Page 34 of A Very Happy Halloween

“Eisen was also the WPFL champion in the light-heavyweight category three years running,” Darren told the boys, and Harry’s expression changed. Unless I was mistaken, I saw something that looked a little like awe.

“Was that before your eye fell out?” my youngest offspring asked, and I facepalmed. Dammit, Alfie!

Harry nudged him hard. “You can’t say that.”

“But he has two eyes in the pictures.”

“Alfie, please…” I started, but Eis shook his head and crouched in front of him.

“My eye was damaged in an accident last year. It’s still there. It didn’t fall out.”

“Then why do you wear a patch over it?”

“When I was your age, I wanted to be a pirate. Now I’m living the dream.” Eis bent lower to tie the lace on Alfie’s trainer. “Ready for class, buddy?”

“Hear all those popping noises?” a voice asked from behind me as Eis and Darren led the boys to a square of mats. A female voice. I turned to find a pretty blonde in a staff T-shirt, Lisa, according to her name badge. “That’s the sound of ovaries exploding.”

“Mine already burst in a shower of confetti,” I said without thinking, but Lisa just beamed.

“He’ll make a great dad.”

I froze.

A great dad.

I’d been so certain that I didn’t want more children with Steven that I’d barely given the tubal ligation a second thought. And caught up in Hurricane Eisen, I’d somehow shoved the whole sterilisation procedure to the back of my mind. But of course Eisen would want kids. Little mini-mes to carry his perfect genes. Heirs to his fortune.

“Yes,” I choked out. “Yes, he will.”

“It’s great to see him looking better. I went to visit him after the accident—you know, to take a card and stuff—and he was so depressed. Like, we were worried he might jump off a bridge or something.”

Oh, hell. “I didn’t realise things were that bad.”

“We had a rota for phoning to cheer him up. You haven’t known him long, then?”

“I knew him when I was a teenager, and we ran into each other again recently.”

“Well, whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. He deserves to be happy.”

I hadn’t expected Eis to teach the class himself, but he changed into a pair of shorts—not the super tight ones—and gathered the kids around him. There wasn’t much actual fighting involved, just shadow-boxing and hitting the punchbags. Plus a lot of talk about how to be a good person with plenty of motivational words and encouragement. The three Bristol lads all wanted to sign up for weekly classes, and now I felt worse than ever because Harry and Alfie wouldn’t have that opportunity.

Hell.

“How’d you guys like to watch Darren sparring for a bit?” Eis asked after the hour was up.

Harry’s eyes lit up. “With you?”

“Nah, Lisa can kick his a— rear end.”

“Eis was gonna say ‘arse,’” Alfie said. “I know he was.”

“Sorry,” he muttered as he herded me away from the mats. “I try to watch my mouth around the kids, but it’s been a while. What’s up?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Bullshit.” He led me into an office and closed the door. “You’ve been standing there chewing your lip for the past hour.”

“You’re great with the boys.”

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