No Matter What (34 page)

India
looked over at Kenny, who was talking to Vince, and gave him a small smile, which he returned, along with a quick wink which she hoped Michael hadn’t caught.
 
She was totally unaware that he’d already guessed she’d told Kenny this afternoon, but she couldn’t wait any longer to tell everyone else the news.
 

She smiled up at Michael, who stood behind her, his arms around her waist, his hands gently placed on her stomach as he quickly kissed her neck.

“You gonna tell us why we’re all here then, sis?” Terry smiled, putting his beer down and folding his arms.

“Yes, Terry, we’re going to tell you.”
 
She turned to look at Michael once more and he nodded.
 
She leant back against him, her fingers entwining with his as she looked at everyone.
 
“Ok.
 
The thing is, we’ve got something quite exciting to tell you all.”

“Told you,” Terry whispered, nudging Reece.
 
“They’re getting married.
 
Bet you.”

“We got some news yesterday that we can’t wait to share with you
 
– and
just
you for the time being,”
India
went on.
 
“Michael and I ... we’re having a baby.
 
I’m pregnant!”

Reece couldn’t believe it.
 
His baby was having one of her own, his grandchild!
 
Now it was more important than ever that she knew the truth.
 

“Whoa!
 
I never saw
that
one coming,” Terry said, going over to his sister and hugging her tight.
 
“I’m gonna be an uncle!
 
Congratulations sis!”
 
He kissed her quickly, letting her go so he could shake Michael’s hand.
 
“And you too, Michael.”

“Thanks, Terry,” Michael smiled, looking out the corner of his eye at Kenny.
 
Yes.
 
He’d been right.
 
He already knew.

Reece came over and shook Michael’s hand too, congratulating him before hugging India, wanting to hold onto her and tell her, right now, that she was carrying his grandchild, that he was her father, that he loved her and wanted to look after her and make up for all those years he hadn’t known she was there.
 
He wanted her to know how much he loved her.
 
He wanted that more than anything.

“This is great news, sweetheart,” he smiled.
 

“Are you happy for us, Reece?”
 
For some reason she really wanted his approval.
 
She really needed that.

He smiled again.
 
“Of course I am.
 
As long as you’re happy then I’m happy.”

“Good.”
 
She smiled back.
 
“That’s really good, Reece, because, I want you to be this baby’s Godfather.
 
You’ve done so much for me, I can’t ever repay you for that.
 
You’ve almost been like a dad to me over the years, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have as my baby’s Godfather.”

Those words were like a punch in the stomach to Reece and he just hoped his face didn’t give that away.

“You’re one of the most important people in my world, Reece, and I want you to be one of the most important people in my child’s world.
 
So, will you be their Godfather?”

Reece didn’t know how much longer he could do this.
 
His stomach was in knots but he couldn’t do it now, not tonight.
 
It didn’t feel right tonight.
 
So he just nodded.
 
“I’d be honoured,
India
.”

She gave a little squeal of delight and threw her arms round his neck, hugging him tight.
 
“Thank you, Reece.”
 
She kissed his cheek and let go of him.
 
“I love you, you know that don’t you?”

“Yes, I know that, darling.
 
And I love you too.”
 
More than you’ll ever know
, he thought, watching her run over to Kenny.

“This has put a whole new slant on things then, hasn’t it?” Terry said, coming back over.
 
“You’re gonna have to tell her sooner rather than later now, aren’t you?”

Reece looked at him.
 
“It certainly looks that way, yeah.”

“A baby, huh?
 
Who’d have thought ... I never realised it’d got that serious between them.”

“I’m guessing it wasn’t planned.”

Terry looked at him.
 
“Hey.
 
This makes you a granddad.”

“I had worked that one out.”
 
He pushed a hand through his hair and sighed heavily.
 
“Jesus!
 
Why does life have to be so fucking complicated?”

“Are you going to tell her tonight?”

“Of course I’m not going to tell her tonight.
 
Look at her.”
 
He watched as she hugged Vince, her excited face so radiant and beautiful as she laughed at whatever it was he was saying to her.
 
He couldn’t wade on in there now and give her the bombshell he had waiting for her.
 
“Tonight is definitely not the right time.”

Terry watched his sister, watched the way Michael held onto the tips of her fingers almost absent-mindedly as he spoke to Vince, watched the way she reacted to him like they were two halves of the same whole.
 
This baby was a surprise, sure, but it had obviously made his sister extremely happy.
 
And it had made him realise just how much in love with Michael Walsh she really was.
 
In the few minutes since she’d told them the news, in those few short minutes, as he’d watched the way they were together, even when talking to different people, as he watched their body language, watched the looks that passed between them, he knew this was the real deal.

“Yeah.
 
Maybe you’re right, Reece.”
 
He picked up his bottle of beer, looked at it and put it back down.
 
“I’m off to get some of that champagne Michael’s just opened.
 
