Page 17

Pete

Pete feels relaxed for the first time in months as he steps out into the garden, weaving his way between family and friends, a cold beer in his hands.

There was a moment this morning when the rain had thundered down, the sky over the woods dark and foreboding as the wind whipped the trees at the back of the house into a frenzy, where he thought they were going to have to cancel the party, but the storm has passed and the sun beats down overhead, and finally it feels as if summer has arrived.

Now, the garden is full of all the people the Maxwell family love, and Pete makes sure to enthusiastically greet everyone as they arrive.

‘Oh, Peter, she’s lovely.

’ Mrs Noyce from across the street stops him, a glass of Pimm’s in one hand, the other holding on to her husband, who must be eighty-five if he’s a day.

‘You and Natalie must be over the moon.’ She nods in the direction of two of Natalie’s co-workers cooing over Erin, who has finally stopped grizzling.

‘We’re very lucky.’ He smiles down at her before moving on, clapping Dave the foreman on the back and stooping to kiss Dave’s wife on the cheek.

Natalie stands on the fringes of the garden, beneath the old apple tree, and Pete is relieved to see she’s put on some make-up and she’s actually smiling as she talks to the mother of Emily’s oldest friend from school.

Heading into the kitchen to grab some more beers for the ice bucket on the table, Pete winks at Emily as she sips from a glass of champagne, almost colliding with Eve, who enters the garden through the side gate carrying an M&S bag for life stuffed with wine, having clearly cut through the woods from her house.

‘M&S eh, Eve? You really are spoiling us.’ Pete moves aside so Eve can head into the kitchen, as she gives him a tight smile.

Pete rolls his eyes.

He doesn’t hate Eve, doesn’t even really dislike her, but he knows that she thinks she’s a cut above him and he’s not good enough for Natalie.

He doesn’t really understand why Natalie likes her so much – the woman is always hanging around the house with that judgemental look in her eye, and he knows she’s slagged him off to Natalie behind his back.

‘Pete!’ A hand claps his back as he watches Eve enter the kitchen and he turns to see Stu, wearing a crappy hat with corks hanging from the rim that Pete bought him for a joke about fifteen years ago.

‘Brilliant turnout. And lovely to catch up with you guys. It’s been ages.

’

‘Things have been busy, you know?’ Pete isn’t going to elaborate on exactly what he’s been busy doing.

‘I know, mate, but even so. We haven’t seen you and Nat since before Tenerife.

Is everything OK with you guys?

’ It is unusual for the two couples to go so long without seeing one another.

Stu has always been the one whom Pete can talk to about stuff, in the way men don’t usually share.

Stu has been there since the first year of uni and he’s gone through everything with Pete, including his break-up with Vanessa at the end of that first year.

Pete can’t talk to Stu about what’s been going on, though, and maybe that’s why he’s been unconsciously avoiding him.

‘I thought maybe … well, maybe you guys were offended we went away without you?’

‘Stu, mate, don’t be daft.

You know me and Nat aren’t like that.

Everything is fine. Honestly, pal.

We’ve just been so busy with the baby, but me and Nat are great.

We’ve never been happier.

’ Pete grins and claps Stu on the back, and if Stu notices that Pete’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, then he doesn’t mention it.

Pete’s not sure if it’s the buzz from the beer, or the fact that the garden is alive with laughter and the hum of conversation, that’s making his heart full, but either way he doesn’t want it to change.

It’s as if the storm earlier today has chased away the dark cloud hanging over his own house, and he can finally breathe.

At the end of the garden Zadie pushes Stu’s daughter Lola on the swing, both of the two girls bossing around Stu’s son, who’s two years younger.

Emily stands by the table talking to old Mrs Noyce, Jake beside her.

Pete watches as Jake slides his hand into Emily’s, pressing lightly against her fingers, and Emily turns to him with a smile.

Pete isn’t too enamoured with the idea of Emily having a serious relationship at her age, but now she’s off to university it’s something he won’t have to worry about too much.

No more persistent thud of crappy rap music emanating from Jake’s car at all hours as he honks his horn and waits for Emily to scurry out to him.

No more tears from Em as they (Pete and Natalie included) try to navigate the ups and downs of young love.

