CHAPTER ONE #2
“It doesn’t matter.” She shakes her head and looks at her hands. Clearly, Mrs C doesn’t want to get Angie in the shit. “Do you love her?” she asks out of nowhere.
“I care about her.”
Her head tilts to the side. “That’s not what I asked, love.”
“I know.” I take a swig of my whiskey and she places her hand on my arm.
“I worry about you.”
“There’s no need. I’m happy, but not head over heels, that’s all.”
“So, she isn’t the girl for you long term?” Her soothing tone makes me want to tell her everything.
“From my end, no. Chelsea’s great most of the time, but now and then, she hints at marriage.”
“And you’re not ready?”
I huff out a soft laugh. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”
She seems reassured by my answer as her tone lifts. “You just haven’t met the right girl.”
“What if I don’t want to meet the right girl? I like to party and have fun. That’s enough for me, I can’t help the way I feel. Not everyone finds their soulmate, right?”
Her hand squeezes my arm. “The other half of you is out there waiting. I know it.”
“Maybe.”
Looking past Mrs C, I spot Chelsea making her way over in her shimmering, figure-hugging red dress.
All male eyes turn her way. She chose that outfit on purpose, hoping to stand out from the crowd.
She certainly does that. Chelsea is all long blonde hair and an hourglass figure, and her sexy-as-hell legs show through the long gap at the front of her dress.
“Hey.” I stand and place my hand on her hip when she approaches, my eyes flickering back and forth between the two women in front of me.
“Sorry I took so long. I met this super interesting guy who said he’d introduce me to Bruno Mars. Can you believe it?”
“That’s cool.” I mean, I could introduce her to Bruno, but she never asked.
“Chelsea, you’ve met Ash’s mum, Liz, before, right?”
She pouts with her finger to her lips. “Hmmm, have I?”
“You know what, Tommy, I’m not sure we have met,” Mrs C says directly to me. “But then, I can’t remember the last time I saw you with the same girl twice.” She smiles sweetly.
Chelsea forces a chuckle, places her arms around my neck, and licks my cheek. “Tommy is quite the catch, isn’t he?” Her hands explore my chest, but I remove them quickly.
“Babe, cool it.” I glance Mrs C’s way, but she’s looking in the opposite direction.
Standing on tiptoes, Chelsea doesn’t exactly whisper in my ear, “Take me to the bathroom. I want you now.”
“Jesus, Chelsea.” I clench my jaw.
“What’s so bad about that?” Then, unexpectedly, she taps Mrs C’s knee, ensuring she has her attention. “You must know what I’m talking about, Liz. You were young once.”
Holy shit. I’ve known Mrs C for a long time.
She doesn’t get angry, but Chelsea’s comment must have pushed her too far.
“Actually, I don’t. Any woman with an ounce of self-control would recognise there’s a time and place for what you want.
” She air quotes with her fingers, but her words fall on deaf ears as Chelsea continues to rub herself all over me.
“You finished?” I ask her. How dare she disrespect Mrs C like that? I’m so fucking embarrassed.
“What’s crawled up your arse? I thought you liked it.” Chelsea scowls.
“Not so much in front of my best friend’s mum. You’re out of order.”
She huffs. “Why don’t you get over your bad mood while I visit the ladies’.” She turns to Mrs C, looking her up and down. “Nice meeting you.” Then she’s gone.
“What on Earth—” Mrs C gasps and lays her hand on her chest.
“I’m sorry. She’s not normally so full-on.” While I scratch my fingers over my brow, I will the ground to open underneath my feet and let me in.
“Tommy?”
“Yes, Mrs C?”
“Just… be careful.”
Placing my arm around her shoulders, I give her a reassuring hug. “Noted. Don’t worry. I’m gonna be okay.” I half smile as she looks up at me and nods.
“Gosh, I hope so, Tommy, because I wouldn’t want you to get hurt…”
Her voice fades into the background as my attention wanders to the two people behind her.
Angie whispers in Scott’s ear, and the smile he gives in return says it all.
I’m certain I've never looked at any woman the way he looks at her. He’s besotted, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to the pang of jealousy stabbing my chest.
“Look how happy they are.” I raise my chin towards them.
“Who’s that now?” Mrs C follows my eyeline. “Angie and Scott?”
“Yeah. They’re pretty cool.”
“They are. Who'd have thought, eh?”
I smile. “Not me.”
When Angie walked out my door five years ago, I acted like a dick and thought she’d come running back.
It took me a while to realise that wasn’t the way Angie operated.
She was strong, feisty, and didn’t have any intention of being a pushover.
Once I got my head around that, I realised I’d made a mistake.
“We’re back.” I didn’t expect Angie to appear so soon.
“Hey,” I reply.
“Tommy, do you want another drink?” Scott motions towards the bar.
I hold up my glass. “I’m good, man.” This guy is never anything but decent to me when he probably should have knocked me out for hurting his girl in the past. We haven’t told a soul, but Scott knows everything because we talked about it once. We had to before it became an elephant in the room.
Angie beams as Calla rocks up from behind, placing her arms around her and Scott. “How are my favourite people?”
“Hello, you,” Angie says, giving Calla a peck on the cheek. “You’re just in time. We were about to share the news about our new home.”
