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‘Is it—?’
‘She said it’s not serious but you know her.’
‘So seeing Gwen and the baby must have made her happy... I am assuming that you two are together?’
‘We will be.’ Until he heard himself say it he hadn’t really known that was what he wanted. But half-measure arrangements were no longer an option after last night. The recognition of that decision gave him a liberating lift and a moment’s respite from the sense of impending doom that had descended when he saw his twin, the knowledge that there were no excuses left, he had to tell his brother the truth.
He’d known for days now that he had to do so, although Roman’s sudden appearance had precipitated it.
‘So what brings you here?’
You’re onlydelaying the painful moment,Rio silently mocked himself.
‘Thought I’d help out with the party, but I see you have it all in hand. So, does the surgery mean that Mum won’t be here to host her party?’ Roman looked at his obviously bewildered brother. ‘It’s July... You’ve forgotten about it, haven’t you?’
Rio swore, which his twin took as a yes.
‘I’ll cancel it,’ Rio said firmly.
‘You can’t do that—it’s tradition and her way of saying thank you, even when she’s not here in person.’
Rio muttered something indistinct about tradition that was probably unprintable, but Roman knew, they both did, that Rio would rise to the occasion. He could always be relied on to fulfil his duty and, on more than one occasion, Roman’s too.
‘So is the boyfriend going to be there to hold her hand again?’ Roman asked.
‘He’s a nice guy, Roman,’ Rio said as his twin sat down at the piano, lifted the lid and began a complex series of exercises. His brother had always struggled more than he had with their mother’s ongoing relationship with a theatre director.
‘This always did have a good tone.’ Roman’s hands fell away from the keys. ‘And I’m still reserving judgement.’
‘He’s been around for two years now and she’s very happy with him.’
‘She’d better stay that way,’ Roman growled and then changed the subject. ‘So what’s the story with you and Gwen?’
Rio exhaled. There was a story he had to tell his brother but it wasn’t the one he was asking to hear.
‘Just let me get this out before you...’ Rio closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. ‘Just let me get this out, Roman, before you say anything else.’
Gwen fed Ellie her breakfast before she popped her in the bath. Ellie loved bath time and Gwen, who like most single parents had become really expert at multitasking, had a micro shower with the door open so that she could still keep an eye on Ellie.
She had pulled on a pair of shorts and a cotton vest by the time Ellie was ready to leave the bath. A few minutes later they were both outside, Ellie wearing a cute play suit with a matching little sunhat and liberally plastered in sunscreen, though her skin had already developed a warm glow.
Gwen avoided the pool because she knew that Ellie would want to jump right in and instead made her way towards the dovecote that she had noticed when they arrived, armed with a bag of seeds she had seen stacked in the utility.
She sat on a bench and watched as Ellie threw seeds for the flock of white birds, thinking about how Rio had asked her to leave the room.
She knew that she was getting this out of all proportion—she had no right to feel hurt and excluded from a conversation between him and his brother.
But she did, and her throat thickened as she felt the push of tears behind her eyelids. If Rio hadn’t so unexpectedly seemed to want her to stay before then sending her away, it might not have been so bad.
‘Yes, bad bird, darling, very bad bird!’ she yelled back in response to Ellie’s finger-waving at one of the doves who the little girl had decided was‘very, very geedy’.
‘Well, what did you expect, Gwen?’ she asked herself crossly before pausing to blow her nose on the tissue she fished out of her pocket. ‘To be included in a private family meeting when you’re not family?’
She knew she was an outsider here but the reminder had hurt more than she wanted to admit even to herself.
‘All gone.’ Ellie tipped her empty paper seed bag upside down.
Gwen smiled. ‘Come on, that’s enough sun for one morning, I think. How about some juice?’
