No Matter What (98 page)

Kenny looked at her, sensing that everything had finally caught up with her.
 
“It’s been a bit of a day, hasn’t it?”

She looked back at him.
 
“You could say that.”
 
She sat back and looked around the room, suddenly aware of how tired she really was.
 
“When did we change, Kenny?
 
What happened to the days when we just used to get up, go surfing and hang out at beach parties?”

“They ended when you married the older man and decided to settle down.”

She threw him a look but Kenny didn’t care.
 
It was the truth.

“Do you miss those days?” he asked.
 
Because
he
did.

She shrugged.
 
“I don’t know.
 
Sometimes, I guess.
 
But they were never going to last forever, were they?”

“They could have done.”

She looked around the room again, where the sight of Michael with Ethan on the dance floor made her smile.
 
He was singing to him as he swung him round, up in the air and down again and Ethan was smiling that beautiful baby smile and laughing that irresistible baby laugh.

“But then I’d never have known what it was to love someone the way I love Michael,” she said quietly.

Kenny pushed both hands through his hair and breathed in deep.
 
“
India
... if Ethan is mine ...”

“I don’t want to do this now, Kenny.”

“We’ve got to talk about it,
India
, you promised.”

She sighed, closing her eyes for a second.
 
“I’m tired, Kenny.
 
And there really isn’t a lot we can do tonight, is there?”
 
She opened her eyes, smiling as Michael came over, holding out his hand.

“I’ve come to ask my gorgeous wife if she’d like to dance.”
 
He gave her that movie-star smile he was so famous for and
India
felt her stomach do a million somersaults, over and over again.
 
God, she loved him so much.
 
How could someone get more handsome the older they got?
 
Because her husband certainly did.
 
He was fifty-one years old now, although he looked a good ten years younger than that, and he was so much more handsome than he had been the day she’d first met him.
 
That day back in 1991 when it had all began.
 
This whole crazy journey.
 
Thirteen years on and who’d have thought they’d all be where they were now?

She reached out and took his hand, letting him pull her up.
 
“I’ll see you later, Kenny,” she said, walking off onto the dance floor with Michael.

Kenny sat back and watched her.
 
The way she looked at Michael – the great Michael Walsh – still managed to tear into his heart.
 
He ached for her.
 
He’d ached for her for almost thirteen years and it was never going to stop.
 
That’s why he needed to know if Ethan was his, he needed to know that because it could change everything.
 
Couldn’t it?
 
Could Ethan being his mean she’d leave Michael and start up the life with him that he spent every day dreaming about?
 
Of course it didn’t.
 
He was stupid to even think it could be that simple.

“There you are,” Layla said, perching herself down next to Kenny.
 
“I thought you’d deserted me.”

“I’m sure you’ve more than managed to keep yourself occupied.”
 
Kenny was still watching Michael and
India
.
 
Michael was holding her close, so close their entire bodies were touching and she was leaning into him, occasionally looking up at him to receive a gentle kiss and every time he kissed her and she smiled at him Kenny felt his heart almost break.
 
Because if it turned out that Michael
was
Ethan’s father then that would be it.
 
He’d have lost her for good.
 
What he was feeling was selfish.
 
The fact that he almost hoped for a result that would turn everyone’s lives upside down was the most selfish thing he could hope for, but if it meant that was the only chance he ever had of one day having her in his life the way he really wanted, then he hoped beyond anything else that Ethan was his.

“Kenny?
 
Are you going to pay me
any
attention tonight?”

Kenny was starting to wish he’d never got into this relationship, or whatever it was that they actually had.
 
She was starting to bug him tonight.
 
That spoilt-little-rich-girl whine of hers could really grate after a while.

“I’m tired, Layla.”

”You’ve been tired all day.”

He looked at her.
 
She was attractive but still too obvious for him.
 
She wore too much make-up, her clothes were always way too tight and yes, she was great in bed but that was it.
 
That’s where the interest ended, and it wasn’t enough for Kenny tonight.

“Since when did you become boring, Kenny Ross?”

“Since I grew up.”
 
He stood up, unable to stomach watching
India
with Michael any longer.
 
“Just leave me alone now, Layla, ok?
 
Just leave me the hell alone.”

***

“What was all that business with Layla Boyd?”
India
asked.

“What business?”
 
Michael pulled her closer, placing his hands in the small of her back.

“At the bar, earlier this afternoon.
 
What were you talking about?”

“It was nothing.
 
She’s been bugging me about a role in my next movie and I just wanted to make it clear to her that I’m not interested.
 
That’s all.”

India
wasn’t convinced and Michael could see that, quickly thinking on his feet.

“She started to rely on me a bit too much after ‘Above Board’, honey.
 
She got lucky, she was ok in that role but she seems to think I can get her more of the same and she has to understand that I can’t.
 
