Chapter 30
Jen shook her hands at her sides, waiting impatiently for her mum to open the front door. She had been so nervous leaving Suzanne’s place forty minutes ago that she had forgotten her key. Denise had called her this morning asking Jen to come over for a specific time, but she wouldn’t say what it was about. Jen didn’t like not knowing what was going on, so here she was, anxiously sweating on her mum’s doorstep.
“Jen, are you okay?” Suzanne placed a hand on the small of Jen’s back. “Are you sure she didn’t say what it was about, and are you sure you want me here with you? She didn’t invite me, baby.”
“We come as a pair. She doesn’t need to invite you.” Jen side-eyed Suzanne and regarded her with a fake smile. Not because that was a lie—Suzanne would always be welcome here—but because she had a bad feeling about this. “And no, I have no idea what this is about. Unless someone has upset her in the street. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened to her.”
“Did she sound upset or concerned?”
Jen shrugged. “No. She just sounded like Mum.”
“Right, then I’d say not to worry. If something had happened, I’m sure she would have given you a heads-up in some way. She probably hasn’t even realised the way it came across to you on the phone.”
Jen relaxed a little. Not much, but a tiny bit. “You’re right. If something had happened, she would have told me. I know she would.”
As Jen took Suzanne’s hand, the front door opened, and Denise smiled back at them both. “Oh, lovely! I’m glad you brought Suzanne with you!”
“I didn’t think it needed to be said,” Jen explained as she stepped inside and guided Suzanne in with her. “But now, what’s going on? I’ve been panicking since you called me this morning.”
Denise switched her gaze between Jen and Suzanne repeatedly. “Why?”
“I don’t know. You don’t usually summon me here.” Jen’s mum had summoned her many times between Ruby dying and prison calling. The difference this time was that Jen had actually shown up. She would have just turned off her phone and opened another bottle of vodka in the past. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, love.” Denise leaned in and kissed Jen on the cheek, then turned her attention to Suzanne and drew her into a hug. “It’s lovely to see you, Suzanne.”
“Likewise.”
“Come on. Follow me.” Denise angled her head towards the closed back living room door. “No use standing out here in the hall when all the fun is happening in there.”
Jen frowned. What fun? Since when did her mum have fun in the middle of the day… and invite people over for said fun? “Come on, babe. Mum must have been drinking.” Jen winked and headed for the living room. She didn’t let go of Suzanne’s hand. Right now, it was the one safety she felt. Even though Denise had told her not to worry, that meant she was going to worry a whole lot more. As Jen stepped into the back living room, Grace was sitting at the dining table. “Oh, hey.”
Grace smiled, just about, and then it dawned on Jen. Dan had probably gone back home after they’d bumped into him outside Suzanne’s and proceeded to tell a pack of lies about her. She wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’d had something to say about Suzanne, too.
“Is…everything okay?” Jen asked, realising there was nothing to suggest Toby was here. “Is the baby okay?”
Grace smiled. “Of course. He’s fast asleep on the couch. Mum has been dancing around the living room with him for the last hour. Poor thing couldn’t keep his eyes open.” Grace pushed her chair away from the table and rose to her feet. “I didn’t want to tell you I was coming because I know you don’t like it when you think I’m sneaking around.”
“Mm. I have no other option, though, do I? Your wanker fiancé has made it perfectly clear what he thinks of me.”
“Jen!” Denise chastised.
“No, Mum. Jen is right.” Grace rounded the table and took Jen in her arms. “He is a wanker. I’m so sorry about the things he said, Jen.”
“H-how do you know about that?” Jen drew back but held onto Grace’s arms. “I mean, there’s no way he came home and told you himself.”
“Beryl from the newsagents. She overheard him in the street weeks ago, but I only found out about it a few days ago. He came clean when I challenged him, and then he said he’d seen you last week over on Belmont.” Grace eyed Suzanne and smiled. “You must be the woman my sister never stops talking about.”
“And you must be Grace. The sister Jen talks about often.” Suzanne smiled. “Suzanne. Lovely to meet you.”
“Let’s not stand around. Make yourselves comfortable.” Denise ushered the three of them into the living room, turning the TV off as Jen and Suzanne situated themselves on the opposite couch to Toby. He was spread out like a starfish with a cushion preventing him from rolling over the side. “He’ll be awake soon. He’s due to be fed.”
Jen smiled at her mum, then gave her attention to Grace once more. “So, what’s going on? Why have I been brought here? If Dan finds out?—”
Grace held up a hand. “Dan knows.”
“He does?” Jen was surprised by that. If Dan knew, he surely wanted to be here with Grace and Toby in case Jen decided to kidnap him and feed him drugs. She shouldn’t see the funny side of it, but it was all she had left where her sister’s fiancé was concerned. If she didn’t laugh, she’d cry. “Where is he?”
