29. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Branson
Make memories.
T he smile on Mia’s face was everything. “I could get used to this, not flying with a gaggle of strangers, no cramped seats, no baggage allowance. This is pure luxury.” She stretched her legs out to emphasise her point.
We were on Noel’s jet, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, heading to spend Thanksgiving weekend in London. Though we only had five days in the UK, Mia had a list long enough to fill three weeks. There would need to be some serious prioritising.
“I’m with Mia on this. I never want to see a commercial airline ever again,” I said, sipping from a flute of champagne, fully indulging in the private jet experience. “I knew you were rich, but this is rich, rich. You sure your family only made their money by owning hotels?” I stretched my legs out, mirroring Mia’s position.
Noel chuckled. He sat on the opposite side of the aisle from Milo and I, on cream leather recliners. He was sitting upright, his laptop open on his lap. While he had the five days off to spend with us, he had work to finish before our holiday could begin.
"Well, not just hotels. Bennett Properties owns and operates a range of properties. We have twenty three five star hotels, nine all-inclusive beach resorts, one ski resort, a collection of private villas and three stately homes which are mostly used for weddings these days.”
“Are we staying in one of the twenty three hotels, or one of the stately homes? I vote stately home,” Mia said, looking up from her book - London for a Weekend.
“Sorry to disappoint Mi, but none of those homes are near London, so a hotel it is. But I promise, it’s the prettiest of the lot and you have an amazing room. It also has 24/7 room service, a spa, beauty salon and personal shopping service.”
“I certainly am not complaining about that!” She exclaimed before turning back to her book. “Oh, look at this, afternoon tea on a bus. I cannot wait to get there! This holiday is going to be epic.”
Two things greeted us when we landed in London. Rain - a staple in the UK in November - and my best friend, August.
“Auggie Bear!” I exclaimed, running towards him, leaving the others behind me. “It’s been way too fucking long, come ‘ere.” Pulling him into a tight embrace, I relaxed into that all too familiar comfort I’d experienced in his presence since the very first time we’d smiled at each other. We were just kids when I moved onto August’s street and I’d known right then he would be my best friend. He was more than that now though, August was my brother and moving away from him had left a little gap in my life.
Fuck, it was good to be home.
“It’s good to see you, Bran. How was the flight?”
“Fucking fantastic. You ever flown in a private jet, Aug? Trust me, when I say it will change how you look at flying. No queues for the toilet and not a single person kicked my seat.” I gave him a once over, taking in his pressed chinos, blue Henley and black funnel coat. He looked like my August, only his eyes twinkled and his usual scowl was absent, replaced by a beaming smile. “Marriage looks good on you.”
“Thank you. It feels pretty damn good too. Being in love looks good on you too. There’s something different about you that I can’t quite put my finger on, must be all the dick you’re getting.”
My cheeks flamed and I slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t be crass!”
He scoffed, “Oh please, don’t start acting like a blushing virgin. I literally had to listen to every detail of your first double penetration experience. And do not get me started on the other things you’ve told me. I should be clutching my pearls.”
By this time, Mia, Noel and Branson had reached us but hadn’t interrupted, standing to the side to give us some privacy.
“You’re still a dick, Auggie Bear, but I love you.”
“Same Bran, now introduce me to your everyone and then I have a surprise for you.”
The surprise had me balling, rubbing furiously at my face to dry the incessant tears.
“I missed you so much,” the small, grey-haired lady in my arms cried. She smelled like lavender and fresh linen - the same way I remembered from my childhood. My heart tugged at the memory of her holding me this same way, tears wetting my shirt as we said goodbye to my father.
“Missed you too, Mum. How did you get here?” My mum lived down on the coast, the drive alone would have taken her over five hours, and I can’t imagine she’d have done it alone.
“That nice Caleb drove down and collected me. Sweet boy, full of funny stories and always smiling.”
We were in a large suite in the Park View Lane Hotel, a gorgeous Victorian hotel overlooking Hyde Park. Like every other Bennett property I had been in, it was pristine and decorated tastefully. This one was all browns, reds and golds with an elegant feel to it. Caleb and August stood to one side, a shit eating grin on Caleb's face.
Thank you, I mouthed to them then turned around to the three people behind me, still hovering near the door.
“Mum, I’d like you to meet some people. This is Milo, his sister Mia, and Noel.”
Noel stepped forward with his professional mask firmly in place. No way my mother was going to put up with that, but I’d let him learn for himself. Lorna Taylor was a spitfire, a fast speaking, sharp witted woman who always saw the best in people and always spoke her mind. As he reached out his hand to shake hers, she shook her head and gripped his arms. They looked huge in her tiny hands as she pulled him forward, hugging him as best a five foot two woman could hug a six four well built man.
“I’m not fragile, give me a hug. Anyone who makes my boy as happy as you seem to is getting a hug.” Once she was satisfied with Noel, she moved on to Milo, and then Mia.
She turned back to me after, her lips twitching into a smile. “Handsome boys, these two. Pretty eyes on the both of them.” She gestured behind her and I couldn’t contain the laugh that bubbled out of me. I missed her, I missed August, I missed everything about this place.
