No Matter What (99 page)

“I saw you talking to Kenny.
 
Is everything alright?”

“I’m jumping through hoops with joy, dad, what do
you
think?”

“I’ll ignore that because you’re obviously tired.”

“Well spotted.”

“Drop the sarcasm,
India
.
 
It doesn’t suit you.
 
This is serious.
 
First thing tomorrow we need to get started on sorting this whole mess out.
 
Sooner rather than later.”

“I know,” she sighed, rubbing Ethan’s back as she lay him over her shoulder. He was starting to cry and she knew it was because he was over tired.
 
She knew how he felt.
 
She just wanted to curl up and go to sleep too.
 
“Have you seen his dummy...?
 
Oh, thanks Emma.”
 
She took the dummy from Emma and put it in Ethan’s mouth as he closed his eyes and leaned into her.

“Do you want me to take him for a minute?” Reece asked.

India
nodded, handing him over.
 
“Please.
 
I’ll go get him a bottle.
 
He’ll be needing a feed before bed anyway.”

“I can do that if you like, honey,” Martha said, joining them.
 
“It’s no trouble.”

India
smiled.
 
“No.
 
It’s ok.
 
I’ll only be a few minutes.
 
And I could do with some fresh air.”

“Well, if you’re sure.”

India
kissed her step-mum’s cheek and smiled again.
 
“I’m sure.
 
Back in a bit.”

She walked back over to the main house, wrapping her arms around herself as the cool night air hit her.
 
Everyone around her still seemed to be having a good time.
 
She didn’t know where Michael had gone though.
 
He’d disappeared from the marquee and he didn’t seem to be outside either.
 
Neither was Kenny.
 

Walking back into the house, she decided to go and see if Michael was around before she got Ethan’s bottle ready.
 
If he really did fancy that early night then she reckoned she was going to take him up on the offer.
 
Emma was staying over so she could look after Ethan, which meant there was nothing stopping them from skipping the rest of this party and escaping.

The door to his study was slightly open and
India
stuck her head around it to see if he was in there, sniffing the air.
 
Had he been smoking?
 
There was a definite smell of stale smoke in there.
 
She walked inside, picking up the empty glass from his desk and tipping the cigarette butt into the waste bin, going over to the window and opening it slightly to let some air in.
 
She’d have to have a word with him about this.
 
She just hoped he hadn’t started up that habit again.

Turning around she began picking up odd bits of rubbish that had accumulated on his desk.
 
Michael had a habit of leaving things lying around rather than putting them in the bin so she might as well do a bit of tidying up while she was here.
 
She hated any kind of mess.

As she picked up the last of the scrunched up pieces of paper she noticed an envelope with “Private and Confidential” stamped on it in bright red letters.
 
Couldn’t be that private, she thought, if he’d left it lying about.
 
Maybe she shouldn’t touch that one though.
 
She threw the rubbish into the bin and started to walk out of the office but something made her turn around and walk back over to that envelope.
 
There was a piece of paper lying underneath it, and even though she knew she really shouldn’t touch it she couldn’t help herself.
 
It was almost as if something was compelling her to pick it up, and if he’d wanted to keep it that private surely he’d have put it away somewhere, wouldn’t he?

Reaching over, she pulled the sheet of paper out from underneath the envelope, sitting down on the edge of the desk as she looked at it, her hand suddenly flying to her mouth as she realised just what it was she was holding.
 
And that’s when her whole world stood still.

CHAPTER 48

“What’s on your mind, honey?” Martha asked Reece as she cradled Ethan in her arms.
 
There’d been times, over the course of the day, when he’d seemed miles away.

“Sorry?”
 
Reece looked at Martha and smiled.
 
“I’m fine, really.”

“I’m not stupid, Reece.
 
I can see something’s on your mind.
 
What is it?”

Reece leaned forward, clasping his hands together as he watched everything going on around him.
 
He couldn’t keep this from Martha, she was his wife.
 
And he needed to talk to somebody about it.

“It’s
India
,” he sighed.
 
“She slept with Kenny Ross, back in Vegas.”
 
He looked at Martha again.
 
“Around the time she was trying to get pregnant.”

Martha shook her head.
 
“Oh, Reece ... no.
 
Don’t tell me ...”

He sat back, pushing his hands through his hair, sighing heavily again.
 
“Yep.
 
She’s not 100% sure who Ethan’s real father is.”

“When ... when did you find this out?” Martha asked, holding Ethan even closer.

“When I was talking to Kenny at the bar, earlier on.
 
He told me.”

“Oh baby ... no wonder your mind’s been all over the place.
 
But ... Michael? Does he have any idea?”

Reece shrugged.
 
“I doubt it.
 
If he did I don’t think he would have sat back and done nothing.”
 
