Page 98 of The Summer Escape

“I have four brothers.”

“I’d like a brother.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Would you?”

“Yes. Kit.”

A burst of laughter bubbled out of him. “What?”

“I’d like Kit to be my brother. He’d be the best brother in the world. You’re very lucky.”

“He’s a very good brother,” he agreed, then set her down as they reached the house.

As he drew the key from his pocket, Ellie tipped her head back to look up at him.

“You’re a boy,” she stated, matter-of-factly.

“Yep.” He smiled down at her as the key clicked in the lock.

“You must be Mummy’s boyfriend. If you’re a boy and her friend.”

“I suppose so … maybe …”

She stepped inside, ahead of him. “Does that mean Kit’s my boyfriend?”

“No. He’s just your friend.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” she mused.

He shook his head, completely lost as to how to explain the world to a five-year-old. “Would you like to watch TV for a while?”

“Yes, please.” She beamed at him and he breathed a sigh of relief that he’d brought the conversation to an end.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

After feeling increasingly nervous about the wedding, the panicked phone call from Trystan at the start of the day should probably have unsettled Beth even more. As it was, she put it out of her mind, assuming that Ellie and Trystan would be okay and that worrying otherwise wasn’t going to help anyone.

She slipped automatically into professional mode as soon as she greeted the bride, and everything went smoothly from there. When she found a moment to check up on Trystan and Ellie later, they were fine, as she’d suspected.

The day went by in a blur of dresses, confetti, speeches and dancing. Once she’d taken the formal photos, directly after the ceremony, she relaxed even more. The afternoon photos were informal ones of the speeches and a few of the dancing. The excitement of the day stayed with Beth as she left the venue, where the guests were really getting into the swing of the party.

Before setting off for home she quickly checked in with Trystan. She also called Dee and was relieved to hear that Ferne was back at home and on the mend.

The house was quiet when she arrived home. In the kitchen, Trystan was bent over his laptop but leaned back in the chair, leaving room for her to perch on his lap and drape her arms around his neck.

“It’s very nice to come home to you,” she told him happily. “I presume Ellie’s already in bed?”

“Yes. She went out like a light.”

“That’s good. How was your day?”

“Fine.” His smile didn’t cover the flash of nervousness in his eyes.

“What was that look for?” she teased. “Were you subjected to one of Ellie’s tantrums?”

“No.” His smile widened but still didn’t reach his eyes. “She was really good.”

“I’m not sure I believe you. If you had a stressful day you can say so …”