‘So, we’ll have to replan the giving of the birthday present,’ he said and she lifted her head in surprise.
‘You can’t be talking about that with me looking like this, sitting here covered in vomit and just out of bed.’ She laughed self-consciously.
‘Oh, believe me, I can.’ He saw the colour hit her cheeks and his dick hardened. Today might not be the day, but he couldn’t wait much longer.
A key in the lock and the front door opened. Fox staggered in, hair more tousled than ever. One of his shirt buttons was done up wrong and he looked decidedly hungover.
‘Daddy!’ The boys hit his legs like mini tornadoes, nearly taking him out.
‘Go gently with me, boys, I’m a broken man,’ he whispered, which only seemed to work in reverse as they climbed up his legs. He gave in, kneeling to hug them both in the hall before dragging himself through to the kitchen. The boys followed. In the doorway, Fox looked first at Etienne and then eyed Isabella, both wearing his shirts.
‘What is this? Fancy dress? Let me guess, you’ve both come as me?’
Isabella tugged her shirt down a bit lower. Etienne pushed his sleeves up.
‘I was sick on Uncle Et!’ George said proudly.
‘And I was sick on Isabella!’ Reggie said, pushing out his pigeon chest. ‘Twice!’
Fox whipped his head from one boy to the other.
‘Uncle Et slept in my bed,’ George said. ‘He snored LOUD!’ He started snoring impressions to demonstrate.
‘Isabella didn’t snore,’ Reggie said, considering. ‘Maybe it was because she was on my bedroom floor.’
Fox turned wide eyes to Etienne for clarification. Etienne and Isabella both nodded.
‘Oh God. You should have called me!’
‘Never,’ Etienne said. ‘I called in reinforcements.’ He nodded at Isabella, who saluted Fox with her coffee cup. ‘How was the meeting?’ Etienne continued. Dingbat barked in the garden and the boys ran out to play.
Fox collapsed into a chair and rubbed his face.
‘The meeting was good,’ he said. ‘In fact,brilliant.The investors like the extension and they think it’s going to be big. Let’s hope they’re right.’ ‘Big’ in Fox’s gaming world meant big money. Big advances for new games and big payouts on sales. It could change his life. And that of the boys.
‘So, what did you have to stay on for?’
‘Dinner and schmoozing,’ Fox answered, averting his eyes. ‘Nice food, lots of drinks. Probably too many.’
‘Did that go okay too?’ Isabella asked, pushing him a cup of coffee.
Fox considered for a moment. He cleared his throat. ‘It wentsurprisingly well.’ He stirred sugar into his coffee, not making eye contact. ‘Unexpectedly so.’
With a quick glance out the kitchen window at the boys racing in the garden, he tapped his teaspoon on the side of his mug three times, as though to make an announcement. Etienne raised an eyebrow, Isabella leaned in.
‘I had a one-night stand,’ Fox whispered across the table. Etienne choked on his coffee, and Fox reached over to slap him on the back. ‘I know, mate. I’m as shocked as you are about it.’
He looked it too. His face was hungover and tired and happy and. . . worried?
‘Well, we all knew the day would come.’
‘Makes me feel strange, though, you know? Like the end of an era.’ He glanced at the photograph on the corkboard of Meg.
‘Meg would want you to live your life, Fox,’ Etienne said quietly. Fox shrugged but didn’t look convinced.
‘Will you bump into the woman again then? Was she part of the investment team?’
‘No.’ He laughed. ‘She was a demonstrator. They bring in gamers to show the investors how they work. She was playing my game.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Pretty good she was at it, too.’ Fox sipped his coffee and added a fourth sugar.
