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‘I don’t see what the problem is,’ Pete said loudly. ‘Anyone would think you lot weren’t pleased to see me.’ He took a drag on his cigar and looked around the group, most of whom averted their eyes. ‘You’re glad I’m here, aren’t you, Zac?’ He slapped Zac on the shoulder, filling the lad’s face with exhaled smoke.
Zac nodded half-heartedly. ‘Sure, Granddad.’
‘See? All good. Now let’s not keep the nice photographer waiting any longer. Smile for the camera everyone!’
To give her credit, the photographer took a shot, even though the group looked totally miserable… except for Poppy, who struck a pose and smiled at the camera, showing more maturity than her entire dysfunctional family put together.
A few further shots followed, with various people waving away cigar smoke, others glaring daggers at Pete, and some forcing manic smiles. If the photographer managed to secure one decent shot, Matt would be amazed. Eventually, she made an excuse about needing to fetch another camera lens from her car – although Matt suspected this was a ruse and the poor woman just needed a break. Who could blame her?
The sight of a police car pulling into the car park shouldn’t have been a surprise. After all, this weekend had been one disaster after another. Why should things stop now? Nonetheless, the flashing blue lights sent a jolt of dread running through Matt’s entire body. A feeling compounded when he saw the satisfied look on his half-brother’s face. He couldn’t imagine crime was a huge issue in this part of the country, which meant only one thing. It didn’t take a genius to work out the police were here for his dad. Although why, Matt had no idea. His father had only been released late on Friday – he couldn’t have had time to commit another offence, surely.
Two uniformed officers exited the car and wandered over, making a beeline for his dad and confirming Matt’s fears. ‘Pete Hardy?’ one of them said, unearthing a pair of handcuffs.
Matt’s dad stepped forwards. ‘That’s me. How can I help, officer? As you can see, I’m attending my grandson’s wedding, I’ve not done anything wrong.’
‘I’m afraid you’ve breached the conditions of your early release,’ the second officer said, sounding bored. ‘You were supposed to stay within ten miles of your registered home address.’
Matt’s dad scoffed, as though his was merely a request and not a mandatory requirement. ‘Surely you can’t object to me attending my grandson’s wedding? I’ll be back home tomorrow.’
The officer shrugged and held out the handcuffs. ‘We don’t make the rules.’
When Matt saw Chris fold his arms in a self-satisfied manner, he turned to him. ‘Did you report him?’
Chris’s injured expression wasn’t enough to cover his guilt. ‘Why would you think that?’
Matt’s blood boiled. ‘You did, didn’t you?’
Chris lifted his chin. ‘He’s not wanted here.’
‘Whether that’s true or not, you were out of line calling the cops on him. He’s your dad, for crying out loud.’
Chris turned on him. ‘Stepdad. And don’t try laying the guilt on me. I’m not the one who was sent to jail, and I’m certainly not the one who’s made our mum’s life a misery for the last ten years. You want to be angry at someone, be mad at him, not me.’
It didn’t matter whether Chris was right, or not. There were some things you didn’t do, and shopping a family member to the cops was one of them. ‘He’s served his time, Chris. Deliberately doing something so spiteful and mean, and on your son’s wedding day, too… well, that’s just typical you, isn’t it? You don’t care who you hurt.’
‘From the man who knows nothing about family.’
‘I know about loyalty,’ Matt snapped back. He was done letting his brother take the moral high ground. ‘I’m not the one who’s spent their entire life punishing our mother for having the audacity to have a second family.’
‘A family that’s caused her nothing but grief.’
‘And you haven’t?’ Matt was now in his brother’s face, fighting the urge to deck him.
They were interrupted by a tearful Susan. ‘Boys, please. This is bad enough without you two fighting.’
Knowing his mother was upset was enough to quell Matt’s anger. The brothers continued to glare at each other, but eventually backed down from the confrontation.
Matt turned to his mother and hugged her. ‘Sorry, Mum. Are you okay?’
‘Not really,’ she whispered, clinging on to him.
Silence descended as Pete Hardy was handcuffed and taken away to the patrol car, complaining when he was forced to extinguish his cigar. It was an awkward moment, to say the least. A mixture of sadness, embarrassment and relief. No one had wanted Pete Hardy at the wedding, but this wasn’t how Matt had hoped things would be resolved. And he certainly didn’t want to see his dad back in prison. He just hoped the judge would be lenient and award a short sentence.
As the police car drove away, Matt experienced a sinking feeling in his gut. A feeling compounded when he realised he’d lose the deposit on his dad’s suit hire. It was a minor inconvenience in the circumstances, but another annoyance to add to an already hideous weekend.
The awkward silence was broken when Bobby Taylor emerged from the hotel, looking grim. ‘I’m sorry to say you were right,’ he said, coming over to his son-in-law, before turning to look at Zac. ‘I have some bad news.’
Zac looked alarmed. ‘What is it?’
