Chapter 33
33
‘I can’t believe I’m really doing this,’ Sadie said for the hundredth time as the familiar sight of the model Airbus sitting in the middle of the roundabout at the entrance to Heathrow came into view. ‘Do you think I’m crazy?’
‘Maybe a little bit,’ Katie said from the driver’s seat. ‘But it’s the good kind of crazy. Now, which lane?’
‘There, where it says short-stay parking, Dylan said he’d meet us at the McDonald’s restaurant near the check-in desks.’
‘Plane!’ Isla piped from her chair on the back seat. She’d made such a fuss about them leaving without her that the only way to stop her crying had been to bundle her into the back of Katie and Liam’s mini SUV.
Katie had insisted on driving, and honestly Sadie was grateful because her nerves were shredded and she didn’t think she’d have been able to concentrate on the road. ‘What if I’m making a terrible mistake?’
‘You’re not,’ Katie reassured her in a no-nonsense tone. ‘But, if you are, then Dylan can fly home in a few days’ time. At least this way you’ll both know rather than spending the rest of your lives wondering what if.’
They found a parking space and Sadie reached to open her door. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘Hang on, I’m coming with you.’
Sadie shook her head. ‘There’s no need, I’ll be fine.’
Katie laughed as she unbuckled her belt and opened her own door. ‘I’m sure you will, but there’s no way I’m missing out on this!’ She got out and opened the back door to release Isla from her seat and pick her up. ‘Come on, darling. We’re going to meet Grandma’s new boyfriend!’
‘Oh God, don’t call him that!’
Katie shot her an evil grin over the roof of the car as she clicked the central locking button on her keys. ‘What should I call him, then, Mum? Your loverrrrrr?’ She waggled her eyebrows as she dragged out the final consonant.
‘Dylan! Just call him Dylan.’ Sadie could hardly get the words out for laughing. She felt giddy and light-headed and wondered if she was making a fool of herself. Oh, well, it was too late to start worrying about that.
The departures area was mayhem and Sadie was grateful Dylan had chosen such a well-recognised symbol when she spotted the familiar golden arches floating high above the crowds. They weaved their way through an obstacle course of people, cases and trolleys and she couldn’t help the little sigh that escaped her when she spotted him standing right beneath the sign. ‘There he is.’ She raised her hand and called his name. Dylan looked their way, his face breaking into a broad smile when he saw them.
‘Jeez, Mum, you didn’t tell us he was that good-looking,’ Katie said, voice filled with admiration. ‘No wonder you didn’t want to let him go.’
There was no time to laugh because suddenly he was right there in front of her and for a moment Sadie didn’t know what to say. It didn’t matter, because he let go of the handle of his suitcase and then she was in his arms and everything felt right again. She buried her face in his neck and clung tight to the back of his jacket until there was a very deliberate throat-clearing sound next to them.
‘Hi, I’m Katie. You must be Dylan.’
Sadie forced herself to let him go. She tried to step back, but before she could move too far, Dylan snagged her arm with his hand, sliding his fingers down in a deliberate caress until he could tangle their fingers together. He smiled at Katie. ‘Hello, it’s great to meet you.’ His gaze focused on Isla, who was sitting on Katie’s hip, and his smile broadened. ‘And who is this?’
Katie grinned. ‘This is Isla.’ She looked down at her daughter. ‘Isla, do you want to say hello to Dylan?’
Instead of speaking, Isla held her arms out and leaned forward. Quick as a flash, Dylan released his hold on Sadie’s hand and caught Isla before Katie could drop her. ‘Hey, steady there!’ he said with a laugh, adjusting his grip so he had the little girl balanced in his arms.
Isla giggled as if it were no big deal while Sadie pressed a hand to her racing heart. ‘Good catch!’ She held out her hands. ‘Do you want to come to Grandma?’ Isla shook her head and leaned against Dylan’s shoulder.
‘She’s fine,’ Dylan said, resting a hand against Isla’s back to hold her securely against him. ‘If someone can bring my case?’
‘I’ll get it,’ Katie said, grabbing the handle. ‘We’re over in the short-stay car park. It’s not far.’
Sadie settled a hand on Dylan’s back as they walked side by side, not quite able to believe he was really there. ‘Did Theo and Avery get through security okay?’
Dylan nodded. ‘Yes. I stood right by the gates and once I explained to the woman stationed there what I was doing, she let me stay until I could see they’d gone through the scanner without any problems. Theo’s just texted me to say they’ve found the gate okay and they’re expecting to board soon.’
‘And you’re sure about letting them travel on their own? It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind.’ As thrilled as she was at the prospect of them spending more time together, his children had to come first.
Dylan paused to smile over at her. ‘I’m very sure. They’re smart kids and Theo has a really good head on his shoulders. Jen and I talked it through and we decided the responsibility would be good for him. He’s promised he’ll tell one of the stewards when they board what the situation is, and Jen and Eric will be waiting at the other end to meet them.’
‘I suppose they have to grow up some time. It’s not easy, though. I still fuss about my two probably more than I should.’
‘Definitely more than you should,’ Katie said with a laugh from the other side of her. ‘But don’t stop, Mum, because we love it.’ She grinned at Dylan. ‘I still have to text when I’m home if she knows I’ll be out late.’
‘You don’t have to text,’ Sadie said, worried Dylan would think she was a bit neurotic.
‘I know, but you like it when I do and I like it too, Mum. I’m only teasing.’
They arrived back at the car park, where Sadie and Dylan nearly had their first argument over who was going to pay the ticket charges. Sadie won in the end by pointing out he had only a US credit card and the currency conversion charges would probably be more than the cost of the ticket. She won again when she insisted he go in the front seat where there was more leg room while she sat in the back next to Isla’s chair.
