wasn’t ‘popular’ material. I swear, word must have be
en sent ahead. So if I told mom and dad that I was hanging out with friends, they were happy and they would leave me alone.

  I turned the corner and saw an older woman in her front yard, beating the crap out of a rug. I couldn’t tell her age from looking at her, but she seemed to be somewhere between seventy and one hundred. However, she must have been a body builder because the way she was beating the rug, I was surprised it hadn’t unraveled. Mental note – don’t piss her off.

  “Hey, why are you beating that thing?” I leaned over her fence, rocking back and forth on to the balls of my feet.

  She turned and looked at me in surprise. Wow, if central casting was looking for the picture perfect Italian grandmother for their movies, I found her. She was wearing a housecoat and an apron. She was rocking some crazy slide on shoes, and it looked like she was also wearing support hose. I tried not to stare. It was so freaking hard not to stare.

  “To clean it.” Well, that was a surprise. Instead of a voice heavily accented with the flavor of the old country you would expect, she sounded like pure Providence. If you took Long Island, NY and Boston, MA accents, put them in a blender and mixed them up good, you’d have the Providence accent. We’d only been here a few months but so far I’ve found it to be my favorite accent so far. Well, that and Dallas, Texas.

  “Dontcha have a vacuum cleaner?”

  “This is how my mother, my grandmother and her grandmother before cleaned their rugs. If it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.” With that she wound up and delivered a beating that makes me cringe out of sympathy for the poor rug. I mean, seriously, what did it ever do to her?

  I was lost in my thoughts about the poor rug’s punishment, and didn’t notice that the rhythmic ‘thump, thump, thump’ had stopped. I looked up and saw her looking at me as if I was supposed to be doing something. Holy self-conscious moment.

 

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