No more scraping of Emily’s window at night as Jake slides it open and climbs inside her bedroom – Pete and Natalie have argued over whether to confront the two of them over it more than once, but now he’s not going to have to lie there with clenched fists, resisting the urge to drag Jake out by the scruff of his neck and throw him down the stairs.

Pete gives it until Christmas before Emily fully embraces university life and gives Jake the heave-ho.

Out of sight, out of mind and all that.

A peal of laughter rents the air, familiar and yet not, and Pete turns to see Natalie laughing with a couple of women from her office, as she bounces a gurgling Erin in her arms. It’s as though Pete has seen a ghost – a glimpse of the Natalie he knew before Erin was born – and he has to blink for a minute.

He can’t believe he’s behaved like such an idiot.

Can’t believe that he risked this – risked everything – for a woman who belongs buried deep in his past, who means nothing to him and hasn’t for a long time.

Smiling to himself, Pete turns down the Spotify playlist Emily made and picks up a fork, banging it against the side of his beer bottle, smiling as his eldest daughter turns and groans when she realises what he’s about to do.

‘Ladies and gentlemen …’ he begins.

‘No, Dad. Please don’t.

’ Emily covers her face with her hands, but she’s smiling as she does it.

As everyone turns to face Pete, he climbs up onto a rickety garden chair and spreads his arms wide.

‘Everybody, thank you so much for coming today, to help us celebrate our Emily’s eighteenth birthday.

’ There are whoops and cheers, and Pete sees Jake’s arm slide around Emily, as Natalie glances their way with a smile.

‘That isn’t the only thing we’re celebrating today,’ Pete pauses for dramatic effect.

‘We’re also celebrating the fact that not only did our Em achieve three A stars at A level, but she’s also accepted a place this morning to study law at Durham University.

’ A gasp ripples through the crowd of friends and family, followed by clapping as Stu starts to cheer.

‘We’ve had a year of upheaval in our house,’ Pete goes on as, just on cue, Erin lets out a wail, ‘and I know you’ve found it tough studying through it all, Em, especially when you’ve stepped in so much to help your mum with Erin, but I just wanted to tell you how proud your mum and I are of what you’ve achieved.

’ Pete raises his beer, nodding at Stu.

‘And just because there’s going to be a lawyer in the family doesn’t mean you can misbehave, Stu.

’ Laughter runs through the crowd, but Emily isn’t laughing.

‘Dad, stop .’ Emily’s face burns a bright, vicious red as she looks up at him, Jake’s arm sliding from her shoulder.

‘Sorry, Em, I know I’m embarrassing you, but I am honestly so bloody proud of all you’ve achieved.

’ His chest feels tight, his throat thick with emotion as Pete scans the small crowd for Natalie, holding out a hand to her as he catches her eye.

Rolling her eyes, Natalie puts her half-empty wine glass down and makes her way towards him, allowing Pete to pull her up on to the garden chair next to his.

‘This woman here is the backbone of our family, and everything we do, everything we have together, is because of her. Natalie, I want to thank you for giving me these perfect children, for taking care of us all.’ Pete stumbles a little over this, knowing that lately all of it has been difficult for Natalie.

‘You’ve given me a pretty much perfect life ever since you literally swept me off my feet twenty years ago, and I love you.

’ Leaning in, he presses his mouth to hers and she resists for just a moment before leaning into him, as their friends and family whoop and catcall, raising their glasses in a toast.

Natalie pulls away, her face flushed, but from the kiss or the wine Pete doesn’t know, and doesn’t care.

‘I love you,’ he says again, cheers ringing in his ears, along with the faint grumble of a cry from Erin, and Natalie gives him a small smile but doesn’t say it back.

‘Now …’ Pete turns to the group assembled on the lawn, raising his beer again.

‘I say we get drunk!’

It’s as he’s about to step off the chair that he catches the first glimpse of something that he’s not quite sure he’s really seeing.

A flash of familiar dark hair that makes his heart stop dead in his chest. Pausing, he scans the crowd as people begin to move away, towards the table groaning with Natalie’s beige food and ice buckets full of wine and beer bottles.

But he isn’t mistaken.

There, at the fringes of the crowd, raising a glass of wine in his direction as she stares at him, is Vanessa.