‘We won’t have to stay long at Jake’s,’ Sadie promised him as Katie pulled out of the car park and headed towards the main road. ‘But everyone was excited at getting to meet you so I couldn’t really say no.’
Dylan turned in his seat so he could look back at her. ‘I’m looking forward to meeting them. After all, you’ve met my lot.’
He had a point there. ‘And we’ll have to drop my mother off on the way home once we leave.’
‘Oh, we can do that,’ Katie protested.
Sadie shook her head. ‘It’s in the opposite direction for you and she’s only five minutes from my house.’
When Katie risked a meaningful glance at her through the rear-view mirror, Sadie smiled back at her. ‘I appreciate it, darling, but Dylan already knows Mum can be a bit difficult and you’ll want to get Isla home in time for bed.’
‘No one can be worse than Monty, that’s for sure,’ Dylan said with a laugh.
‘He wasn’t too bad in the end,’ Sadie reminded him.
‘Yeah, we shall see. I’m sure most of that was simply a ploy to get back in Mum’s good books. Leopards and spots and all that.’
Sadie sighed. ‘It’d be nice to think it’s not too late for anyone to make a change.’ And she wasn’t thinking only about Monty as she said it. ‘Perhaps it’s not too late for a Christmas miracle.’
Their very late lunch at Jake’s tasted better than it had any right to, considering they’d had to keep everything warm for the hour and a bit it took for the airport dash. Jake had fetched a spare chair down from one of the bedrooms and, with a bit of goodwill and shuffling around, they all just about managed to squeeze around his and Rachel’s dining room table. There was a sticky moment when Robbie, Jake and Rachel’s four-year-old, left his seat to try and climb onto Sadie’s lap and Margaret opened her mouth ready to tell him off.
Sadie raised her eyebrows and her mother clamped her lips tight and stared back down at her plate. Turning to Robbie, Sadie smiled down at him. ‘It’s not like you to forget your manners, darling. What’s the matter?’
‘I’m not hungry.’ Robbie pulled a face.
‘You’ve hardly eaten anything,’ Rachel protested. ‘Come and sit back down.’
To everyone’s surprise Margaret set her knife and fork together. ‘I’m not hungry either, Robbie. Why don’t we go next door and finish watching our film?’ Without waiting for an answer, Margaret came around the table and held out her hand to her great-grandson. ‘Come on.’
Sadie wasn’t the only one who watched the pair trot out of the room. ‘I’ll go and make sure they find the right channel,’ said Liam, who was seated nearest the door. He returned a few moments later and sat back down.
‘Everything okay?’ Rachel asked, sounding nervous.
Liam shrugged a shoulder. ‘Everything’s fine. The pair of them are sat on the sofa together. I didn’t know Margaret was a secret Pixar fan.’
Katie looked over at Sadie. ‘What exactly happened between the two of you earlier?’
It was Sadie’s turn to shrug. ‘It must be that Christmas miracle I was talking about.’
Not wanting to test her mother’s new-found patience too far, Sadie gave her the option of staying for coffee or heading back home. When Margaret chose to leave, Sadie couldn’t say she was sorry. It had been lovely to see everyone, but she wanted to be alone with Dylan. Robbie was very unhappy at his new friendship with his great-grandmother being interrupted and he clung to Margaret’s leg until she patted him on the head and promised she would see him soon. She glanced over his head at Jake. ‘Perhaps you might come over and visit when the weather’s better. There’s a very nice park not far from my apartment.’
Jake tucked his hands in his pockets. ‘We’ll see.’
Margaret nodded once as if accepting that was the best she was going to get. Sadie didn’t blame Jake for being cautious, it was going to take a lot more than a couple of hours to fix everything, but she was grateful that her mother seemed at least willing to make the effort. ‘I’ll wait by the car. Thank you for lunch and happy new year to you all.’
Sadie and Dylan made quick work of their goodbyes and, when they went out to the car, Dylan stood deliberately by the back passenger door before Sadie could even think of suggesting he go in the front. She was grateful because, although her mother was still pretty nimble for her age, it wouldn’t have been comfortable for her. They might have driven in silence had it not been for Dylan. He asked Margaret all about her flat and how she liked living in the complex. She had a few grumbles about people not following the rules, but she managed to be positive about a few things, including a card-playing group she’d apparently joined. They had a lively chat about cribbage and bridge, both games Dylan said his grandmother had taught him to play.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve played either, so I’m probably rubbish,’ he said with a laugh.
‘Yes, you more than likely will be.’
Sadie cringed at her mother’s signature bluntness but Dylan simply roared with laughter. ‘Bloody hell, Margaret, you don’t pull your punches, do you?’
When they pulled up outside her mother’s complex, Dylan was out of the back seat before Sadie had even put the handbrake on and opened Margaret’s door for her. ‘Trying to impress me?’ her mother said somewhat archly as she let him help her out.
Dylan shook his head. ‘Nope. The only woman I’m interested in impressing is your daughter.’
Margaret looked him up and down and then, to Sadie’s utter surprise, a small smile twitched her lips. ‘Well, that’s me told.’ She turned to look at Sadie. ‘You’ll be busy for the next few weeks, I suppose.’
Sadie nodded. ‘I will, but I’ll call you in a few days, okay?’
Her mother nodded. ‘Not on Wednesday, that’s coffee morning.’
‘And your card club is Thursday afternoon. Perhaps Saturday morning?’
‘That will work. Well, it’s too cold to stand here chatting. Happy new year to you both.’ And with that, she walked off.
Dylan raised his eyes at Sadie over the top of the car. ‘Maybe that Christmas miracle will extend into the new year,’ he said, softly.
‘We’ll see.’ Sadie wasn’t counting a single chicken when it came to her mother. ‘Come on, let’s go home.’
‘Sounds good to me.’