“He’ll be here soon. I’ve told him he has to be here.”
Jen shook her head. “I’m not sitting here, in my childhood home, while a guy I don’t even know snarls at me from across the room. He can shove it up his arse for all I care.”
Suzanne lay a supportive hand on Jen’s knee. “If you don’t feel comfortable with him around, we can leave. Whenever you want, just say the word.”
Jen had just fallen in love with Suzanne all over again. “I appreciate the support.”
“I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. You shouldn’t have to feel that way in your own home. I won’t stand for it.” Suzanne leaned in and kissed Jen on the cheek. “But I could murder a cuppa if anyone else fancies one?” She turned her attention to Denise. “If you could show me to the kitchen, I’ll take care of them.”
Denise grinned. “Of course. Follow me.”
Jen watched Suzanne as she got to her feet. She was purposely removing herself from the room so Jen could be alone with Grace. “Thanks, babe. I’ll have a coffee.”
“Coffee. Got it.” Suzanne turned to Grace. “Grace?”
“Could I have a tea, please?”
Suzanne nodded and smiled, then followed Jen’s mum into the kitchen. The kitchen door closed behind her, so Jen watched Grace across the room. “He’s lucky I didn’t punch his lights out, Grace. I don’t care who he is…nobody speaks to me like that in the street.”
“Trust me, he knows. I’ve made sure he knows what’s going to happen moving forward.”
Jen rested her ankle on her knee and sighed. “I don’t even know what that means.”
“I told him this morning that he seriously needs to decide what he wants here. It’s either me and my whole family or him on his own. I’m done with his bullshit. I don’t know who he thinks he is.”
“I understood at first,” Jen said, sitting forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “I thought he was just being protective of Toby. But now? He belittles me and slates me whenever he gets the chance. He spoke to Suzanne like a piece of shit the other day, and I’m not having it. I don’t care who he is to you or Toby; I won’t have him speaking to Suzanne like that. The next time he does it, it’ll be the last thing he ever does. Trust me. I’m not fucking about with him anymore.”
“Oh, God.” Grace groaned as she sunk down in her seat and placed her head in her hands. “I’m so sorry, Jen. To both of you.”
“Why are you apologising? He’s the one with the disgusting attitude. As it stands, I’d be ashamed to call him my brother-in-law.”
“If he doesn’t change that attitude, you won’t have a brother-in-law. I’m sick to death of it, Jen. It stops now.” Grace’s face reddened as she sat forward and clenched her fists. “He’s coming over. He has a lot of apologising to do.”
“Look, I don’t need to be best friends with him. I know he doesn’t like me, and quite frankly, I don’t like him either. But I do expect to be able to spend time with my nephew when I want to. Dan can feel the way he feels; I don’t care. So long as you don’t feel the same way, he can keep his opinions. It’s no skin off my nose.”
“I’ve never felt the way he does, Jen.”
Jen nodded. “I know.”
“I’ll give Toby another twenty minutes and then wake him up. I told him he was seeing Auntie Jen and Auntie Suzanne today.”
Jen’s bottom lip quivered. Grace had included Suzanne, and that meant a huge deal. “Thanks, Grace. For believing in me.”
“Always.”
“I did mean it when I said I’d take care of the tea and coffee.” Suzanne stepped forward, but Denise held up her hands. “Denise, please. I don’t want to be a spare part here.”
“You’re not. You’re a guest.”
“Well, I appreciate that.” Suzanne hadn’t really wanted a cuppa, but she did want to give Jen and Grace some time alone before Dan showed up. She just felt it would be better all around if she made herself scarce with Denise for a few moments. “How do you think today will go when Dan turns up?”
“There will be no shouting or belittling in my house. I don’t care if he’s my only grandchild’s dad.”
“Have you ever had a run-in with him? Not necessarily about Jen, but just in general.” Suzanne rested against the kitchen counter, smiling when Denise faffed about at the kitchen sink. “I don’t know why I get a bad feeling from him. Perhaps it’s just because of the things Jen has told me.”
“I…don’t like him. There’s no use lying.” Denise sighed as she turned and dried her hands on a towel. “He wouldn’t have been who I’d have picked for my Grace.”
“Unfortunately, nobody gets to decide other than Grace on that front.”
“Oh, I know. But I think my Mark would have run him down the street if he were still alive. He would have put a stop to the relationship, no matter what anyone thought about it.” Denise lifted a shoulder and then took a plate from the cupboard. “Biscuits?”
Suzanne smiled. “Sure.”