He turned to look at Martha.
 
“She’s acting like this is something she can just brush under the carpet, it’s as though she’s got no idea how serious this really is.
 
She knows we have to sort it out, I’ve spoken to her, but it doesn’t seem as though it’s sinking in, and I don’t know where to start, Martha.
 
I don’t have the first clue how to go about this in the right way.
 
I really don’t.”

She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently.
 
“I think this is something we all need to sleep on, Reece, don’t you?
 
It’s been a long day.”

He closed his eyes and nodded.

“And then tomorrow, for the sake of this little boy here, we start to deal with this.
 
In the most discreet way that we possibly can.”

***

India
sat down and looked at the sheet of paper again, scanning the words in front of her.

“Michael Jonathan Walsh is the biological father of Ethan Michael James Walsh.”

“Oh God,” she whispered.
 
“Oh, thank God!”

But once the relief of finding out Michael
was
Ethan’s real father wore off, the reality began to sink in.
 
What was he doing with this?
 
For him to have had this done must mean he’d had doubts about Ethan’s paternity in the first place.
 
Did he know about her and Kenny?
 
Oh Jesus, no, he couldn’t, could he?
 
 
India
’s head was spinning.
 
What exactly
did
Michael know?
 
And how?
 
How
did he know?
 
How had he found out?

She felt numb.
 
If he
did
know, and he must do - there was no other explanation for him having the test done - how long had he known?

She felt tears start to run down her face and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
 
If she’d thought things had been a mess before then that was nothing compared to what they were now.
 
She had to talk to him.
 
So many questions - so many ...

She had to talk to Michael.
 
But what the hell was she supposed to say?
 
And why hadn’t he said something to her?
 
If he knew she’d slept with Kenny why hadn’t he said anything?
 
She felt sick.
 
This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be happening.
 
She was in danger of losing everything she’d ever loved and she had no idea what to do next.
 
She had no idea at all.
 
So many secrets were slowly being exposed and she was scared.
 
More scared than she’d ever been in her life.
 

Sliding the piece of paper back under the envelope she left it where it was and got up, leaving the study and running upstairs to their bedroom.
 
She splashed cold water over her face, trying to take away the redness from her eyes, she didn’t want anyone, least of all Michael, to know she’d been crying because now wasn’t the time to have the conversation she really needed to have.
 
There were too many people around.
 
She needed to get back down to the party, make sure Ethan was alright.
 
That’s what she needed to do.
 
So she re-applied her make-up, brushed her hair through and composed herself, even though her head was a mess.
 
She didn’t know what to do.
 
Confusion was the only thing she was feeling right now but she had to control that.
 
She had to make out she knew nothing.
 
For now.

As she made her way back downstairs, past Michael’s study again, she saw Layla Boyd walking towards her.

“What are you doing in here?”
India
asked, almost not caring if she was honest.
 
Her mind was on way more important things.

Layla stopped and smiled at her.
 
“I was looking for you.”

“Well, you’ve found me.
 
What do you want?”

Layla reached into her oversized designer handbag and pulled out what looked like a DVD, handing it to
India
.
 
“This is for you.”

India
turned it over in her hands.
 
“What is it?”

“I think you should watch it.”

India
looked at her.
 
“Why?”

Layla just smiled that smile and turned round, starting to walk away.
 
“Just watch it
India
.
 
I think you’ll find it interesting.”

“Layla ...?”
 
India
looked at the DVD again but it was just a plain disc, no label, nothing.
 
What the hell was she going on about?
 
She went back into Michael’s study and threw the disc into a drawer before looking again at the piece of paper that contained the DNA test result.
 
Shouldn’t she just confront him with it tonight?
 
Part of her wanted to but it really wasn’t the time.
 
So she left it where it was and made her way back outside to the party, not even looking around for Michael anymore because she wasn’t even sure how she was going to react when she saw him.
 
She just wanted her baby.
 
The beautiful baby who had the father she’d always wanted for him.
 
At least now she knew who his daddy was.
 
The one positive thing to come out of this whole complicated mess.
 
How the rest turned out was anyone’s guess.

***

Michael stood next to Kenny at the bar.
 
“I need a word.”

“With me?” Kenny asked, putting his empty beer bottle down on the bar.

“Yes.
 
With you.”

Kenny looked at Michael.
 
“Come on then.
 
What’s up?”

“Somewhere more private, I think.
 
I don’t particularly want anyone else to hear this.”

Kenny wasn’t going to argue.
 
He wasn’t in the mood.
 
If Michael wanted a word he could have one, then Kenny was seriously thinking of getting out of here. He’d had enough for one night.
 
Maybe after a good night’s sleep everything in his head might start to look a little clearer.