Family Affair by Elle M Thomas

Chapter 28

 

Declan

 

I am technically on my second breakfast of the day as I sit in Mase’s kitchen tucking into a full English he has prepared for us both. Accepting a refill of my cup, I look around.

“No Liv?”

He shakes his head. “She didn’t sleep very well…”

I smirk.

“Get your mind out of the gutter and stop thinking about my wife having sex.”

I laugh at the warning I’ve heard several times before.

“The baby is keeping her up most of the night. Between peeing and shoving arms and legs into her ribs and shit, neither of us are getting much sleep.”

He does look a little jaded around the eyes, but he is still smiling.

“Good practice for night feeds and dirty nappies.”

“It certainly is. I’m just hoping we get a baby that likes to sleep at night, or we might need to get a nanny.”

“You are so fucking pretentious with a live-in nanny to cover your sleepless nights.”

I feel sad suddenly as I imagine my own child waking in the night and being tended to by someone who is neither of her natural parents. Mase sees my change in demeanour, reaches across and gives my shoulder something between a rub and a pat.

“We are not having a live-in nanny.” Liv appears and does look tired but also glowing and gorgeous as usual. She rubs her hand across her belly and makes her way to Mase’s side. “We have discussed this. No nanny.” She stretches up and kisses his cheek.

“Fine,” Mase replies with a pout. “I am more than happy for you to be a full-time stay at home mum.”

The look on my sister-in-law’s face suggests this is a discussion they have also had several times and she doesn’t seem in favour of having it again.

She turns to me. “Any more thoughts on the places we’ve seen so far, Dec?”

“A few. Dad is meeting us here to discuss the properties—”

She cuts me off. “Why is Jimmy discussing the properties?”

“He always does,” Mase explains. “He looks into the property, previous owners and whether they were dodgy and if they were, how likely that is to have an effect on us going forward.”

“Ah, okay.”

I can’t hide my smile. Liv just accepts that explanation, which sounds a bit dodgy even if it is the truth. But then again, Liv has been tagged and traced by our old man before now.

“And here he is,” Mase announces, already heading for the lift to meet our dad.

Liv takes his seat and seems to be silently studying me. When she sees that I’ve noticed she reverts conversation back to the buildings we’ve viewed. “When double 0 Jimmy has given you the lowdown on local gangsters, let me know which ones you’re interested in, and we can go back for another viewing and more brainstorming.”

She gets up, goes over, and kisses my dad on the cheek before he leans down to talk to his unborn grandchild and then she disappears.

Me, my dad and brother are going through details when Liv returns with a couple of sketch pads that she places next to us. “Some ideas for you to think about and if you boys don’t need me here, I am heading over to Dazzler to meet Anita.”

We all nod, although I’m a little confused until I remember that Anita was using my kitchen today for some huge cake she’s baking.

“Let Cupcake know I’ll be expecting cake with her own special frosting on top,” I call as Liv prepares to kiss Mase before leaving.

Her face turns into a sour expression. “There is no way in hell I am passing that message on and you and her and your special frosting, well, I don’t want to know.” She shudders.

I’m a bit confused and then the penny drops. “Good God, no! Jeez, what is the matter with you? You really think frosting is a euphemism?”

I know me and Anita are rather fond of sharing frosting, but as if I would discuss that in front of Dad and Mase, never mind sending a message about it to her!

“Oh.” Liv blushes a beautiful shade of scarlet, looking awkward as hell.

“Yeah, well, maybe forget the message.”

