Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
I’m rushing from job to job with no time for anything. At least the boys’ exams are over with and they’re heading off to do some smaller festival before they go to the Isle of Wight. James is talking to Kell and Xan, and I linger at the door a little longer than necessary.
“Do you want me to come to the festival?” I hear Kellen ask him. “I want to, but I understand if you want to do this on your own. And although I want to come as a parent, as an artist I am a distraction. Xander too.” I can tell from his tone Kell is fretting over this.
“It’s fine, Dad,” James placates him. “Bucky and I talked it over. We want to get these first few out the way on our own, find our feet, then you can come.”
“I’ll send someone to record so we can watch and show your mother. Is Jonno still there?”
“No, he went home today. And Kasey’s packing now, so he’ll be gone in an hour.”
“Who’s left with your mum?” I can hear his voice going higher.
“She’s not there on her own is she?” Xan puts in. “Ring Jude. Get him over there, James,” Xander instructs him.
“She’ll kill me. She’s working ‘til midnight tonight with calls, and is up and out by 6 a.m. No, she’s fine. Jesus, you two are worse than the Greystones. Let her sort herself out.”
I smile and smirk a bit at how happy that makes me. Well done, James. They are a pain. I’m due there in two days and I need to sort things out for myself, the last thing I need is either one of them turning up.
“Tommy’s here,” I tell them, leaning over James’s shoulder. “Don’t come here, I’m busy and you’ll just delay me.” I see them look at each other. “I mean it, stay there. No ‘nipping up’ to see anyone in London.” I point at them both as I leave. I have stuff to do.
It’s 1 a.m. before I finish my last call, and I’ve an early start, but it’s the last day and by 5 p.m. I will be on my way. All my bags are packed, and I’m so excited to go, the anticipation is swirling in my stomach. I’ve missed them.
I call Kellen’s phone, no answer. I try Xan’s, no answer there either. They must be hard at it. I shower and get ready to hop into bed, trying Kell on FaceTime again, and he answers. Only he doesn’t, Becky does.
“Oh, hi Becky, I’m after Kellen. Is he around?”
“No, Marcus isn’t. He’s busy… somewhere.” She could not get more bitchy emphasis on ‘Marcus’ if she tried. The phone pitches wildly as she gestures around the cottage. It looks like a bomb has hit it, stuff strewn everywhere. What is wrong with her?
“Are they still in the studio? How’s Levi doing?” I’m trying to be as polite as possible—I’m going to have to spend some time with these women over the next few months—and to be honest, I don’t want the hassle before I get there.
“No, they finished ages ago. Everyone was in the pool.”
I laugh, “Boy, you’re brave. Beginning of June, in an outdoor pool. Did you get Nikki to turn the heaters on?” I know I’m being deliberately jolly, it totally sticks in my throat, and I can see she’s waiting to deliver the killer punch.
“No we were all skinny dipping,” she smirks at me, emphasising all.
And there it is.
“Wow, brave bunch. Well, I”ll let you get back to it. Speak soon.” I hang up before she can carry on with a tale she was desperate to tell. No change there, then. This is going to be a fun summer.
My phone rings, and if she’s ringing me back... But it says Xan, so I pick up.
His gorgeous blue eyes smile at me. “Hey, did you call? Why aren’t you in bed? You’re still coming aren’t you?”
I laugh at him. “Which question do you want me to answer first? Yes I called, no I’m not in bed, just going, and yes I’m still coming tomorrow. I rang you and Kell, but Becky picked up and said you were all skinny dipping.” I’m mentally patting myself on the back for being calm.
“Fuck no. The women were. It’s fucking freezing. We can’t afford to get sick. Marcus is bad enough sorting out his throat, never mind throwing himself into freezing water. He’s thirty seven not seventeen.” He starts to laugh, and I see his head move swiftly from side to side as someone hits him. “Marcus, didn’t see you there brother.” Xan is really laughing now. “I’ll pass you on. See you tomorrow, Kitten.”
He hands over to Kellen who’s scowling at him and threatening to smack him again.
“Fucker, I’m as fit as I was at seventeen.” I raise my eyebrows at him. “You saying I’m not, Kitten? Dissing my body?”
“I wouldn’t dare. But I have just spent the past week with Kasey Becker flaunting his, so…”
“Flaunting his body, what the fuck has he been doing? I’m calling him, the prick.”
I grin at him. “Only during workout hours. Oh, and dinner sometimes. And drinks. Yeah, ok, most of the time. Jonno told him to cover up. He was sick of looking at his abs.”
“Were you?”
“God, no. They’re pretty spectacular.”
“Is she praising Becker’s abs? I better get working out. And you Marcus,” puts in Xan. “He can’t beat us.” They’re shoving each other, lifting T-shirts to compare abs.
“Honestly, talk about complexes. Anyway, I should have one, too. Becky told me you were all skinny dipping.”
He makes a noise in the back of his throat. “No fucking way. They wanted us to, but none of us got in, so they got wet and cold for nothing. We’ve a busy summer ahead, we don’t want to be ill. I’ve told Gabe and Levi if one of them so much as sniffles, they’re sent home. They’ve agreed, so it might be an expensive dip for them.”
I push out a smile and change the subject.
“I should be there for 10 p.m. tomorrow night, but I’ll go straight to Marshall’s. Come home when you’re ready, no problem if you’re still working.”
He smiles at me and hits me with his gentle voice. “See you tomorrow, Kitten.”
I hang up with mixed feelings, the excited feeling I’d had a few minutes ago now tinged with anxiety. I’m happy to speak to Xan and Kell, but wondering what on Earth is going on with those women. What am I walking into? I just don’t get it. Becky was quite friendly until the wedding.