This was only the third time visiting Jen’s home with her mum, but every time she stepped through the door, she got the warmest feeling. It was clearly a home that held a lot of memories for Jen and her family. Framed photographs scattered the walls and shelving units, and pictures Jen and Grace had painted when they were far younger still hung in places. It reminded Suzanne a lot of her own childhood home.
“I…know Jen told you about the time when we split up.” Suzanne didn’t know why she was having this conversation, but she wanted Denise to know Jen was safe and looked after over at her place. “The reasons why it happened.”
“That’s partially my fault. She was forever asking me if you needed to know about her past, and I kept telling her to let it lie until the moment was right. Upon reflection, I don’t think there could have been a right moment.”
“Nothing has changed for me. I don’t think it ever really did. From then until now, she’s still the wonderful person who turned up on my doorstep some…five months ago now?”
“Has it been that long really?” Denise blew out a breath.
Five months didn’t seem a long time to Suzanne, but looking back, it did feel as though her and Jen had been together for far longer than that. “I know. It’s hard to believe the place we’re at now. I certainly didn’t expect her.”
Denise stepped towards Suzanne and took her hand. “Believe me, she didn’t expect you, either.”
“We are happy,” Suzanne said when Denise squeezed her hand. “Sometimes, I think I’m happier than when I was married to John. He was a wonderful husband, and I wouldn’t change that time in my life for the world, but Jen just gets me. We…get one another on a different level.”
“You’ve both been through a lot. I think that’s where the connection comes from. When two people meet who have spent a significant amount of time grieving, it has that effect. But she loves you—I know it for a fact. This Jen…is happier than when she was with Lizzie.”
Suzanne swallowed. Had Jen told her mum about Lizzie wanting her back? It was possible. They were certainly close enough for that to be the case. “That means a lot to know that.”
The doorbell rang, startling Suzanne a little. It could only be one person, and as Suzanne stood here, she hoped and prayed that this gathering would be far more positive than any previous encounters with one another.
“Are you ready to help me bung him out the door if that mouth starts to run away with itself?”
Suzanne laughed and straightened her shoulders. “I’ve been waiting for a moment like this all my life.”
“Oh, I like you,” Denise said as she winked. “I like you a lot.”
They both moved towards the kitchen door, listening carefully for any signs of aggravation. But it never came. As far as Suzanne could tell, Jen, Grace, and Dan were speaking without the usual hostility. “This seems promising.”
“Oh, I’m not surprised at all,” Denise said quietly. “Before you and Jen arrived, Grace told me that if Dan had refused to come here today, she was leaving him.”
Suzanne’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Mmhmm. She’s had enough of him. Jen was away for thirteen months, and Grace hasn’t really had the chance to reconnect with her because of Dan.” Denise shook her head. “Those girls are my life, and they always have been. To know they’ve not spent much time together breaks my heart.”
That saddened Suzanne. “Me, too.”
“But you’re right. This is promising. And now I suppose I should see if my wonderful son-in-law would like a cuppa, too.” Denise rolled her eyes and opened the kitchen door. “Dan, hi! Lovely to see you as always.”
Suzanne almost burst out laughing at the sheer sarcasm laced through Denise’s tone, but she knew better than to do that. This was a volatile situation for Jen and Dan, Grace too, so she would remain silent until spoken to.
“Hi, Mrs Fletcher. Nice to see you.”
Suzanne watched Dan from the other side of the room, the unease in the air noticeable. Dan was clearly here under duress, but maybe that was what he needed. If it had been left up to him, he would have continued to dismiss Jen at every turn.
“And you.” He eyed Suzanne. “Nice to see you.”
Suzanne stepped forward and held out a hand. “Suzanne. Since I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself the last time around.”
“Yeah, uh…” Dan wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and grimaced. He eventually took the hand offered to him by Suzanne and shook it. “I’m sorry about that. Really sorry.”
“Mm.” Suzanne drew her hand away and managed a smile. She joined Jen at her side, pressing a kiss to her lips as the atmosphere started to fall away. “You okay, baby?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Just waiting for Toby to wake up so I can spend some time with him.”
“Well, we have no plans for the rest of the day, so there’s no rush to leave. We can stay here all day if you like.”
Jen’s gorgeous hazel eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Sure. I have all kinds to talk about with your mum. We were putting the world to rights in the kitchen.”
Jen turned her back on her family and placed both palms on Suzanne’s stomach. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Suzanne smiled back at Jen, aching for this day to turn out the way she hoped it would with Jen back in touch fully with her family.
As they stood silently, just gazing into one another’s eyes, Toby started to stir on the couch. Jen’s eyes lit up as she peeked around Suzanne, the smile she wore surely hurting her face. “He’s awake. I can’t wait to cuddle him.”
“And I bet he can’t wait for a cuddle from you.”