Chapter 39
‘Oh! My! God! What are you doing here?’
‘That’s a fine welcome. You know, most people would maybe offer a hug when they haven’t seen you for over twenty years.’ He opened out his arms to me.
Bursting into tears, I flung myself at my brother and held on tight, never wanting to let go ever again – I wasn’t sure if it was the shock of seeing him, delight in the fact that he was really there, or just the overwhelm of the last few days.
It had been so long since I’d seen him in person. He’d always just been in a little video screen on my phone.
He rocked me from side to side and didn’t let go for ages. When he did, his own eyes were full of tears too.
‘God, it’s good to see you, Chelle,’ he said, wiping his damp cheeks. ‘So good.’
I ran my hands down his arms, across his chest and then cupped his face in my hands.
I whispered, ‘Is it really you, kiddo? Or am I dreaming? You literally just emailed me.’
Seth laughed.
‘It’s me for sure. I promise. And yes, that was from my phone. Was hoping you were at home or I’m not sure what I’d have done with myself.’ He laughed.
I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the kitchen.
‘Come in, come in.’ He grabbed the large holdall that was on the floor behind him, which I hadn’t noticed. My hands were shaking and I just couldn’t stop smiling. ‘Do you want a drink? Something to eat?’ I was in such a tizzy but it was so amazing to see him.
‘In a bit. There’s plenty of time.’
‘What the hell are you doing here, Seth? Is everything OK?’
‘You tell me. You sounded like you could do with a shoulder to cry on. Daisy told me to book a ticket right away and I think her exact words were “get your arse over there and be there for your sister before I make you!” She’s a real lady, you know.’
We both laughed.
‘Seriously, she told me this was the perfect moment for us to get together. She was there when we spoke on the phone and said there’s no time like the present to put the past behind us and be there for each other.
Her own brother was ill recently, and I think she’s gone soft in her old age. Getting all sentimental.’ He grinned.
‘Still got that goofy smile and dimples, I see.’ My face was starting to ache from smiling. I still couldn’t believe he was here. ‘Sit down.’ He went to sit in the armchair. ‘No, not over there. Here. Next to me.’
‘Yeah, and I see you’ve still got that bossy big sister vibe going on.
’ He winked. It was kind of cutesy to have my little brother winking at me.
Not so little though. We’d always taken the mickey out of him because he was quite short and stocky as a kid, and then when he hit eighteen, he sprouted up from nowhere and shot up to be over six feet tall.
He’d started going to the gym around then and developed muscles upon muscles and his good looks blossomed.
He went from being the boy-next-door type that all the girls wanted as their best friend to the dreamy boy all the girls wanted to date, yet he was totally oblivious to it all.
Now all these years later, he’d grown a stubbly beard and his hair was going grey around the temples.
But he had exactly the same smile and dimples.
I couldn’t believe he was sat next to me on the sofa.
‘How long are you staying for?’ I asked, thinking that I would need to change the bed clothes in the guest room. ‘You are staying with me I presume?’
‘Well, I didn’t want to assume, but I did see a B&B next door. I can see if they have room if that’s easier.’
‘Absolutely not. You must stay here with me. I don’t want to be without you for a minute longer than I have to. Also, they’re fully booked. There’s some sort of convention going on locally and everywhere is booked up.’
‘I’m very happy with that, if it’s OK with you. And as for how long I’m staying, I suppose that’s up to you really. How long do you need me for?’
‘How does forever sound?’ We both laughed.
‘Not sure how my family might feel about that, although to be honest, they’re probably glad to see the back of me for a bit.
So, you going to make me a cup of proper English tea or are you going to sit staring at me all night?
I’d better give Daisy a quick call to let her know I’ve arrived at yours and then you can tell me properly right from the start all over again what the hell has been going on. ’
As he was on the phone, I stood in the doorway and studied every tiny detail of my little brother.
How his dimple dipped when he was laughing with his wife, how his voice softened when she put the children on the phone, how he ran his hands through his long floppy hair while he was talking to them.
I couldn’t have been happier that he was here with me.
The years in between him leaving to go to Canada and now had been way too long and yet so incredibly short at the same time.
I knew now, with every beat of my heart, that I would never let anything come between us again.
My heart felt like it might be starting to heal a tiny bit and I had a little bit of hope that maybe life might be OK after all.
I’d got through an awful lot throughout the years and I could get through this.
But this time was different because now I’d be doing it with the help of my little brother.
The only man in my life that I probably could still trust.