Connie and her mum pick me up at ten am the next morning, ready for a day at the spa in the hotel where the party is being held. I’m not really into the whole girly pampering thing. Mum drags me along with her sometimes, and it is relaxing, but it’s not something I would choose to do.
We are sat in a relaxation room, laid out on chaise longues, when Connie gets called out to have her facial.
“It’s so nice to meet you at last, Emma. I’ve heard so much about you,” Elizabeth says, after sipping her orange juice. I could tell from the moment I saw her that she was an amazing mother to her children. She has the same warmth that my mum has. I hadn’t realised until that moment how much I missed my parents. They have been gone nearly four weeks on their cruise. I can’t wait for them to come back next week. I feel like so much in my life has changed in the time they have been away. Honestly, I feel like a completely different person to the Emma they left behind.
“You too. Connie’s always talking about you.”
“It seems my kids are slightly taken with you. I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for them,” she says softly, with a tear in her eye.
“Me? What have I done?”
“Well, when Ruben and Fin left for Australia, I was so worried about Connie. All her old friends had moved away after university, and the only people she was really spending time with was the boys. She was so sad for those first few months, she pretty much shut herself away either at work or at home. She changed her look dramatically, had all her gorgeous hair cut off and started wearing a lot of black. But then one day, she came home with her old sparkle in her eye, and told me all about this girl that helped out when she was run off her feet in the coffee shop. I was so relieved to see the old Connie back.
“Then there’s Ruben. I never thought I’d see him have any interest in a woman, other than the one-night stands he’s restricted himself to for years. I knew what happened between myself and Nigel affected him, but I was worried it was going to stop him finding someone. But then I saw the look in his eyes one night when Connie mentioned your name, and I knew instantly that he had fallen for you. I was so thrilled,” she says, grinning widely at me.
“I…uh...” I stutter not sure how to respond to all that information. “I’m not sure he’s fallen for me.”
“He may not know it yet, my dear, but trust me. He is so like his father, and the look that passed over Ruben’s face that day was the same one that Nigel has on his face every time he looks at me. You’re a very lucky lady, Emma. The Foster men love hard. I should warn you, though, it can be a little intense sometimes. They can be blinded by it and do stupid things. I know that you have already experienced some of that.” I go to say something in response, but Elizabeth continues. “Ruben has broken some hearts over the years. I can’t promise some of them won’t try to get in the way of what you could have. I know Danni has already tried.”
“I…wow,” I say, while I rub my hands down my face and try to take in everything she just said.
“I’m so glad you feel the same way about him,” is the last thing she manages to get in before another customer comes into the room and puts a halt to our conversation.
Once we have been scrubbed, polished, waxed and painted from head to toe, we go up to our hotel rooms to get ready for the night ahead.
Connie is stood behind me in a matching white fluffy robe while she loosely curls my hair and pins bits of it up ready for the party.
“Soooo…” she starts, and I have a feeling I know what’s coming. “Are you ever going to tell me about what’s happened with Ruben?”
“Sounds like you already know,” I say, trying to hide my smile.
“I’m only presuming, because he suddenly stopped moping around like a bear with a sore head on Thursday night. I’m guessing that only you could change his sour mood quite so quickly.”
I feel my face heat, and as I look at my reflection, I see my make up that Connie insisted on doing earlier is nowhere near covering my flush.
“I fucking knew it!” she squeals. “Come on, spill…”
“He was there when I took his phone to yours on Thursday night. We…uh…sorted stuff out.”
“Eeeeeeek,” she squeals again. “I’m so excited for you.”
“He isn’t going to be able to keep his hands off you tonight in that,” Connie exclaims when I turn around after she has finished zipping me in. The dress that Molly lent me was one she had early on in her pregnancy when she had put some weight on, hence why it now fits me. Her usual clothes wouldn’t go anywhere near. Saying that, though, it is still pretty tight. It fits me like a second skin. A second skin that is covered in navy lace, cut fairly low across my breasts, and has a split that luckily stops just before the point of my thighs that I can’t stand.
“Well, he’s going to have to, because I’ve told him that if we are going to make something of this then it needs to be at my pace, not his.”
“I think that’s the right thing to do.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ruben
I get more and more agitated the closer it gets to seeing Emma again, what with her cancelling on me last night and then having to spend all day today without her as she was at the spa with my mum and sister. I’m slowly going out of my mind. Now I’ve had a real taste of her, I’m dying to pick up where we left off. I understand what she said about taking it slowly but, fuck, I’m dying here. I’ve never had to go without sex before. If I wanted it I simply went out and found a willing partner. God knows how long I’m going to have to wait until I see any action. She seemed pretty set on the idea, and I get the impression she’s going to be very stubborn about it.
Fin and I have been working at my new place all day. I made the - some would say stupid - decision to change the floor plan of the ground floor slightly. I just can’t get the image of Emma sat at a desk by those huge windows typing away on her laptop out of my head. This meant I had to rejig the other spaces a little, but I think it will be worth it. I’ve also had to make sure there is plenty of space for the giant bookcase I am going to make for all her books that she still has boxed up at her place.
