19. Good To Be Back
GOOD TO BE BACK
WILL
After picking up the rental car that Kylie had organised, I head to Chris and Morgan’s to check in after the drama of last night. When I let myself inside and enter the lounge room, Caidin grins up at me from her playpen.
“Hey little miss. Where are your parents?” I ask, lifting her out of baby jail.
Her response is to giggle and pat my cheeks.
“In here!” Morgan’s voice calls out from the kitchen, and I wander in with Caidin on my hip.
“Hey. How’s Dale?” I take a seat at the table and bounce the giggling baby on my knee.
“It wasn’t a heart attack, so they’re sending him back to his doctor for more tests. I’m hoping it was just really bad heartburn. Mum’s cooking can have that effect on people.” Morgan continues stacking the dishwasher while Lucy runs laps around the wide bench.
“Someone have some sugar?” I nod towards the blur of blonde curls that tears past me .
Morgan nods. “She had a birthday party. They only just got home. I’m sure she’ll crash in about half an hour once the excitement wears off.” She slams the dishwasher closed and straightens up. “Coffee?”
I nod and she moves towards the complicated-looking coffee maker that takes up a large part of the bench that runs under the window.
It was a recent investment that Chris swears is worth its weight in gold.
With two small humans in the house, I’m sure it gets a workout each day.
Watching Lucy right now is exhausting enough for me, so I can only imagine how it feels to deal with this day in and day out.
“Hey mate, I didn’t hear you come in.” Chris walks in from the direction of their bedroom, yawning.
“Yeah, I let myself in and freed Caidin from solitary confinement.”
“Oh good, it’s time for her lunch, anyway.” He goes to the fridge to get some food sorted for his youngest daughter after giving Morgan a quick kiss.
The two of them do a well-practiced dance around each other as they both get things ready.
I watch them with a familiar pang of jealousy.
Although I’m not entirely sold on parenthood, I miss having a partner that works alongside me in comfortable silence.
That I can anticipate their next move, and they respond in kind.
I try to keep my thoughts from straying too far into dangerous territory, but the memory of Annie and I sitting side by side on the couch last night resurfaces for about the thousandth time today.
When she’d left her head resting on my arm and didn’t flinch when I held her hand, a ridiculous feeling had risen in my chest.
Hope.
But it was snuffed out when she reminded me she’d left me for my own good. Or at least, what she believed was for my own good.
“What time do Kylie and Seth get in?” Morgan asks while she brings me my coffee in what has become my designated mug.
I don’t know if it’s a good thing or just sad that I have my own mug at my best friend’s house at the age of thirty-two, but it’s the reality I live in.
“I’m picking them up in an hour. Dad took me to pick up their rental car so that they have the car seats for the boys.”
Morgan nods and takes a seat beside me. “I wanted to check something with you.” She glances towards Chris, who still has his head down while cutting up fruit for Caidin.
I raise an eyebrow as I take a sip of my coffee. “Okay…” Something about her body language tells me that whatever she’s about to say isn’t going to impress her husband.
“I asked Lis if she would come on the camping trip.”
As I suspected, Chris’ head flies up, and he stares at his wife. “Are you serious? Why would you do that?” He jerks his head in my direction. “It’s bad enough we forced them into hanging out last night.”
“Calm down, Christopher,” Morgan replies while rolling her eyes. “She pretty much said no anyway, but I really want her to come.” She turns back to me, the guilt written all over her face. “I’m sorry though, I should have checked with you first.”
The knowledge that Annie turned Morgan down stings more than it should, and I can feel the conflicting emotions swirling inside me.
“Morgan, I get you want things to go back to the way they were, but it’s not possible. You’re living in a fantasy world. And besides, you invited Taylor as well. You’ve already put Will in a shit position. Don’t make it worse.”
I turn to look at Morgan, stunned at this new bit of information. “Really? Come on, Morgan.”
It says something that I’m more upset about her inviting Taylor than Annelisa, but I’m not prepared to look into that too closely.
“What?! She came last year, and she’s my friend.”
I shake my head. “I love you, I really do, but this is ridiculous. This was meant to just be our group this year.” This conversation has just gone from bad to worse.
“You don’t need to talk to her. She’ll just hang out with me most of the time, anyway.”
I sigh but don’t respond, not trusting myself to keep my emotions in check. I knew Morgan had been struggling with having lost Annie in her life, but I didn’t realise she was planning on using my latest ex to fill the void.
I finish my coffee in silence while Chris and Morgan continue to bicker some more. But that all comes to a screeching halt when Lucy’s head collides with the overhanging bench and she starts screaming blue murder.
Relieved for the excuse to leave, I say my goodbyes and leave them to it before heading back out to the oversized luxury SUV Kylie had organised.
Guess I’ll just show up at the airport early.
“Will!” I look up from my phone, which I’ve been scrolling through in the arrivals area, to see Kylie barreling through the crowd as she races towards me, dragging two large suitcases behind her.
I get to my feet and sweep her up into a giant hug, lifting her off the ground as she clings to me.
“God, I’ve missed you, Bug,” I say, squeezing her tight.
“I’ve missed you more,” she whispers in my ear, her voice catching.
Seth follows behind at a more reasonable pace, with Harvey in one arm and Everett gripping his other hand tightly. The tall Canadian looks stressed, which is understandable, given he’s manhandling two toddlers in a busy airport while his wife swans off without him.
“How were the flights?” I ask, putting Kylie back down.
“Long. Even being in business class doesn’t make the full day of travelling with twins seem even remotely fine.” Kylie picks Everett up, and I shake Seth’s free hand.
“Hey man, good to see you. Sorry about the playoffs,” I say.
He shrugs. “We made it to the second round, at least. But Dean blowing out his knee didn’t help. It happens. Would have been nice to win the cup again, though.”
We make our way back out to the car, and they get the kids settled into the car seats that the rental company had fitted into the backseat for me.
Once that’s all done, Kylie climbs in between them while Seth hops in the front seat, stretching out his long legs with a sigh and resting his head against the headrest with his eyes closed.
“So, what’s new?” Kylie asks from the backseat while I navigate the large SUV out of the carpark.
I shrug. “Not a lot. Just started to get stuff organised for the trip. I got the tent and stuff you asked me to get yesterday afternoon.”
We chat easily for the remainder of the drive back to my parent’s house.
When we arrive, Mum is jumping up and down in the driveway behind my parked ute with Alfie dancing around her feet.
Her excitement at seeing two more of her grandchildren is clearly overwhelming her.
I’m sure she’s equally happy to see Kylie, but the twins are definitely the highlight.
Kylie and Seth used to stay at Jake and Bri’s Kangaroo Point apartment when they came back each year, but since the twins arrived, my mother would be devastated if they weren’t staying under her roof.
“Where’s my babies?!” Mum screeches as she leans in through the back window and grabs Everett’s little hand.
“What am I, invisible?” Kylie demands.
“You’re one of my babies, aren’t you?”
Kylie tuts. “You were totally talking to the boys.”
I exchange a look with Seth. “Welcome home,” I say.
He grins. “Good to be back.”