Page 26 of Wedding Bells By the Creek

Moments later the weighty decision was taken from her. Ed appeared on the path that led to the back of the house.

‘Hello, Steph. Come on through.’ He turned away and walked towards the back of the house, leaving her to follow.

Stephanie felt an unexpected surge of emotion as she climbed the steps that she’d climbed so many times before. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be in control. She stopped in the doorway, still a tiny bit hesitant to walk into the kitchen. It was the same – but different. The cupboards were the same, the fridge in the same place. But it was a different fridge and the cupboards had new-looking polished pine doors.

She felt like an intruder. That was unexpected. And unsettling.

A large tabby cat strolled into the kitchen and stopped when he saw Stephanie. He glared at her for a few moments, his back arched as his tail fluffed out. The he hissed at her.

‘Bill!’ Ed admonished. ‘Sorry about that. He’s not used to strangers. And it’s time for his dinner.’

Ed gave the tabby a brief pat, and pulled a can of cat food out of the fridge.

‘How long have you had him?’ Steph asked, just to break the silence.

‘Almost a year,’ Ed said as he put the bowl on the floor.

‘I never knew you were a cat person,’ Steph said.

Ed turned to face her. ‘There is a lot about me you don’t know, Steph. Not anymore.’

Such tough words. She deserved them, but she had to get past them if this journey wasn’t to be wasted.

‘The computer is through here. I told Scott to be online about now. But I haven’t looked to see if he’s there yet.’

There was very little about the living room that was familiar. The furniture was all new. Many years ago, as a new bride, she had painted this room a rich red. Now it was a pale grey. She had to admit, it was a better choice. She didn’t particularly like the furniture though. The leather couch and armchairs were too masculine for her taste. But then again, her taste didn’t matter. Not now.

A laptop computer sat open on the coffee table, the screen glowing faintly. A power cable ran across to the wall. Ed sat in the armchair, leaving the couch to Steph. She crossed the room and sat down, while Ed avoided looking at her, and fiddled with the computer.

‘Hi, Dad.’

The voice wasn’t familiar. It was partly due to the distortion from the computer, but Steph knew that wasn’t the reason. She had left a boy behind. This was a man talking. From where she sat, she couldn’t see the screen.

‘Hi, Scott,’ Ed said.

‘Is she there?’ the faceless voice asked.

‘Yes. She’s right here. Hang on. I’ll put her on.’

Without another word, Ed slid the computer across the table, turning it as he did. The screen slowly came into view. Steph’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at the handsome face staring out of the screen. The quality of the image was so good he could almost have been in the room with her. She could see the deep brown of his eyes and the way his hair fell across his forehead. His shoulders were broad under the T-shirt and jumper he wore.

Her son was a grown man.

Stephanie sat looking at him, totally lost for words.

She wasn’t the only one. The face on the screen stared back at her, and for a very long time there was silence.

‘Hello, Mum.’

The tears pricking her eyes were almost painful.

‘Hello, Scott.’ The face in front of her blurred as the tears began streaming down her cheeks. ‘I am so grateful for the chance to talk to you, Scott. To tell you how sorry I am for what I did.’

‘You know, Mum, as soon as I was old enough, I searched for you. For a long time. I couldn’t find you.’

‘I’m—’

‘But,’ her son cut her off, ‘I stopped after a while. It wasn’t just because I couldn’t find you. I had come to hate you. I decided I didn’t want to ever see you again.’

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