I know it’s crazy to have these thoughts about her living here with me, but I can’t help it. I never thought this day would come. In the past, I have begged for it not to happen. I never wanted to feel so much for one woman that my entire life became about her and I lost myself. Like my dad did. He lost himself when he fell for my mum, and it nearly broke him. I watched first-hand the pain she caused him not so long ago, and I swore there and then that I would never put myself in that situation. But here I am, redesigning my house for a woman I haven’t even slept with yet. Hell, I barely even know her, really.
“I think you’re right, you know. These few extra feet will make all the difference to the living space, and I don’t think you’ll miss it from your office space, really,” Fin comments as we finish putting up the studwork for the interior walls. I haven’t explained my real reasons for the change. I would be in for a world of pain and an endless amount of piss taking from him if I told the truth. Luckily, he agreed and didn’t mind taking down and redoing some of the work we had previously done.
“Let’s call it a day and head over to the hotel,” I say when the last piece of wood is screwed in place. To be honest, it’s still probably a little early to go yet, but I’m so desperate to see her that the pull of even being in the same building as her is making me twitchy.
“Whatever you want, dude. You do need to make yourself as pretty as possible as it’s your last night to hook up with Emma. And just because we haven’t spoken about it, doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten.”
Fuck, the thought of strutting my stuff down a catwalk in a tiny pair of shorts enters my head. There is no way that, even if I did sleep with Emma tonight, I would be sharing it with Fin. I guess I’m destined to make my modelling debut next weekend.
“Fuck off, Fin. That’s all a load of bollocks and you know it. Grow up,” I shout ba
ck to him as I head towards my truck.
“You’re not getting out of it now. A bet’s a bet, mate.”
The thought of him making Emma a bet, or more so that I stupidly agreed to it weeks ago, has me gripping the steering wheel a little too hard.
Fin must notice my slightly aggressive driving. “Dude, calm down, we’re not going to be late. You’ll have plenty of time to do your hair!”
He might be my best friend, but at this point, I have no issue with wiping that smug fucking smile off his face.
Despite texting and calling Connie, she refused to tell me what room her and Emma were in, so it was either knock on every hotel door until I found them, or head down to the bar and have a drink with Fin and some of my cousins before they appeared.
I’m barely listening to a conversation about the approaching new football season when I hear a familiar laugh. When I look up, I can barely believe my eyes.
Emma and Connie are laughing as they walk up to the bar. She either hasn’t noticed me or she is doing a good job of ignoring me. I watch her lace covered body as it sashays up to the barman. The dress fits her curves perfectly, and it reminds me that the woman I first met when I came back from Australia would never have worn that tight fitting dress. Her confidence has really raised in the past few weeks. I like to think I’ve helped with that. Her hair is lighter and softens her features, along with the light makeup she’s wearing. As I walk up behind them, I notice that her high heels give her enough extra height to make kissing her that much easier.
“Let me pay for those,” I say, as I line the front of my body up with the back of hers. My dick starts to harden the moment it brushes against her awesome arse. I grab on to Emma’s hip and pull her tightly back against me, so she has to feel it.
“You look stunning, Emma,” I whisper, before placing a light kiss to the side of her neck. I have to ignore the whoop that comes from the table I just left. Fin is really enjoying this. I will get my own back one day when he meets someone that pulls the rug from under his feet.
“She does. I thought you might appreciate it,” Connie says with a knowing wink. I guess Emma has filled her in then.
“She is right here!” Emma says with a laugh, as she turns and places brief kiss to my lips that once again has Fin hollering. “Thank you. Vodka and cranberry, please,” she says, giving the barman her order.
It’s not long before all the other guests start arriving and filling up the function room my parents booked for the night. They both look like they are on cloud nine as they jump from guest to guest, greeting them and enjoying themselves.
Emma, Connie, Fin and I are sat at a table drinking, when Mr. and Mrs. Scott come in. The three of them must notice my silence and the look on my face, because they all stop their conversation and look in the same direction. I can almost hear the held breaths around the table as we wait to see if their darling children are going to follow them in. Thankfully, it seems they have both swerved this event, thank fuck. I really did not want to spend an evening in the same room as either of them. Mum was well aware of this, but seeing as the Scotts are good friends with my parents, they had to invite Danni and Elliot as well. I’m very grateful they didn’t feel the need to attend.
“Here you go, kids,” Dad says as he comes to our table with a tray of drinks. “Make sure you put yours on our tab.”
“Thanks Dad,” Connie says as she starts replacing the empty glasses that are cluttering our table with the full drinks Dad delivered. It seems being the kids of the celebrating couple means everyone buys us drinks. That goes for Emma and Fin as well.
“Come on, let’s dance,” Connie slurs a while later.
The DJ has spent the last hour playing some eighties classics that have had all the older generation in the room dancing away happily while we have been sat here cringing at the choices.
“Really, you want us to dance to this?” Fin asks, looking a little offended by the suggestion.
