“I’m too short for dresses, most drown me and make me look like a little girl who’s raided her mother’s wardrobe.”

  She rolls her eyes and continues to dig through what’s left of my clothes, “That’s what petite departments are for. They cater for little people like you; you know, the vertically challenged.”

  “Ha bloody Ha, I’ve got nothing to wear so why don’t you just let me phone Liam and tell him I have the lurgy.”

  “No. Suck it up buttercup. We’ve got over an hour before he comes to get you. That’s more than enough time for me to run down to the high street, hit Topshop and get back here to help you dress.”

  I flop back down on the bed in defeat.

  “Great. You’re such a good friend.”

  She leans over my sulking form, places a wet kiss on my cheek and then pats over the top, “I know I am. You’d be lost without me. Now get up before you make a mess of your hair.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  Less than forty minutes later she’s back with a choice of three outfits and I have to admit, they are all pretty cute.

  One is a vintage looking tea dress with a cute lace trim, but what makes it a little quirkier is hidden amongst the abundance of flowers are small silver skulls that you have to be really up close to notice.

  The second outfit comprises of an ankle length, pale pink, paisley skirt, with a plain white, ribbed vest and attached to the vest is a stunning jade necklace detail.

  The final outfit is skinny jeans and a floral blazer.

  I quickly try on each outfit and surprisingly love them all.

  “You can shop for me all the time. Your skills are wasted working on reception at the dentist.”

  “I know, I know, it’s a travesty dahhhlingg…” she replies like one of the fashion elite, “Now I think you should wear the skirt and vest, that way you can throw on your denim jacket, the pink Converse and you’ve not compromised your personal style. I don’t want you to feel even more uncomfortable and unsure of yourself than you already do.”

  I quickly redress in the second outfit, adding my pink Converse and shrugging my denim jacket over the top.

  “And take the pins out your hair, that look needs your wild locks free.”

  I hesitate, staring at myself in the mirror and actually liking what I see, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’m sure. Now get a jig on, I’ll go and make sure Seren has everything in her bag and then head home so you can prepare her for today’s adventure.”

  Before she walks through the door, I run over and wrap her in a hug.

  “You’re right, as always. I’d be lost without you.”

  “I know.”

  I laugh into her hair, “Is there anything that you don’t know?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, in that case, I’m also grateful for your unequalled intellect and knowledge, but most of all I’m grateful that you’re my best friend.”

  “Stop, before you make me cry. It’s my time of the month and my eyes tend to leak more for some reason. Hormones I guess.”

  I hug her a little tighter before letting her go.

  “Hormones hey? Nothing to do with the fact that you’re a big softy?”

  “Nope,” she sniffles and then heads out of the door, stopping on the threshold to remind me, “Don’t forget, big boy promised me signed piccies. You make sure he delivers.”

  “How could I possibly forget? You’ve already reminded me a dozen times since you arrived this morning.”

  “Well, now I’m reminding you again. I want chest, abs and hopefully a money shot, at the least I expect a happy trail.”

  “You’re incorrigible, now get going before you make me late.”

  I hear Laura-Nel leave at the same time Liam arrives. I can hear her remind him about his promise before she shouts out, “Toodle Pip, bitches.” And then flounces out the house.

  I hear Liam’s laughter as he climbs the stairs, muttering to himself “she is one crazy bird.”

  I hear him opening Seren’s door quietly and peeking in, then he closes it and his footsteps head in my direction.

  Butterflies take flight in my stomach; the closer his footfalls come, the more their tiny wings flutter in nervous excitement.

  Moments later, he’s in my doorway; his eyes running from the top of my head to the tips of my shoes.

  “Wow. You look incredible.”

  He stalks towards me with heat in his eyes.

  “Not that I don’t love your band t-shirts and jeans but I’ve never seen you in a skirt and I have to admit I’m liking the thought of the easy access it provides.”

  He reaches out and places his hands on my shoulders, then skims them down over my arms before he finds my fingers and links his with mine.

  “Are you ready for today?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  His hands squeeze mine, “They are all going to fall in love with you, just like I already have. Jules is so excited to meet you that I’ve had to reign in her enthusiasm a little. She’s even hired a travel sensory room that’s housed in a mini-bus so Seren has somewhere to escape if it all gets a bit too much for her.”

  My eyes widen at the generosity of a woman who has yet to meet me or my sister, “Wow. That’s so thoughtful of her… I… umm wish she hadn’t gone to so much trouble, though. Seren would be just as happy in the garden I’m sure.”

  “Jules never does things by halves. Did you remember to put both your swimsuits in Seren’s bag just in case she wants to go in the pool?”

  “Yes, I’ve put them in, along with her iPad and some of her puzzles just in case. Can I ask why you call her Jules if her name is Emma?”

  He smiles and quickly tells me the story of how they met and the reason for her nickname.

  “She sounds amazing, no wonder you guys hit it off so well.”

  I try to keep any hint of jealousy out of my words, but he obviously picks up on it when he reassures me, “She’s my best friend and like a sister to me. Well, technically she is my sister now. There was never anything between us. I was and always will be, hooked on you.”

