Chapter 57
57
OLIVER DRUMMOND’S PENTHOUSE, DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN
Oliver watched Hayley sleeping. Flat on her back, mouth open, gentle noises coming from her nose, her now shorter brown hair a shaggy, yet attractive, mess on the pillow. He couldn’t believe she was still here, still with him. Knowing everything now. She was right. He’d ignored the test for far too long. If, in his heart, he already knew the outcome, there was nothing to lose. And Hayley needed this. Until she saw it for herself, on a report, she’d still be holding out for that Christmas miracle. If they were going to be together then she needed definite clarification about what she’d signed up for. He’d arranged the hospital appointment. Today.
He reached out to her, weaving his fingers into her hair, then softly moving strands from her face. Whatever the outcome, he wasn’t going to run from his future any more. Living every moment didn’t mean only embracing frivolity. It was focusing on what mattered. Who mattered.
Hayley smiled, her eyes remaining closed. ‘What’s for breakfast?’
‘Anything you want,’ he whispered .
‘Anything?’
‘But don’t you have a meeting with my mom at the Crystalline?’
Hayley’s eyes sprung open then. ‘What time is it?’ She sat up, looking for the bedside clock.
‘It’s a little before eight.’
Hayley threw off the duvet. ‘I have to get up. I have to go. Dean has work and I need to get Angel and I wanted to call the woman about the flowers and—’ She made to spring from the bed but he held her down.
‘I hear Dean has a very understanding boss.’
‘Who now knows the name of every member of staff thanks to flash cards.’
‘It’s all about the team.’
‘I know. And that’s why I have to get up.’
‘Stop,’ he ordered, moving over her. ‘Take a breath.’
‘I don’t have time to take a breath. If I waste time taking a breath, there won’t be time for coffee.’ She batted her eyelids. ‘Make me coffee?’
‘When you’ve said a proper good morning.’
He looked down at her, waiting for the flicker of understanding to reach her expression. He held himself over her, pausing for her reaction.
‘I thought I spent quite a lot of time last night saying goodnight,’ she responded, grinning.
‘It was the best goodnight I’ve ever had.’
‘I don’t know if I have the energy for good morning too.’ She stretched her body upwards, leaning forward and clasping her arms around his neck, pulling him into her.
‘You could skip coffee,’ he suggested, kissing her lips.
‘Hydration is important,’ she said, dropping the lightest kiss on his mouth .
‘It’s minus five out there, not a thirty degree heat wave.’
‘I’ll be late for your mum.’
‘Blame me.’
He kissed her hard, pushing her back against the sheets until she gave in, matching his passion with her own, her hands reaching over his shoulders, her fingers tracing the contours of his back.
She pulled away and looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. ‘What’s going on?’
‘What?’ he asked.
‘How come you have all this time on your hands? Don’t you need to be sorting out the Regis Software mess and dealing with the firing-the-traitor debacle and protecting the Globe like you have been the rest of the week?’
‘Not this morning.’ He swallowed.
‘You have the morning off?’
‘Not exactly.’ He sighed and shifted his weight from her, turning back to the other side of the bed. He was going to tell her. Of course he was going to tell her. He just knew as soon as he did, it would be the only thing she was focusing on.
‘Well? You have to tell me.’
He settled himself back on the pillows, dragging the duvet up his body a little self-consciously. He let out a sigh as the seriousness of what he was going to do today hit him hard. ‘I’m going to the hospital.’
The air thickened and the seconds seemed to pass by so slowly. Finally, she spoke.
‘Don’t you mean we are going to the hospital? Because I’m taking a guess you’re not going for a tetanus shot.’
‘No,’ he said, nodding.
‘Then I’m coming with you.’ She moved in the bed, shifting onto her knees so she was facing him .
‘You don’t have to do that. I said I was going to take the test and I am.’
Hayley laughed then. ‘You think the only reason I want to come is to make sure you go through with it?’ She thumped his arm with her knuckles. ‘I want to support you. I want to find out. I want to be there when you get the results.’
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘That’s kind of the reason I wanted to go alone.’
‘Well, that makes no sense unless you’re going to run for the hills and say we’re over.’ She frowned at him. ‘Is that what you were going to do?’