“Well, I’m drunk enough that it doesn’t really matter,” Emma chips in as she tries to stand.
I have been watching her get more and more tipsy as the time has passed. I can’t complain, because it has meant that she has got more and more relaxed with me. She is sat much closer than she was earlier, and I’m enjoying the sneaky little kisses she keeps allowing me to get away with. Having said that, though, I am dying to drag her off somewhere for a little alone time.
Emma
“Let’s go and get a drink,” I shout to Connie over the music. We’ve been dancing for half an hour and I’m melting. The air conditioning isn’t quite cutting it in here.
“Well, Ruben is handling himself better than I thought he would,” Connie says as we wait for our drinks.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought he would have dragged you off somewhere by now. I mean, have you seen the way he’s looking at you?”
I look over my shoulder to where he is talking to his uncle, and see that Connie is right. He is paying no attention to what is being said, but staring right at me. I run my eyes down his body. He looks unbelievable tonight in slim fitting black trousers and white shirt, with a loose tie hanging around his neck. I couldn’t believe my eyes earlier when I first saw him in the room. I almost didn’t recognise him. Gone is his long shaggy hair, at last. It’s back like it is in the photo that I’m obsessed with in the coffee shop. It’s cut close to the sides of his head, then longer on top. He’s then run something through it so it is pulled off his face. He looks like a bloody model, stood there with his hands casually resting in his pockets.
“Emma…Emma. Bloody hell, you’re just as bad as each other.”
“Sorry. Thanks,” I say, taking my drink from her.
“Connie, there you are,” a sweet little old lady says walking up to her and propping herself up on a bar stool.
“Nan!” Connie exclaims and throws her arms around her tiny frame. “Do you want a wine?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods?” the little old lady responds, making me choke on my drink.
Connie goes about getting her nan a white wine before introducing me to her.
“Nan, this is my friend Emma. Emma this is my nan, Maggie. Watch her, she’ll drink us both under the table!”
“So this is the wonderful Emma. I’ve heard so much about you, dear. And don’t listen to her, she makes me sound like an alcoholic!”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, politely deciding to ignore the alcoholic comment.
It turns out that Maggie is the coolest grandmother ever. She is the complete opposite of the ones I had. She doesn’t mince her words, and calls a spade a spade. It’s really quite refreshing.
“I was so glad not to see the Scott children here,” she says, after finishing her glass of wine. “Nothing but trouble, those two. God knows how Henry and Louise raised such devil children.”
Connie and I exchange a look and attempt to change the subject to a safer topic that doesn’t involve either her or Ruben’s extra curricular activities with the Scott siblings. The reminder of Ruben being with her sends a little current of anger though my veins. I down the last of my drink before excusing myself to use the ladies’ room.
I feel myself sway side to side a little as I head in the direction of the toilets. I tell myself that I need to slow down on the vodka, and also to visit the buffet table when I return to soak some of it up. I don’t drink often enough to suddenly start drinking on an empty stomach.
I get stuck behind a couple of slow moving older ladies on my way to the loos. I’m trying to find a gap so that I can overtake them, when I hear a familiar voice that sends tingles down my spine on the other side of the room divider that blocks the toilets doors from view.
“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” Ruben says with a laugh.
“Oh man, you have no idea! Sooo…is tonight going to be the night, then? Are you going to bang Emma and win our bet, or will you be flaunting your stuff next weekend?”
A white noise su
ddenly fills my ears hearing those words from Fin’s mouth. I’m a bet? I’m a fucking bet?
I don’t hear Ruben’s response, but as I manage to get around the old women, I do hear Fin say that he should have a good chance because I’m drunk enough.
I stumble my way into the toilets and sit myself on the closed lid in one of the available cubicles. My heart is racing, my palms are sweating and my eyes are stinging with unshed tears.
Everything that has happened with Ruben is because of a bet with Fin. That can’t be right, can it? Everything he’s said about liking me, not feeling like this before. Was it really all crap? Was he just making it all up to get me into bed?
I’ve let myself fall for him, knowing that he was going to hurt me, and just look how right I was. I thought it might be a little further down the line, not just a couple of days into whatever it is that we had.
Why did I have to let go and try to have a life, all because I’ve written a bloody book about moving on and thought it would be a good idea to not just hide behind my laptop. I think of the promise I made to Hannah about how I would move on and be happy, not just wallow in misery without her. Well, look where that’s got me. Heartbroken and hiding in the toilets of my friend’s parents’ party, trying not to break down.
My initial reaction as usual is to run. But Connie drove us here, and I’ve had way too much to drink to even think about driving. I could call myself a taxi, but I know it’ll just cause a scene and Elizabeth and Nigel don’t deserve that. They both look so happy celebrating, I’d never forgive myself for ruining their night. I just need to see the night out, then I can run as far away from the lying shit as I possibly can. Well, as far as I can when I live in the same village and his sister is my best friend. Fuck!
I have no idea how long I sit there trying to get myself together, but eventually someone knocks on the door, asking if I’m okay.
Angel Series Books #1-2.5 Page 82