Chapter 47
The next morning, Marc tried to play down his nerves. The last thing he wanted was the twins picking up on them as they were about to head off on their trip. Straightening his spine and plastering a reassuring smile on his face, he walked into their bedroom to check their packing one last time.
‘Now, you’ve both got everything you need in the suitcase, and I’ve made sure I’ve packed your new toothbrushes, so it doesn’t matter if you leave them behind.’
‘Will it be nice in the hole-tel?’ Luca asked.
‘It’ll be lovely.’ Marc smiled at his son’s mispronunciation. ‘And remember, you can ask Aunt Bella, Uncle Joel or Uncle Noah to use their phones and call me whenever you want.’
‘We know, Dad.’ Liam rolled his eyes. ‘You told us that already.’
‘Look after each other.’ Marc hugged them both close, relishing the scent of their freshly washed hair and the smell that was uniquely them. It was so hard, letting go, even for a night.
‘Are we ready to roll?’ Joel’s voice drifted up the stairs.
Marc reluctantly released them. ‘Yup,’ he called back. ‘Go and use the loo, boys.’
Obediently, Liam and Luca trotted off, and Marc brought their little suitcase on wheels down the stairs.
‘Don’t look so worried,’ Joel, his normally arrogant grin toned down for a change, took the case from him. ‘We’ll look after them, bro, and we’ll show them a brilliant time.’
‘I know.’ Marc swallowed down a sudden lump in his throat. ‘But don’t forget to get them to brush their teeth. I’ve included a bottle of Calpol in their wash bag if they get any pain, and their bedtime toys are tucked in there, too.’
‘All right, mother hen,’ Joel teased. ‘We’ll be on it.’ He held Marc’s gaze for a long moment. ‘They’ll both be fine. Enjoy the time… alone?’ He quirked an eyebrow.
Marc didn’t rise to the bait. He knew Joel must have seen the wine in the rack and the new shirt in the wardrobe, which had arrived next-day delivery, even in the Christmas period.
For once, though, Joel was being tactful.
Marc wasn’t sure he liked it: if Joel had teased him more, he might have felt less nervous about his dinner date.
The boys thundered down the stairs. ‘Let’s hit the road, chaps. We’ve got Uncle Noah and Aunt Bella to pick up on the way. Which one of them do you want in the back with you?’
‘Uncle Noah!’
‘Aunt Bella!’
Joel rolled his eyes at Marc. ‘Looks like we’ll have to toss a coin when we get to their place.’
Giving them one last hug, he walked them out to Joel’s car.
‘See you soon.’ Joel lingered. ‘Enjoy it, Marc.’
‘I’ll try.’ He leaned into the car and ensured the boys were safely strapped into their booster seats. ‘Be good for your uncles and aunt, boys.’
‘We will!’
A final kiss, and he had to let them go.
Marc watched Joel’s hire car disappearing down the lane and giving him a hoot as they swept around the bend.
Although he was excited at the prospect of a child-free night, it felt like such a wrench to be without them.
But they could call him when they wanted, and he knew they’d have a great time.
Even if Joel was a big kid at heart, he trusted Noah and Bella implicitly.
Shaking off the encroaching blues, he hurried back into the house.
Lauren was coming over just after seven o’clock, and he didn’t want to waste any more time.
There was a casserole ready to slow-cook in the oven, a vat of mashed potato to warm up when it was needed, and a delectable lemon meringue pie in the fridge for dessert.
He hadn’t known what she liked to drink, so he’d covered all bases and bought red, white, sparkling and rosé wines, and some decent mineral water.
Now all he needed to do was stop himself going through the roof with nerves.
Tessa had always laughed at him for being clueless about date nights.
She’d applauded his efforts to build ambience and make the most of time by themselves, but after the twins were born, it had been virtually impossible to carve out any time to be alone.
Then, she’d fallen ill and things had got far more complicated.
So, to say it had been a while since he’d had to think about any of this was an understatement and a half.
But what did it matter if he was a little rusty?
He knew he got on well with Lauren, and she’d already given him a black eye – what else could go wrong that was worse than that?
He glanced at his reflection in the hallway mirror; the bruise was almost gone, now, thank goodness.
He hadn’t slept much last night, turning and turning the next day and a half over in his mind until he’d dropped off, long after midnight.
He looked scruffy, with unkempt hair, still wet from the shower, and an old grey T-shirt and blue jeans. He’d have to smarten up a bit later.
The thought made him grin self-consciously. He wondered if Lauren was feeling the same way. He hoped she wasn’t overthinking it. He was trying not to. Distracted, he didn’t notice his phone ringing until it was nearly too late. ‘Hello? Bella?’
The sound of the traffic in the background immediately put Noah on his guard. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘Yeah, sorry, Marc – didn’t mean to worry you.’ Bella’s cheerful voice put him at ease again. ‘I just wanted to check that you were all right with the boys having a fizzy drink when we stop for lunch.’
Marc laughed. ‘Well, I can’t be held responsible if they chew your ears off afterwards – Coke, especially, makes them very talkative!’
‘I’ll bear that in mind.’
‘Are the boys behaving themselves?’
Bella’s giggle emanated from the phone. ‘Well, they haven’t stopped bickering since they got in the car!’
Marc, mortified, began to apologise before Bella cut him off. ‘Oh, you mean the twins? They’ve been absolutely angelic. It’s your blooming brothers I’m talking about!’
Shouts of denial emanated from the phone, and Marc grinned. ‘I’m sure you’ll keep them in line.’
As he rang off, he was still smiling.