Page 65 of Dreaming Under An Island Skye
He waved and ran off to dash out of the back door, shouting, ‘Dad! Sparkly Jules is here to see you!’ as he went.
Juliette made her way to the kitchen and found Reid standing at the sink washing up dishes. Radio Skye played ‘High Hopes’ by Panic! at the Disco in the background and Juliette smiled as she watched him bobbing along in time with the music and mumbling the lyrics too. He certainly had rhythm.
She cleared her throat. ‘Hi, Reid. I thought I’d pop in and see how you’re doing.’
He turned and smiled brightly over his shoulder. ‘Hey, Jules. Can I get you a cup of tea? Coffee?’ He reached over to turn the music down. It was so good to see that he was dressed, and his eyes seemed less sunken.
‘Tea would be lovely, thank you. I’ll even allow you to make it today,’ she teased.
‘Haha, thanks. Take a seat.’
Once he had made tea, he sat opposite her at the table and his mouth tilted upwards somewhat shyly.
‘It’s really good to see you.’
She lost herself, momentarily, in his smiling eyes and lilting Scottish accent. ‘You too. You look so much better. How did it go with your GP?’
He heaved a sigh, but the smile remained. ‘He was great. So reassuring. I have a long way to go, but, to be honest, I feel like a weight has been lifted already and that’s before I even see the counsellor, just knowing I’m dealing with things is a big step. I have some medication which he says will take a while to kick in, but I’m booked to see a counsellor too.’
Juliette’s heart skipped in her chest. It was so good to see Reid upbeat and to hear him being so positive. ‘That’s wonderful.’ She beamed.
‘Yeah, I was completely honest about how things have been, which wasn’t exactly easy, but I figured if he was going to help me, he’d need to know everything. It was such a relief to tell someone. To get some of my feelings out there. Although it was a bit uncomfortable at first and I felt a bit daft but… after a while, it all just poured out.’ He cringed. ‘I broke down too, which I, of course, apologised for, I mean, he’s the GP, so it’s not really his job to counsel me, but he didn’t seem fazed at all. Just told me to take my time. I mean… like I said, I know I have a long,longway to go, but I feel like I’ve made a positive start.’
She reached over and squeezed his arm. ‘You really have and I’m so happy for you.’
His cheeks coloured a little. ‘Thank you. Ugh, sorry, now I’m waffling at you.’ He smiled. ‘It’s like a bloody floodgate has opened.’ He shook his head and his cheeks flushed.
‘No, don’t apologise. It’s absolutely fine.’
‘Yeah, but no one likes a crybaby, eh?’ He laughed and Juliette had to fight the urge to hug him and tell him she didn’t think that.
He fell silent for a few moments and stared at his shoes, so Juliette gave him time, in case he wanted to say anything else. She wanted him to know that his feelings were valid and that she was happy to listen too.
Eventually, he spoke again. ‘He warned me that I’ll possibly still have bad days. I might even have days where I can’t function as well as others, but now I’ve asked for help and I know it’s going to be forthcoming, it’s okay. Itwillbe okay.’ He covered her hand with his. ‘Jules, I want you to know I’msograteful to you. I know you were angry at yourself for how you handled things, but regardless of that fact,I’mglad you said the things you did.’
The feel of his warm hand covering hers was a sensation she triednotto enjoy. ‘I’m pleased to see things are looking up for you.’
He removed his hand and straightened up. ‘Aye, me too. But I still need to get to the bottom of who’s been spreading lies to Kate. And as for the other stuff about paternity, I need to prepare to fight my corner there. I can’t let Evin go. That would break me in two.’ His voice wobbled and he cleared his throat before reaching for his tea and taking a sip.
Juliette immediately wished she had an excuse to touch his hand again. ‘Has she insinuated further about the paternity issue?’
‘If you mean, has she told me who the “real” father is.’ He made air quotes and sneered. ‘No. She says it doesn’t matter. Can you believe her?’ His nostrils flared. ‘I’m not sure the bloke in question would agree, if he even exists, or if she even knows who he is. I know how much this is tearing me apart. But still, I’m not sure Iwantto know.’
‘That’s understandable.’
‘Anyway, enough of that. How are you? I’m guessing the games were a bit of an eye-opener?’ He grinned.
Her smile mirrored his. ‘It was great fun. The atmosphere, the kilts, the pure…Scottishnessof it all.’
He laughed. ‘Really? You see, when you’ve grown up with it, I suppose you take it for granted. It’s like bagpipe music, I’ve seen people cry at how emotional it makes them. But for me, I’m only reminded of when Kendric had lessons when we were kids, so it’s just lots of high-pitched squeaks that would be much better replaced by a bit of Jimi Hendrix.’ He played air guitar and made a silly noise that sounded worse still.
She joined in his mirth and held up her hands. ‘Oh, I’msoguilty of the crying. I sat there and blubbed like a baby. Don’t laugh! It really got me. Especially when the pipers played ‘Amazing Grace’. That was Laurie’s favourite. And then, to top it off, I saw a little robin on the fence and I…’ She lowered her face and her words drifted off; she hadn’t meant to say that part out loud.
‘A robin?’ When she lifted her chin, Reid’s head was tilted, and a confused expression had replaced his smile.
She shook her head. ‘Ugh, sorry, talking to myself there.’
Reid didn’t move; evidently, he was waiting for her explanation, so she reluctantly obliged, feeling her cheeks, ears and chest warming as she continued.