  ‘I wasn’t… I didn’t mean…”

  “I’m just setting things straight in case you ever wonder. We have a close relationship, Jules and I; my brother, who is the most possessive person I’ve ever come across, especially in regards to Jules, knows we’ve never shared anything more than friendship, I just need you to know that too.”

  “I love you.”

  Everything he does is with me in mind.

  What did I do right to deserve a second chance with this amazing and completely selfless man?

  “I love you too, now let’s go and do some ‘Seren wrangling’ so we’re not late. My mother is a stickler for punctuality.”

  My eyes widen and I glance at the clock, he catches my worry and laughs, “She couldn’t care less if we’re late as long as we turn up. I’m sorry for teasing you. I promise I won’t tease you again until I get you alone tonight.”

  His words are laced with a sensual promise and I can feel my cheeks heat, “That’s not helping to calm my nerves you know.”

  He stops to feather his fingers over the redness on my cheeks, “I’ve got you. You don’t ever need to feel nervous because I’ve always got you.”

  Seren is in a very compliant mood today and happily gets into the car for the thirty-minute journey to Jake and Emma’s place.

  I hold Cari’s hand the entire way, only letting go to change gears.

  I hope the simple touch will help calm her nerves, but the closer we get to our destination, the more restless I feel her getting and a few minutes before we arrive, she drops my hand and starts fidgeting with the ends of her long hair.

  I pull over in a side street, no more than a mile away from Jake’s and turn to face her.

  “Hey, look at me.”

  She ignores my request and keeps fiddling with her hair.

  The fact the car has stopped confuses Seren, who loudly protests about our lack of movement.

  “Cari, please, I don’t want to hang around and risk upsetting Seren, so please, look at me.”

  She turns her head my way but keeps her eyes downcast.

  “Give me those emerald greens, I need to see what you’re feeling and you have such expressive eyes that they always allow me a glimpse into your thoughts.”

  When her gaze connects with mine I see just how anxious she has become.

  “Listen,” I reach out and retake one of her hands, “If we get there and you hate it, if someone makes you uncomfortable or if Seren hates it and doesn’t cope, then we just leave. No one will think badly of us, they know how hard this is for you both.”

  She startles and I rush to change my wording, “No, no. I don’t mean they know about our past, well Jules does, but she won’t say a word, I mean everyone knows it might be a short visit if Seren gets upset and they know how difficult it is for you to even attempt this today because of it.”

  She latches onto the one part of the sentence that I instantly regret saying, “Emma knows? About us? About our affair?”

  I can feel her nerves escalate when her hands start to shake, I need to fix this and fast, “She does, but only because like I told you before, she’s my best friend. I had to talk to someone about you and Jules is the least judgmental person you will ever meet. She’s such a strong person and reminds me a lot of you in that way.”

  She opens her mouth and I realise I have possibly made another blunder, “I mean she reminds me of you because you’ve both waded through the pain life has thrown at you and come out the other side with scars that have only made you stronger, not weaker.”

  Her hands slowly still and Seren’s noises from the back seat get a little louder, she even throws in a kick in for good measure.

  “I think Miss Seren needs to go, are you good, are we good?”

  She squeezes my hand before re-lacing our fingers, “We’re more than good. I’m sorry for my freak out. I just want them to see me as Cari and not your old teacher.”

  “They will, I promise. Now let’s get going before my brothers eat all the food. My mother always makes the best finger food.”

  I have to let her hand go to pull back onto the road, but as soon as I can, I reach over and clasp it in mine again.

  “I’ve got you.”

  When I look over she smiles at me, her nerves all but gone, “And I’ve got you.”

  I’ve already briefed everyone not to make a huge fuss when we arrive, so when we pull up Jake’s long driveway and park directly outside his house, there is no fanfare to greet us and for that I am truly grateful.

  I turn to look at Seren, who is busy staring out of her window at the large, weeping willow tree that sits in the centre of the turning space. Her hands flap excitedly as she watches the long, trailing branches, blow gently in the breeze.

  When I look back at Cari she is already watching me, “You really do love her don’t you?”

  I maintain our connection so I can emphasise my words, “As if she were my own.”

  “Thank you.” Her eyes are overflowing with sincerity.

  “Don’t thank me for something that comes as naturally to me as breathing.”

  “I can thank you for loving us and I will continue to thank you for the rest of my days.”

  I smile and bring her hand up to place a soft kiss on her palm, “I like that… the rest of our days.”

  We gather up Seren’s bag, which is extra full today as we wanted to be prepared for every eventuality and help a rather excited, little girl from the car.

  She immediately shrugs her hand out of mine, side steps Cari with lightening fast moves that I’ve never seen before and skips over to the willow tree.

  My heart beats frantically in my chest and I mentally berate myself for not having had a better hold of her. If we were on a main road, that could have ended in tragedy.

  “Don’t beat yourself up, she evaded me too. Why do you think we avoid busy roads and crowded areas? If Seren has her sights set on something, she is relentlessly sneaky.”

  Cari appears at my side and I lean in to wrap my arm over her shoulder.

  “I need to find some kind of reins or safety straps for her to make sure she’s safe when you’re walking. I’ll do some research later, I bet they have them on the internet somewhere.”