“Mrs Taylor, will you be joining us this evening? We’re going to an illuminated lights show and then to grab some dinner,” Mia asked, resting her hand on my mum’s arm when she spoke.
“Lorna, please. That’s a sweet offer dear, but I’m going to have an early night and enjoy that huge spa tub and the room service that’s available. Noel there booked me a lovely room.”
Turning to Noel, I caught the sheepish grin on his face. He’d known all along. God, I loved him. Everything about him, his selflessness, his smiles and his frowns, the way he always found a way to touch or kiss me, and the way he loved me and Milo like it was the easiest thing in the world. Like loving us and taking a breath were one and the same.
“Sounds perfect, mum. Join us for an afternoon tea tomorrow though?” Mia didn’t know it yet, but we’d booked a table at Fortnum and Mason for my favourite afternoon tea in London.
“I’ll arrange a car to drive you back to Cornwall, Mrs Taylor, whenever you’re ready, so please feel free to stay here as long as you’d like,” Noel offered and mum scoffed at him, waving a hand in her direction. “Lorna. Seriously, Mrs Taylor makes me feel so old.” She winked at me and I couldn’t help but lean forward and kiss her cheek. “You look so happy, my boy.” Mum whispered in my ear. “Your dad would have been proud of you. Travelling the world, going on adventures, falling in love. He only ever wanted you to be happy.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “I am mum, more than I knew was possible.”
Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The London Eye, The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Covent Garden made up the list of places we walked between on our first morning in London. Mia took a few thousand photos, bought dozens of postcards, keyrings and magnets and made us kiss in front of every landmark. By the time our afternoon tea rolled around, I was exhausted and ready for a massage. Or sex. A massage and sex.
Caleb and August brought mum along, meeting us at the large department store that hosted the best cream tea London had to offer. Being this close to Christmas, decorations adorned the ceiling and festive music played softly through hidden speakers. The restaurant was busy, all the tables full with people eating from tall stands of pastries and sandwiches and drinking tea from porcelain cups. Mia looked at everything like a child in a toy store, her eyes wide, drinking it all in. She delicately traced the porcelain tea cups before picking up and taking a bite from her first finger sandwich.
“I’d have one of these every week if I lived here. Who knew tea and sandwiches could be this good?” She spoke around another bite.
“I think you’d get tired of it pretty quickly,” Caleb said before adding, “well, not the tea. There's something comforting about a good cup of tea, especially out of a teapot.”
“Has marriage aged you prematurely or something?” Noel quipped and August scowled at him. It wasn’t an uncommon look for August to shoot Noel - I’d seen it a few times in the run up to the wedding. August didn’t like anyone making fun of his husband, especially not Noel. But Caleb just chuckled, throwing his own retort back at his best friend.
“You’re one to talk, ‘Mr lets-buy-a-house-and-get-a-dog’, you’re just as domesticated as me, don’t pretend you’re not,” Caleb said and, catching the look on Noel’s face, slammed his mouth shut. “Oh, shit sorry.”
Excitement like little bubbles popped in my stomach. “A house?”
Noel looked from me, then over to a very quiet Milo. “Don’t get excited, I simply told Caleb - i n confidence, ” he shot Caleb a glare before continuing, “that I was tired of living in a hotel and that the three of us - and Juliet and Lena - would be more comfortable in our own home. Nothing has been decided and I had planned to talk to the two of you about it after this trip.”
This was a big step. A huge step, but if Noel wanted to move into our own place in New York, then I’d do it. As homesick as I felt, as much as I ached to return to the UK, I’d never leave the two of them. We’d be happy there, I just knew it.
Milo remained silent throughout the whole conversation, the air around us suddenly feeling tense and awkward. Mia broke the silence, listing all the things we were going to do the following day. She was a girl after my own heart with her endless lists, but I was shattered just thinking about another day walking around London, my aching feet a testament to how many steps we’d done. I wondered if maybe I could talk her into taking a tour bus instead.
That night we ventured into London to see the Christmas lights down Oxford and Regent Street. Milo and Mia walked arm in arm in front of Noel and I, Mia occasionally dragging Milo into a store, oftentimes emerging with a carrier bag. He’d told us once that he wasn’t a very good brother, but he was wrong and it was so evident by the way he treated Mia.
As I watched them laughing, it amazed me - not for the first time - how someone who’d had their heart broken so many times by the person who was meant to love them unconditionally, had the capacity to love others as fiercely as Milo did. But maybe it shouldn't surprise me because Milo was all goodness and compassion, with a heart so resilient it made me honoured that I was one of the people it loved.
We’d reached a particularly pretty side street, adorned with twinkling white lights when Mia stopped and turned towards us. “You three, stand over there,” she pointed to a tall Christmas tree decorated in blue and white baubles, then lifted her phone in a gesture to indicate she wanted to take a photo.
Milo and Noel flanked me on either side, wrapping their arms around me and squeezing in tightly. Once Mia had taken a few shots, they both kissed me on the cheek, holding still while she took another. “That one is perfect!” she exclaimed, before asking a passing tourist to take photos of the four of us together.
“I love you,” I whispered into Noel’s ear before turning and saying the same to Milo. Christmas this year was set to be the best in a very long time.