 

~~~

 

Some of the information my dad has dug up is comedy gold and other bits are scary as hell. By the time he has finished, we are down to three possible choices; the warehouse on the docks that would be amazing as a club venue, a disused old cinema that would work as well and a small shop with original features and character that could work as a coffee shop come bistro.

Dad is already preparing his retreat once the talk turns to cash. He isn’t short of money but has a healthy dislike of it based on the fact that he doesn’t know enough about it. That is Mase’s speciality which is why both me and our dad take financial and investment advice from my brother.

“Your call ultimately,” Mase tells me. “We’d need to do some negotiation on the price of the warehouse on the docks, plus, your insurance premiums would be higher with the location.”

“So, your vote would go to the cinema?”

He shrugs. “I don’t have a vote, Dec. Your business, you choose. They’re both highly viable options and I’ll be happy with my return on either.”

“I loved the docks, and the possibilities were endless, but it didn’t have the same character as the cinema.”

He nods.

“Okay. Cinema.”

“Just like that?” Mase laughs.

“Yeah, although it’s not just like that because I have been dreaming about that place.”

He doesn’t laugh at that comment, just nods. “That’s a good indication.”

I go to speak, then stop, a couple of times before he rolls his eyes, knowing there’s something else I want to say. “What about the shop? Could we do that too?”

“Fucking hell! I thought I was the one who tried to bite off more than I could chew in business.”

“Is that a no?”

“No. It’s not a no. I’ll look at the figures but with the lower cost of the cinema it could be an option. You’d really need to think about what you were doing with each property and when though.”

“Thanks, Mase.”

“No problem, now sod off and do whatever it is you do while I go and sit through a three-hour conference call before looking at your figures.”

I am up on my feet and already know where I am going from here. Who I am going to. Anita. I have missed my lady and am hoping that by the time I reach her Olivia will be long gone and I can sample her special frosting. I laugh again at the idea of my earlier, innocent use of frosting. This time, it might not be quite so innocent.

 

Anita

 

As I am working from Dec’s kitchen today and he is meeting with Mase on the other side of town, it seems the safest option to meet Liv and Christian here. My sister is due any second and I am crapping myself to reveal all to her. If she disapproves, she could tell Mase before I get the chance to tell Dec and that would be the worst outcome for him to hear the details from anyone who isn’t me.

“Hi,” she calls, heading towards me if the sound of her increasingly loud footsteps is anything to go by.

“Hi,” I repeat back when I turn and find her standing in the doorway while I mix some frosting.

She is almost sneering as she looks at the huge bowl I’m mixing in.

“What?”

She shudders. “Just something Dec said about special frosting.”

I laugh and am relieved when she joins in.

“Sorry,” I begin.

“Sorry? For what?” I hear and see her bristling.

“For avoiding you. For not explaining sooner.”

She rubs a hand across her belly that I am sure has grown since she entered the kitchen. She looks concerned for me, but she also looks tired. I grab a high stool for her and once she has struggled onto it, I scoot up onto the work top, so we are pretty much eye to eye.

“Why did you, avoid me?”

It’s a simple enough question, I just hope my response doesn’t offend her.

“I was ashamed of what happened, what I did. When you walked in on me and Christian at Charlotte’s, I reacted out of fear.”

“Fear? Of me?” She kind of sounds offended already.

“Yes,” I admit a little warily and fortunately she gives me a half-smile and rub of the knee. “I was scared that you would hate me, but more than that, I was scared you’d tell Mase, and—”

“And he’d tell Dec,” she finishes for me.

“Yes.”

“You were probably justified in that fear. I mean, he may have given you a time limit to do it, or even got Jimmy digging on you, but there is no way he would have sat tight on you having been pregnant with Christian’s baby.”

We stare at each other, and it feels as though in some ways a weight has been lifted from me. She understands why I didn’t tell her sooner and more than that, she doesn’t appear to hate me or be judging me.

She is suddenly on her feet and pulling me in for a close hug, well, as close as we can be considering she’s about eight and a half months pregnant.

“So, should I assume you’ve told Dec yourself?”

She pulls back and one look at my face confirms that I haven’t.

Before she starts firing questions at me, I explain. “I’ll tell him later. I wanted to tell you, and to let Christian know that I’m not scared of him or his threats. He has as much to lose as me, more maybe.”

Another voice speaks rather than Liv.

“Look at what we have here; the ugly sisters or sisters Grimm.” Christian laughs, immediately moving across the room and taking Liv’s vacant seat. “So, you’re not scared of me and my threats…great, let’s invite Dec to join us.”

I wasn’t expecting that. His phone is out and whether he’s bluffing or not, I can’t allow him to tell Dec instead of me. I snatch his phone and lock it.

“As I thought. So, let me explain how this is going down.”

I stare at this odious little man and wonder how I had ever found him likeable never mind attractive. I wish I had never met him and more than that, if I had to, I wish I had never let him touch me.

“I hear Declan is expanding his little empire, so, you are going to tell him that he should let me do the redesigns on his new place.”

I watch as Liv rolls her eyes.

He cuts her a look. “It’s not like you need the cash now you’re carrying a Harding, assuming it has Harding blood in its veins.”

“Fuck off, Christian. She is not going to send Dec your way for work. Even if she could, Dec wouldn’t do it. He is his own man and makes his own choices.”

“You stupid fucking bitch!” he spits at Liv; real venom being aimed at her. He reaches for her and grabs her arm, pulling her closer.

Liv releases a scream of shock rather than fear I think, her free arm automatically going to her unborn child in some attempt to protect them both.

I feel as though I am watching some kind of movie as events unfold before me. Christian still has a hold of Liv’s arm and is still pulling her by it. I watch in horror as she seems to stumble and falls to the hard kitchen floor.

“You fucking idiot,” I scream as I go to where Liv is moving into a sitting position, preparing to stand. “Even if I had been prepared to do your bidding with Dec before, which I wasn’t, I certainly wouldn’t be doing it now you’ve thrown my pregnant sister to the floor.”

“Fine, then let’s call Declan and tell him how you aborted my baby. Flushed it away without a second thought. I’m sure he’ll be only too happy to have you stick around after that bombshell! Oh, and if your sister,” he sneers the word sister knowing Liv and I are not actually related. “If she wants to keep her relationship, she’ll have to choose Dec as the wronged party and kick you to the curb. Mase wouldn’t accept any less than that.”

Tears begin to prick at my eyes, the first escaping when I lock eyes with Liv and can see that she believes the last bit about Mase.

“We all know Dec isn’t fussy about who he fucks, well,” Christian gestures to me. “But as I hear congratulations are in order, he may be a little pickier in a fiancée or a wife, don’t you think? So, you play ball with me, and he won’t ever need to hear that you’re a dirty slut who picks up married men, coerces them into giving you money in exchange for your silence, only to deliberately get pregnant to trap me and when I called time and told you to do your worst, you aborted an innocent baby.”

I actually want to punch him. Christian looks so smug. I almost forget about Liv until I hear her release a little groan as she adjusts her position still sitting on the floor. She looks pale and shaken.

Instead of helping Liv up, I stand, stretching to my full height to face Christian. He is a bully, always has been, with me and Liv from all I have heard. I briefly think of his wife and assume if he isn’t this arsehole with her, which I find hard to believe, it’s because her dad is loaded and was beneficial to his career.

“I didn’t abort an innocent baby.”

Christian smirks and again I want to punch him but settle for wiping the arrogant smirk from his face with my words instead.

“I could never have aborted my own child. I gave her up for adoption.”

And then the world comes crashing down with a single word.

“Cupcake.”