Chapter 42
Waiting at the airport with Seth made me a little apprehensive. Would they like me? Would I like them? Would we all get on well living in the same small space?
Seth turned to me.
‘Stop frowning and stop overthinking everything. It’ll all be fine and I just know that they are going to love you as much as I do.’ He was so reassuring and it definitely took some of my anxiety about the situation away.
‘I hope so.’
He slung his arm around my shoulders, and I wound my arm around his waist and squeezed him tight.
‘I’m sorry I’m such a pain in the butt.’
‘Yeah, but you’re my pain in the butt.’ He laughed back at me. ‘Now stop worrying and hold up that name card.’
‘You’re so cheesy, Seth.’
‘Yeah, but my family would totally expect that from me. We always talk about how cheesy it is in movies when people hold up people’s names at airports. I’ve never had the chance to do it before because I’ve never been abroad without them.’
I had realised over the last few days just how brave it had been of him to get on a plane and come to me, without his family, and I had told him so many times how much I appreciated him doing that.
I hadn’t mended totally yet, but I knew that in time I’d be OK.
That I’d got through worse before and that with his help, and that of my besties, I’d get through this too.
‘There they are. Hold it higher!’
He waved high in the air and I saw Daisy, who was much smaller than I imagined, walking through the double doors into the airport concourse, with two long-legged, stunning young women.
Daisy’s face lit up when she saw her husband and Seth broke under the cordon and ran to her.
She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and smothering his face with kisses.
The girls stepped forwards and folded themselves into the family hug.
It was a beautiful sight that warmed my heart.
I felt on one hand like an outsider wishing I had that joy in my life, and on the other, wishing I had filmed it so they could see what a close-knit family unit they were.
Seth eventually put his wife down; it was a good job she was tiny and weighed next to nothing.
I hadn’t seen her in person since they’d moved to her home country.
All those years ago, when we first met, she was pretty but now she had experience and life etched on her face and it somehow made her look even more attractive.
She was naturally beautiful, had auburn hair piled high on her head and her freckly skin suited her perfectly.
Daisy turned to me while Seth grabbed both of the teenagers and managed to grip them in a huge bear hug at the same time. Their disgruntled moans and groans were totally in contrast to their happy faces, and they were clearly loving being mauled by their dad.
Not really knowing Daisy that well, I had no idea how to greet her, but she came under the cordon and embraced me tightly before holding me at arm’s length.
‘Michelle, you are such a honey. Let me look at you.’ She pulled me in close once more and whispered into my hair, ‘You’ve made my husband such a happy man.
Seth and I have been so happy over the years, but I know he always felt like something was missing from his life and it was something that I couldn’t give him.
Not even the kids, although they helped.
I can’t tell you glad I am you’ve reconnected.
We’ve had lots of calls since he’s been here and I know he feels whole again.
Like the boy I met all those years ago, before… well, you know. Thank you.’
I knew that she was referring to the time before we lost Mum and Dad.
When we were a family, and I swallowed a lump in my throat.
Without knowing it, I had felt the same.
I always thought that it was because I’d lost my parents, but what I’d actually lost was my whole family. And I was going to make up for it now.
‘Now come along and meet these kids of ours. They’ve been dying to meet their aunty Chelle.
’ She waved them over and shyly they gave me a gentle hug each.
Once we were in the four-wheel-drive car that Seth had hired, they became animated once again, talking about all the things they wanted to see while they were in the United Kingdom.
We’d put a bit of a schedule together over the last day or so and they chatted excitedly about their plans.
They were polite and confident and absolutely lovely.
I was looking forward to spending time with this wonderful family of mine, getting to know them all better.
But first, they wanted to visit Sandpiper Shore, have a tour of the village, meet my friends and more importantly, get to see the venue for the barn dance. It would be great to have them on board for the last few days of preparation, all of them offering to help without hesitation.
My heart felt very nearly full. There was still one part missing, but maybe in time, the love I already had – from the people who were in my life, and from the beauty all around me – would fill that part too.
There might even be a time when I wouldn’t constantly be thinking about Demetri and all that could have been.