Do you want one?”

Reece nodded.
 
“Yeah ... Terry?”

Terry stopped and turned around to look at him.

“I
will
tell her.
 
I promise.
 
I’ll tell her, soon.”

Terry smiled.
 
“Yeah, I know.
 
When the time’s right.”

***

“Thank you for looking surprised,”
India
said, sitting down next to Kenny on one of the large, comfy sofas that were situated at the back of her kitchen in a cosy sitting area.

“No problem, babe.
 
Although I reckon he’d already twigged that I knew.”

India
looked at him, shocked.
 
“How?”

Kenny laughed.
 
“Come on,
India
.
 
You can’t keep your mouth shut for five minutes if I’m around.
 
You tell me everything, even Michael knows that.”

She looked over at Michael, who caught her eye and smiled at her, making her stomach do that flip again.

“I’m not that bad am I?” she asked, looking back at Kenny.

“There was no way you could have seen me this afternoon and not said anything.
 
It’s true,” Kenny laughed, noticing her look of total, innocent surprise.

“I hate it when you’re right.”

He smiled a smug smile and she kicked his ankle.
 
“
Jesus
,
India
, those heels are lethal!”

“I could do a lot worse, believe me ... God, I could do with a drink.”

“Surely one wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

“Probably not, but I don’t want to take any chances so early on.
 
Michael’s put some champagne in my orange juice, just so’s I don’t feel left out, but I could really murder a beer.”

Kenny laughed.
 
“Now that’s the
India
I know and love.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes the old me comes out from hiding.”

Kenny looked at her.

“What?
 
What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“What you looking at me like that for then?”

“I like the old you,
India
.
 
Why isn’t she around more often?”

She sat back against the sofa cushions and threw back her head, closing her eyes.
 
“There are times I want to go back there, Kenny, go back to being the way I was, a rebel almost, but ...”

“But what?
 
But Michael wouldn’t like it?”

She sat up and stared at him.
 
“No!
 
No, Kenny, this has got nothing to do with Michael.
 
Don’t bring him into this.”

He took her hand and moved closer to her.
 
“Just because he’s older than you, just because he’s different from me, that doesn’t mean you have to lose
you,
India
. Don’t ever lose you.
 
This place fell in love with you for who you were, someone new and exciting and that means they accepted you for yourself.
 
Remember that.”

She looked at him, not really knowing what to say but knowing that everything he’d just said made perfect sense.

Kenny looked away, letting go of her hand, leaning back into the sofa.

“Have you thought any more about this business with Charley?”

She shook her head.
 
“But I can’t settle if we don’t try to do something, Kenny.
 
I think there’s even a part of me that wants my old friend back, y’know?
 
I miss her.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, ok?
 
You’re supposed to be taking it easy so just let
me
handle things.”

She leaned over and kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand.
 
“You’re a star, Kenny.”

He smiled.
 
“Yeah, well, don’t tell everyone.”
 
He stood up, letting go of her hand and grabbing his drink from the table.
 
“I’m off to get a re-fill.
 
See you in a bit.”

She watched him leave and stood up, walking over to Vince who was standing by the open French doors.
 
Outside, coloured fairy lights lit up the vast garden as they twinkled in the trees around the pool and patio.
 
It looked beautiful and serene.

“It’s a fantastic place you’ve got here,
India
,” Vince said, staring out ahead of him.

She smiled.
 
“
I
like it.”

He turned to look at her.
 
“You’ve made him really happy you know.
 
I’ve known Mike a long, long time and this is the first time I’ve seen him so happy, so settled.
 
And a baby … how about that, huh?”

She smiled again, looking out at the sight that was her Californian dream garden.
 
“Yeah ... I’m still trying to get used to the idea myself if I’m honest.”

Vince leaned back against the wall.
 
“You’re happy about it though, aren’t you?”

She nodded, looking over at Michael who was busy distributing champagne around the room.
 
“Of course I’m happy, Vince, it’s just ...”

“Just what?
 
Come on sweetheart, if you want to talk about it I’m here.”

Since that conversation with Kenny she’d suddenly become a little unsettled.
 
She just wished she knew exactly why that was.

She looked at Vince.
 
“Have we rushed into everything too quickly?
 
I mean ... it just seems to be going so fast.
 
Even before the baby.”

“Do you love him?” Vince asked.
 
“Forget about the baby for a minute but, Michael ... do you love him?”

She nodded, stupidly feeling a tear start to fall down her cheek.
 
“I love him like crazy.
 
He’s turned me into someone I don’t even recognise at times, though, and that’s what scares me.”

“Hey ... come here, come on.”
 
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “What’s all this?
 
You were so happy before.
 
What’s happened?”

“Nothing’s happened ... I
am
happy Vince ... Jesus, it’s the bloody hormones kicking in already.
 
Ignore me, I’m just being stupid.”