I was just telling her that she maybe needs to talk to her father a bit more.
 
He’s the casting agent after all.
 
But she doesn’t really want to go cap in hand to daddy every time she wants something.”

“Why not?
 
She usually does.”
 
India
gave a small yawn, leaning against Michael as he held her and he breathed a silent sigh of relief.
 
She seemed to be satisfied with his explanation.
 
The questions were over.

“Where’s Ethan?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Emma’s got him.
 
I think today’s finally caught up with him.
 
He’s shattered.”

“He’s not the only one.”

Michael kissed her gently, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Layla Boyd had reappeared.

“There’s no reason for us to stick around, you know.
 
We can quite easily slope off to bed ... you look amazing tonight, do you know that?”

She couldn’t help smiling.
 
Once the wedding ceremony had finished she’d changed out of her more formal dress and heels into jeans, t-shirt and boots and she’d instantly felt more comfortable.

“In this get up?”

“In any get up.
 
You always look amazing to me.”

“Have you been on the whisky again?
 
Or are you just after something?”

He smiled again and she kissed him.
 
She loved kissing him.
 
For the seven or so years that they’d been together she’d never tired of kissing him.

“Take your husband to bed and make an old man very happy.”

She laughed, reaching up to stroke his cheek, suddenly getting serious.
 
“I love you so much, Michael Walsh.
 
So much.”

He’d needed to hear those words.
 
He’d needed to hear them so badly. Especially tonight.

“Then let’s get out of here.
 
Let’s leave this party and have a private one of our own.”
 
He started kissing her neck, his fingers sliding up and under her t-shirt, touching her skin and she gasped out loud.
 
She wanted to go with him, of course she did, but she was a mum now and the fact she could hear her baby crying meant sex with daddy was going to have to wait.

Michael groaned as she pulled away from him, straightening her t-shirt.
 
“Come on,
India
.
 
Emma’s with him, he’ll be fine.”

“He’s crying, Michael.
 
I want to make sure he’s alright, I’m his mum.”

“I know ... I know, honey.”
 
He pushed a hand through his hair and smiled at her.
 
“Go on then.
 
I’ll still be here when you get back.”

She smiled too, standing on tip-toes to kiss him quickly.
 
“Yeah.
 
I know you will.”

He watched her run over to Emma, taking Ethan from her, cuddling him into her shoulder, his crying stopping almost immediately as she kissed the top of his head, rocking him gently.
 
She was the perfect mother.
 
An absolute natural.
 
Just like he’d always known she would be.

“Was that display meant for me?”

He turned round to see Layla standing next to him.
 
“What display?”

“You.
 
Practically having sex with your wife on the dance floor.”

“Oh, grow up, Layla.”

He walked out of the marquee and away from where
India
might see him with Layla again.
 
He couldn’t risk her coming over, asking more questions.
 
He couldn’t risk Layla opening her mouth.

“It won’t change anything you know.”

Michael stopped and turned around.
 
“Is there a point to all of this, Layla?
 
Is there something else you want from me?”

She shook her head, looking up at him.
 
She’d never really gone for the older man before but there was something about Michael Walsh.
 
India
didn’t deserve him. She really didn’t.

She moved closer to him, playing with the collar of his jacket.
 
“If you ever get bored of your wife, you can always come play with me again ...”

He pushed her away, casting her aside like the rubbish she was to him. “
India
’s worth a million of you, Layla.
 
You don’t even come close, you’re nothing, do you hear me?
 
Nothing.”

She was still smiling at him, twisting her hair round her finger in that annoying way of hers, making her look like some cheap Marilyn Monroe imitation.

“You still slept with me, though.
 
Didn’t you?”

“And I regret it every day of my life.”

“
I
don’t.”

He looked at her again, wishing she’d just go away.
 
He wished she’d just leave him alone.
 
He had far more important things to think about, far more important things to do than stand here and go over old and pointless ground.

“I don’t care, Layla.
 
I don’t care what you think or what you feel because
you
don’t matter to me.
 
But my wife does.
 
I care about what
she
feels because I love her, and if you do anything –
anything
- to upset her then I will end your career.
 
Just like that.
 
And believe me, you don’t want to call my bluff.”

But to Layla they were empty words.
 
She didn’t care.
 
All she cared about was making India Walsh realise that life wasn’t perfect.
 
Sometimes the things you wanted didn’t always want you back, Layla was beginning to see that now.
 
But she had to remember why she was doing this.
 
If she couldn’t have Michael Walsh - and it certainly looked as if that was the case - then she didn’t see why
India
should have him either.

***

“Are you ok?” Reece asked, sitting down beside
India
as she rocked Ethan in her arms.

She looked at her father.
 
“Yeah.
 
I’m fine.
 
Considering.”