Page 3 of Unforeseen Love

After I've poked around some, I wait for my uncle back in his office––or should I saymyoffice. He has a couple of empty boxes stacked up by the wall, ready to fill—no doubt with his books and odds and sods.

I sit at the desk and lean back in the leather chair, which creaks underneath me.

"Wow, talk about jumping in my grave," says my uncle as he enters.

"Check you out with the bants." My tone it light but I'd be lying if I said his words didn't strike a chord.

He tilts his head as I get out of his chair, moving to the one in front of the desk instead—officially, he is still the boss after all.

"So, what's all the tension between you and our Sienna?" he questions, sweeping his hand through his hair.

I spread my legs and sit back. She obviously means a lot to him, the way he refers to her, and honestly, I feel a twinge of jealousy, which is stupid.

"Nothing, she's just uptight." I shrug, waving off his fatherly concern, but then I sit forward, elbows on my thighs. "But better still, how come you've never mentioned her before?"

He shakes his head. "I mention her all the time."

I frown. "No, you mentioned someone called Cece." Then it clicks. "Cece instead of Sienna," I say, just like how he calls me Teddy, no matter how many times I ask him to call me Theo.

"Well, if you'd been back sooner, you would have known. Two years is a long time to stay away from home." Uncle Ewan looks away, not wanting me to see his vulnerability, but I don't miss the hurt in his voice.

Staring down at my feet, a wave of guilt assaults me. "Sorry, Uncle Ewan, it wasn't intentional." And it wasn't. A few months turned into a year and a year turned into two. All because I was so caught up in myself and the things that were no good for anyone.

"It's okay, I understand. You have your own life. It's just we missed you."

He's talking about my aunt and him. They were never able to have their own children. My dad was in and out of prison while I was growing up, and my mum had an addiction, so they became my guardians after I was taken away from my mum for the third time. She goes through stints where she's clean, but sadly, she has an addictive personality. She'll swap one vice for another, whether drinking, smoking or even men. Now I'm older, I realise that it's a disease, but I still hold resentment towards the way she treated me before I moved in with my aunt and uncle. As an adult, we have a better relationship. As awful as it sounds, I know she's okay when I don't hear from her. No news is good news in her case.

"I promise to be a better nephew, and I am sorry," I say with sincerity, because they're like parents to me. I know if it weren't for Ewan's diagnosis, he'd be working alongside me, but this will be good for him and my aunt, taking this time to spend together.

ChapterThree

Sienna

I couldn’t wait to see the back of today and drown my sorrows. It’s days like this, I’m grateful I live where I work. Unlocking the door, I push it open and kick off my shoes as I go, but before I can stop myself, I trip and fall arse over tit, all the while attempting to save the bottle of wine I have clutched in my hand.

“What the actual fuck?” I curse, looking at the cause of my fall. A crash helmet––which, I might add, is not mine––is beside a large suitcase.

“You okay down there?”

I let out a cross between a gasp and a scream.

“You.” I gape at Theo, pushing myself to my feet. “What the hell?”

He lets out a laugh. “I’m your new housemate,” he says nonchalantly.

I stare at him in utter disbelief as I try to process his words.Housemate. He reaches out with his index finger and lifts my chin to close my gapping pith, and I instinctively step away from his touch.

“Come again,” I say, my voice high pitched.

His top lip curves into a smile before he answers. “We. Are. House. Mates. I just moved in.” This guy is such an arse wipe. Does he always have to be such a condescending prick?

“This day just keeps getting better and better,” I say through gritted teeth and squeeze past him and head straight for the kitchen, unscrewing the bottle cap as I go.

“Oh, come on, roomie, don’t be like that.”

Shaking my head, I grit my jaw and retrieve a glass and pour myself a generous amount of wine.

“What? None for me?” he says from behind me.

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