Is it that? They want to be a permanent fixture? And by permanent I mean married with money. I signed a prenup and so did he. Do they think I’m in line for some sort of massive payday when he finally sees sense and ditches me?
Well this marriage wasn’t for that reason, but they don’t know that. And besides there’s no way his family is getting one pence of my money. I’d give the lot away first.
Devon is bathed in sunset, as I arrive earlier than anticipated. We’re heading towards the longest day, so the nights are light and farming is ongoing. I can see tractors in the fields and I know who’s in them. I feel like my whole soul is lighter as we move past hedgerows and fields I know the names of. I ring Marshall as soon as I land and tell him I want to go down to the beach at Cornhill.
“I’ll have some bikes for you, midarlin’.”
I smile, his voice, bringing me instant peace and calm. It’s like a woolley blanket on a cold day. Total comfort and security. I also know he understands me, because even if it was 2 a.m. he would have said the same thing.
We pull into the garages at breakneck speed and I jump out of the car before it’s even fully stopped. The sun hasn’t set yet, and I’m moving like the devil is in the sunset and I can outrun him. “Come on, Tommy, let’s go.” I want to get to the beach headland before it goes down.
I skid to a halt when I see Kellen and Xan on two quads, and James, nearest to me, on my motorbike.
“Jump on, Mum. I’m the best driver here,” James says. “And this is faster than that old thing.” He hands me my goggles and I put them on.
Kellen starts shouting at me to get on his quad. “That bike is not safe, Evie. Get on here, you dare, you better not.” He’s coming for me so I vault on behind James.
“Go, baby,” I shriek, and he sets off at full throttle, the tires skidding round in a big arc. We’re laughing like maniacs as we fly past the men. Marshall is laughing, and Nikki and Gerald have come out to see the commotion.
“She’s back then,” shouts Nikki as we whiz past him. I wave at them as we head for the cliffs and the setting sun.
James and I have the wind whipping at us and it’s full speed towards the clifftops. He’s smiling, and I know I have the exact same smile on my face. Hearing the quads behind me, I turn and see them coming at a slower pace. They’ll be cursing us, I’m sure.
I wave my hands near James’s head, and point to the sun, shouting in his ear, “Gun it James, it’s going.” He totally floors the throttle, and we get to the headland, jump off and run for the slope down to the beach.
“Fucking crazies,” I hear Kellen shout behind us.
We’re going full pelt down the hill, and land on the beach running towards the water. James looks at me, and we’re both stripping off as we go. He’s seen the wetsuit under my clothes, wrestled on like a contortionist in the car, and he has his on as Marshall tipped him off.
We both run hell for leather into the sea and I hear Xander shout as we dive into the waves. I look around and find Kell and Xan standing on the beach, watching us watch the sunset while holding each other in the water.
“Never change, Mum. I love it.” My son holds me up out of the water and brushes my hair from my face. “Love you.” He smiles at me as I cling onto him.
“I love you, James, always.” We make our way back to the beach holding hands, looking at Kellen and Xander standing together on the beach with our clothes.
“Fuck me, you two are crazy. You could kill yourselves,” Kellen says as he grabs me and kisses me. “Not even a kiss, just straight past us to the beach.” He”s looking from one to another, smiling at us, shaking his head.
Xander, who I think is standing watching the sun go totally down, says, “It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.” But he isn”t watching the horizon, he”s looking at us—James and Kell and me.
I move towards him. “Hey, Xander.” I kiss his cheek. “I don’t want to wet either of you. Let’s get back and get dry.”
“Ahoy, there,” comes a shout from the cliff tops. I look up to see Marshall, Gerald, and Bucky all waving towels and flasks.
“I bet there’s whiskey in that flask,” says Xander. “Race you up, James.” He hits James on his bare torso, the smack reverberating in the air as he’s dropped his wetsuit top, and they set off at a run towards the climb back up to the top.
I pop my T-shirt over my head and drop my wetsuit top, looking up to see Kellen smiling widely at me.
“You’re back five minutes and carnage erupts. Fucking amazing carnage, but carnage none the less.” He pulls me to him.
“Don’t get wet and cold, I’ll be strung up by everyone,” I tell him.
“Who gives a fuck.” He holds the back of my head and kisses me deeply. “Let’s stay on the beach, let everyone go.” His voice is so low and full of desire, it”s practically a growl.
I shake my head at him. “We can’t. Nikki cooked for me. You have to share me a bit, you know.”
He growls into my mouth, “I’m not staying up late for anyone. I need to be buried deep in you as soon as possible. My balls are blue.” He drags me towards the headland and we climb and take drinks of hot chocolate and dry off with the towels and clothes Marshall brought.
Bucky grabs me. “I wish I was there for that chase. Gerald said you and James left them for dead. I’m glad you’re here before we go to Cornwall. It’s so quiet without you.”
“I’m hardly a loud person, Bucky.” The words are barely out of my mouth before everyone starts to laugh.
“You jumped out of that car like the devil was chasing you, and I thought James was going to lose control of that bike. He was throttling it so much with you screaming at him to go faster from the back. So quiet, so, so, quiet,” Xander says.
We set off back for home at a more sedate pace. I get on the back of Bucky’s bike, he’s desperate to have me on it.
“Fucking kids,” moans Kellen as Bucky drags me off his quad laughing.
“We’re going away, you’ve got her for the summer,” he tells him, “so stop moaning, Dad.”
We make a lot of noise, and only quiet down when we’re back near the animals. Nikki’s waving us in, and we all sit in the large kitchen catching up, eating, and drinking whiskey.