He shook his head. ‘No, of course not.’
‘Then I’m coming with you.’ She slipped out of bed, grabbed Oliver’s Knicks T-shirt and pulled it over her head. ‘What time is the appointment?’
‘Eleven-thirty.’
‘Good. I’ll grab Angel, I’ll meet with your mum and I’ll meet you at the hospital.’ She padded towards the kitchen on bare feet. ‘Same hospital where you were mean and cruel and I swore I was never going to forgive you?’
‘Yeah, St Patrick’s. What are you doing?’ he called, watching her.
She turned back to face him. ‘Making sure we’re both hydrated. Do you have any bacon?’
He smiled, pulling the duvet up around him. Just what had he done to deserve this woman?
Dean Walker’s Apartment, Downtown Manhattan
‘Is that eggs I can smell? Because I haven’t had eggs this morning and—’ Hayley burst through into the kitchen but stopped talking at the sight of Michel by the hob, Angel at his side. ‘Oh, hello. Where’s Dean?’
‘Hi, Mum. We’re making eggy bread.’
Michel turned to face her. ‘He had to go to work early.’
‘Oh, well he didn’t ring me.’
‘He said he did call but you didn’t answer. Angel, you hold this very carefully; it is very hot,’ Michel instructed, passing the fish slice to her.
Hayley delved into her rucksack for her iPhone. There were five missed calls. She checked the side. It was switched to silent.
‘So, Dean called you?’ Hayley asked.
Michel shook his head. ‘I came here to speak to you. I wanted to take Angel to another gallery. Dean said you were not here, he needed to go for work, I offered to come to be with Angel until you got here.’
Hayley let out a sigh and put her bag down on the breakfast bar. She needed to stop being so suspicious of everyone’s motives with Angel. Michel was her father and for the past few days, he had been a walking, talking vision of what a good dad should be. He hadn’t pushed or raised expectations or made any promises he hadn’t kept. It was going well. He was a good man doing his very best with this new situation and perhaps she ought to give him more credit for that.
‘Everything is OK?’ Michel asked, coming over to her.
‘Yes… sorry.’ She swallowed. ‘It’s just all this is very new and very different and so much is going on at the moment.’
‘I understand. I feel the same way.’
‘The edges are going brown,’ Angel called.
‘That is OK,’ Michel said. ‘Just move the bread gently with the spatula.’
‘I hope there’s enough for me,’ Hayley called. ‘But I’ll have to eat it on the run. ’
‘You are busy today?’ Michel asked.
‘Yes, the McArthur Foundation fundraiser is tomorrow night and I have a tonne of things to do for that and I also… need to be somewhere at eleven-thirty.’
‘I will have Angel,’ Michel said.
‘Oh no, Michel, you don’t have to do that. I can take Angel with me and?—’
‘This is stupid. I want to take her to the gallery. I wish to show her some of my work. I can do this. I can take her for lunch. We can visit the Museum of Modern Art, maybe?’
Hayley nodded. She needed to let go. She knew that. And Michel had this. But it was harder than she had ever thought. Being solely in charge for so long, it was still so difficult to pass over some of the responsibility.
‘I love to spend time with her, Hayley,’ Michel said quietly, his attention turning to Angel. ‘I have missed out on all these years before.’
‘I know,’ she whispered, feeling a pang of guilt take hold.
‘And when you go home, I want to make arrangements to visit. I can come to England or you could come here.’ He let out a sigh. ‘I do not want to lose this connection now.’
‘Going darker brown now!’ Angel shouted.
‘I will come,’ Michel called back. He gave his attention back to Hayley. ‘You are her mother. You are the one calling the shots, of course. I just wish to have some more time with her in the future. If you are happy with that.’
‘Michel!’ Angel screamed. ‘There are black bits!’
Hayley looked at him. ‘We will work something out.’
He smiled. ‘Good. Now, you will take this eggy bread and you will go to your meetings. Angel and I will be fine.’
‘Dad!’ Angel yelled. ‘It’s burning!’
A lump shot up into Hayley’s throat at the way Angel had addressed him. She looked to Michel and saw an expression nothing short of pure elation. She reached out, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it in hers. ‘We will work something out.’