Chapter 13 #4
‘I didn’t even know who she was then, much less that Bex would feel so strongly about Briony seeing the boys.
’ Tristan addressed his comment to his cousin, but she still felt as though his words had slapped her around the face.
He’d choose his loyalty to Bex over his fledging friendship with her anytime, of course he would, but the realisation that she was no one’s priority still stung.
‘It’s okay, I’ll make sure I stay out of their way when I come back to collect the camper and the dog, and after that I won’t be back. I promise.’
‘No one’s asking you to make that promise,’ Matt protested, but she held up a hand to stop him from continuing.
‘Bex is, and I have to respect that.’ She was amazed at how carefree her tone sounded when her heart was breaking inside.
‘And thanks so much both of you, but there’s really nothing else I need.
Tristan is looking after the dog and letting me leave the van here until I get back from London.
That’s already more than I could ask for. ’
‘Are you sure?’ Matt waited and this time she nodded. ‘Alright then, but there is something else I need to say to you.’
‘Okay.’ Briony dug her nails into the palms of her hand, bracing herself for what her sister’s husband might be about to say, but when he spoke, they were the very last words she’d expected to hear.
‘I wanted to say thank you for what you did to break Bex and Liam up. If you hadn’t done it, I’d never have met her, or had our boys, and she’s the love of my life.
The four of them are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
’ Matt wagged a finger at his cousin. ‘But if you repeat anything about this in front of our mates, Triss, I’ll bury you in the slurry pit. ’
‘Are you listening to this, Briony? If I ever go missing, you’ll know who to blame.
’ Tristan grinned and she faked a smile in response.
She wanted to enjoy the way they ribbed each other, like she had earlier, but all she could think about now was that she was never going to get the chance to see if her nephews would grow up to have the kind of relationship Matt and Tristan did.
She was never going to have the chance to know anything about them on a first-hand basis, and the thought hurt her heart more than words could ever have expressed.
‘I am listening and I promise to tell the police to look in the slurry pit, if you’ve disappeared by the time I get back from London.’ She laughed, hoping it sounded more convincing than it felt, and turned towards Matt. ‘Just don’t do anything mean to my dog.’
‘I would never do that, I promise.’ Matt held up his hands, still smiling.
‘In that case, I think we can leave it there.’ She handed Tristan a bag containing Merlin’s food and treats.
Tristan had said he didn’t need a dog bed, as Merlin would no doubt be taking up residence on the same sofa where Casper slept.
The thought of spending so much time without her dog was already making Briony anxious and she needed to get rid of Tristan and Matt before they realised just how much the prospect of saying goodbye to Merlin was affecting her.
‘I’ve got to get up early to head to London and I want to make the most of having the bed to myself tonight without having Merlin stretched out beside me, snoring and letting out odours that make my eyes water. ’
‘What a shame, Triss, it sounds like Merlin has already filled the vacancy you’ve got all the right skills for.’
‘Oh sod off,’ Tristan said, but it was all in good humour. ‘Come on then, Merlin, let’s give your mum some peace.’
He patted his thigh as he walked towards the door and it was all the encouragement the old Labrador needed to follow him.
‘Be a good boy, Merls.’ She crouched down and kissed the dog’s velvety head, furiously blinking back tears. ‘Love you, sweetheart.’
‘See you later, Briony, and I hope everything goes okay with the assessment,’ Matt called out to her as he stepped outside.
‘Thank you.’ It was all she could do to stop herself from telling him to give the boys a hug from her. Instead, she watched him disappear into the darkness and concentrated on her breathing to try and stop the tears from coming until she was on her own.
‘You’ve got my number, so you can ring or message me anytime, but I’ll send you updates about Merlin, so you know he’s okay.
’ Tristan ran a hand over the dog’s back and the Labrador looked up at him with adoring eyes.
Briony doubted he was going to miss her a millionth as much as she was going to miss him, having clearly fallen in love with his temporary owner already.
‘That’s great and thanks again for looking after him, and for everything else.’
‘It was nothing.’
‘No, it wasn’t. I’ll see you later, Tristan.’ She moved towards the door, leaving him in no doubt that she was ready for him to go. Even so, he hesitated for a moment, before leaning forward and kissing her softly on the cheek. It was perfectly chaste, but it still made her catch her breath.
‘Take care of yourself, Briony, and you know where I am if you need anything.’
‘Thank you, but I won’t. I’ve looked after myself for a very long time now and I’ll be fine.
’ She painted on another smile and kept it in place just long enough to close the door behind him, as he headed off into the night with the two dogs.
Her chin immediately began to wobble, but she held back the sobs until she was as confident as she could be that Tristan would be out of earshot.
She already missed Merlin so much that it was hard to breathe, but she knew that wasn’t the only reason her emotions had overwhelmed her.
There was no road back to the role she could have played in Bex’s family, she was certain of that now and the last shreds of hope she’d had were gone.
Losing her sister first time around had almost killed her and now it was happening all over again.