“You're moving?” Mrs C asks with wide eyes.
“We are. We need a bigger place now—” Angie stops mid-sentence.
Calla raises a brow. “And?”
“And what?” Angie smirks.
Calla huffs towards her brother. “Come on, Scott. You said it was safe to tell everyone now.”
He shrugs. “Not up to me.” Scott’s eyes light up towards his wife, but Angie stands firm.
“We agreed to wait until after the wedding. This is Ash and Calla’s day.”
“Oh my God, you two. Don't give it a second thought. I'm so delighted to be an auntie—” Calla must realise she’s just let the cat out of the bag. Closing her eyes, she scrunches up her face and steps away from the happy couple while Mrs C’s eyes focus on Scott, then on Angie’s stomach.
“Oh, my goodness. You’re not—”
Scott wraps his arms around his wife as Angie blushes. “Yes, we are. We're expecting our first baby.”
An icy shiver runs down my spine as shit becomes real. Perhaps, on some level, I thought Scott was second best and she was waiting for me to take her back all along. What a conceited arse-wipe I am.
This is the wake-up call I didn’t know I needed. A new baby means they’ve made it. They’re a family now and their world is complete.
“Oh, my loves. I’m so pleased for you both.” Mrs C dives in, giving Scott and Angie a hug. “Congratulations, you two.”
“Thank you,” Angie says, looking up into Scott’s eyes.
“Sorry. The auntie thing slipped out.” Calla blushes.
“Not a problem.” Scott grins, turning to give his sister a hug while Angie glances my way. I’m standing here like an idiot and I’m unsure how to react.
“I presume you've told Ash too?” Mrs C asks.
“Calla and Ash were sworn to secrecy until we had the scan. It took us a little while to...” Angie's voice fades while glancing up at her husband again. With his arm securely around her waist, her voice picks up. “I’m sure you don't want to hear about that.”
I wish I didn’t know what she was talking about, but a couple of years back, I overheard a conversation between Ash and Calla about how these two had their troubles while trying for a kid. It’s a subject I consider private and none of my business.
“You don't need to say anything more, my love. I'm certain you’ll both make fabulous parents, and that little one is going to be a very lucky child.” Mrs C leans over, touching Angie’s hand. “You have so much to look forward to. When’s the baby due?”
“Oh, we still have a while to wait. I’m just twelve weeks, but we’re so excited.”
Still dithering like a prick, I attempt to break the ice. “Hey, I’m not thinking. Why don’t you take my seat?”
She pauses and glances at Scott for a moment before accepting with a cautious smile.
“Thanks, Tommy. That's sweet of you.”
“Congratulations, guys.” Raising my glass, I nod in their direction.
“Thanks, mate,” Scott replies, while Angie’s eyes meet mine for a brief moment and her shoulders seem to relax.
“Okay, no more talking about little Buster in here,” she adds, patting her near-flat stomach, just as Ash falls in behind Calla, kissing her neck.
“Save it for the honeymoon,” Scott calls. Calla blushes and Ash winks his way.
“Two nights child-free is hardly a honeymoon, but we’ll make up for it after the babies are born.”
“We were just talking about Angie and Scott's new addition,” Mrs C says.
“Hey, you're telling everyone now? Thank fuck for that.”
“Ashton Chambers, watch your language!”
He rolls his lips. “Sorry, Mum, but if you only knew how long I've had to keep it quiet. I’m relieved the news is out.”
While the girls chat away, Ash takes me aside. “Hey, I’m sorry I couldn’t let you in on their baby news beforehand, but I made a promise.” His eyes dart to Angie, then back to me.
“It’s all good here, my friend.”
“You sure? I know you’ve always had a thing for her.”
“Not in a very long time. I’m happy for them. That’s the truth.”
So, why do I feel weird about it? Me and Angie haven’t been an item in forever. We’ve socialised over the years and been civil, yet today, my regret levels are off the chart. What the fuck is happening here? Maybe this whole wedding thing is getting to me.
“More to the point, how are you feeling?” I lay a firm hand on Ash’s shoulder. “It’s a big day for you, dude.”
“Yeah. I’m a lucky man.” He glances over at his very pregnant wife. “I’ve got everything I ever wanted.” He turns back to face me. “And where’s your date disappeared to?”
“The ladies,” I answer before I scan the room. “Now you come to mention it, she’s been a while.”
“Right.” He nods, but I’m certain he couldn’t care less if he never saw Chelsea again. Ash isn't her biggest fan. Apparently, I'm in a long line of musicians she's dated, but we all have a history.
“I’d better find out where she’s got to,” I reply.
While I wander around the room, my thoughts land on my best friend and his girl. Ash and Calla have an incredible relationship, which, until today, I thought was a one-off. Now, as I watch Angie and Scott from across the room, it’s clear they have it too.
The elements of what they have are falling into place for me. I’ve witnessed the love, laughter, tears, and sense of family. This is my lightbulb moment.
“Baby, there you are. I need a glass of champagne,” Chelsea demands while I'm looking at her with fresh eyes. How the hell can I carry on coasting like this? Maybe it’s time I faced up to a few home truths, especially after witnessing so much love in this room tonight.
Maybe Mrs C is right. I shouldn’t settle for second best.