Page 74 of The Summer Escape

“How was Ellie?” she asked.

“I’ve hardly seen her. She had Trystan running around after her all afternoon. It seemed as though the two of them enjoyed themselves. He took her up to read her a story not long ago. She might still be awake. I said I’d send you straight up to see her.”

Beth slipped out of the room again and up the stairs. In the bedroom, the lamp was on and both Trystan and Ellie were fast asleep. Perching on the edge of the bed, Beth felt a surge of love as she looked down at them. Her conversation with Dee about what would happen at the end of the holiday came back to her and she banished it to the back corner of her mind. Carefully, she removed the book from Trystan’s lap and nudged him awake.

“Hi.” His voice was croaky as he forced his eyes open.

She whispered hello and tipped her head towards the door. They walked downstairs in silence except for the sound of Trystan yawning loudly.

“It seems as though my daughter wore you out,” she said when they reached the kitchen.

“Yes.” He groaned as he stretched, raising his arms so his T-shirt rose up, exposing his toned midriff and sending a bolt of desire coursing through her. “She’s exhausting. How do you do that every day?”

“You get used to it.” She slipped her arms around his waist, satisfying her need for physical contact.

His arms locked behind her back as he kissed her. “How was your day?”

“It felt like a bit of a waste of time, as I’d suspected, but I don’t feel like such a terrible daughter now that I’ve seen Dad.” Her chin twitched and she turned her head to the side. Trystan held her tighter, which only served to intensify her emotions.

“You’re not a terrible daughter. It’s a difficult situation, that’s all.”

“I know.” Burying her face in his neck, she was overwhelmed by the heady scent of him. “It’s always so emotional seeing him. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to him not knowing who I am.”

“I can’t imagine it.”

Pulling back, she forced a smile. “It was good to see Dee and Ferne. That was nice. And it was all so much easier without having to drag Ellie around with me. Thanks so much for looking after her.”

“You’re welcome.” He moved his hands up to cup her face.

Snatching at his right hand, she turned it over. “What happened?”

“Your daughter happened. Is she allowed to wear nail polish? She swore it was okay, but given the way my mum questioned it I was worried I might be in trouble.”

“It’s fine.” She couldn’t help but smile – both at his nervousness and at his bright pink nails. “You look ridiculous.”

“I actually quite like it.”

“Really?”

“Please don’t say that boys can’t wear pink, because even Ellie knows better than that. We discussed it at length this afternoon.”

“Maybe it’s just a shock to see you with pink nails. It might take some getting used to.”

“I wasn’t sure to start with either.” He hooked her hair behind her ear. “I missed you today.”

“I missed you too.”

She really had missed him, and it’d only been a day. She refused to let herself think how much she was going to miss him when she was back in Plymouth permanently.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

Trystan generally spent at least part of the weekend working. He could barely remember the last time he’d gone a day without opening his laptop, never mind a full weekend. Previously, he’d never begrudged the extra hours he’d put in. But now all he wanted to do was spend his time with Beth and Ellie. The weekend had been spent lazing on beaches and exploring rock pools. They’d walked miles too, mostly with Ellie perched on his shoulders, which seemed to be her preferred way to get anywhere now.

On Monday, he was up at the crack of dawn and forced himself back into work mode. He and Beth had been out for dinner the previous evening, then back to his place for some alone time, so he hadn’t slept much. Not that he was complaining.

After not having done any work over the weekend, the tasks were mounting. He stopped for a quick lunch with Beth, then settled back down to work solidly for the afternoon so he could close the laptop in time for dinner.

The bright sunshine was dazzling as he ate with his mum and Beth and Ellie on the patio. While Beth took Ellie up to bed, he helped his mum clean the kitchen before she slunk away to the living room to call a friend and he returned to the patio. A barrage of messages from Kit kept him amused while he waited for Beth.