  She snuggles into my side as we watch the little girl who has stolen both our hearts and also makes them race with worry.

  “I love you, Liam Fox-Williams.”

  “I love you, Cari Pritchard.”

  She grasps my hand and tugs me towards the little girl who is currently running her hands through the low hanging branches of the tree. “C’mon, let’s get ‘Seren Wrangling’, it’s time we went inside; I can feel at least three sets of eyes staring holes into my back.”

  I chuckle lightly and turn to see if she’s correct. She tugs on my arm roughly, “No! Don’t bloody look, just entice Seren away from that tree and let’s get this over and done with before I do a runner.”

  I laugh under my breath, “I bet it’s only my mother, Jules and Liv. I guarantee all the men are out the back sinking beers and playing pool.”

  She grits her teeth and smiles at me, “I don’t care who it is, what I do care is the longer we stay out here, the more I’m going to want to get back in your car and drive far away.”

  “Okay, okay. Go and make sure you’ve got everything out of the car and I’ll give our girl her five-minute countdown.”

  I pull my phone out of my pocket and activate the visual timer we now use on a regular basis, especially when out and about.

  It works a treat and Seren happily takes my hand when the five minutes are up and skips along with me to the side of the house.

  “Shouldn’t we knock?” Cari looks at me warily.

  “Why would we knock when we know everyone will be around back? C’mon scaredy cat, even Miss Seren is excited to see what’s going to happen next.”

  I reach my free hand out and offer it to her, she holds it instantly and I give hers a small squeeze. We round the corner and begin to hear the voices of my family chatting away. The sound makes Cari tense up a little so I catch her eye and whisper, “I’ve got you.”

  The smile she gives me is small, but it’s still a smile and I hope this day goes well so I can see that smile get bigger.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Fox-Williams, it’s really lovely to see you again.”

  Cari leans in to give them both a kiss on the cheek while I stand next to Seren who has taken great interest in one of the garden wind chimes.

  “Please call me Honor and this is Max. Liam tells us that your first name means love, do you prefer Cari or Cariad? I’ve never heard such a pretty name before.”

  “Everyone calls me Cari, my mother only ever called me Cariad if I was being naughty.”

  She smiles, begins to relax into the conversation and I feel my shoulders drop with relief.

  Jules appears at my side with a bottle of beer and nods towards Seren who is happily running her fingers through the wind chime, “She looks happy,” she hands over the cold Peroni and continues, “why don’t I keep Seren company and you can go check on your girl.”

  I look around to see Cari chatting away to my mother, she seems relaxed, but I’m sure she’d much rather I was at her side.

  “Thanks, Jules, if you need me just give me a shout. If she gets bored of this, you can always take her over to the trees. This huge garden of yours is like paradise for our little outdoors girl.”

  “We’ll be fine, now go and keep Cari company, I can see Isaac heading her way and you know he’ll tell her all sorts of stories about you if you’re not there to defend yourself.”

  I lean in and place a kiss on her cheek, “You’re going to make a great mother, Jules,” I throw her a wink as I walk away, “so hurry up and make me an uncle.”

  She laughs out loud, “Oh, trust me, your brother is working on it.”

  “TMI, Jules. Too much bloody info.”

  “So, did Li-Li tell you about the time he got his winky stuck in the zip of his school trousers?” Isaac waits until he sees me approach before he loudly asks her this question. His devious grin telling me he was waiting for the right moment to spread this lie.

  I wrap my arms around Cari from behind, linking them around her small waist and lean my head on her shoulder.

  “He’s an out and out liar, don’t believe a word he says. I got my pants stuck in the zip of my school trousers, which stopped me from being able to undo them and caused me to pee myself. I was five at the time.”

  I feel her shoulders move with laughter, “Aww, poor little Li-Li.”

  She pats my hands, “Did little Li-Li finally get his zip fixed?”

  Isaac grins at me, loving the fact she has joined in the teasing.

  I whisper seductively in her ear, low enough only she can hear me, “Calling me Li-Li is worse than calling me, big boy. Unless you want that spanking I’ve promised you a few times, you’d better stop and behave yourself.”

  She swallows audibly and I know my words have affected her. Isaac, wondering what I’ve just said to provoke such a reaction, looks at me with what could only be described as awe, “Well, Li-Li, it seems you’ve developed moves I never even knew you were capable of.”

  I grin with pride, but Cari clears her voice and supplies, “Oh, you are so right. Li-Li has moves that would blow your mind.”

  Isaac laughs, takes a swig from his beer bottle and then tips it towards her, “Oh, you and me are going to get along just fine.”

  I playfully bite her shoulder and she gives out a small yelp, drawing the attention of everyone else around us and causing her face to burn with embarrassment.

  Through gritted teeth that she tries to hide behind a smile, she turns towards me and threatens, “Your Foxson is going to be grounded for the foreseeable future if you continue.”

  I kiss her heated cheeks and reply, “Oh, my Foxson is a persuasive fellow, I’m sure he can worm his way into your knickers.”

  She smiles, evil delight in her eyes, “Are you sure you want to use the word worm in connection to your Foxson?”

 

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