Page 20 of My Husband's Wife
‘Bristol. She comes to collect Aaron some weekends so they can go to the cinema or out for food. I wish she lived closer but she has a life there.’
‘Same, I miss my mum too. When Caiden’s dad passed away, she stepped in and helped me with everything.’ I think of Mum. When I do see her next, I’m going to give her a huge hug.
Nicole takes a deep breath and dabs her eyes with her sleeve. ‘I haven’t seen Zach out lately. I thought he might have brought you for a night out at The Ship’s Anchor. When he was here alone, he was down there with his friends all the time. He fitted in like a dream. He was even on the pool team but no one has seen him there for a while. You’d love it there.’ She pauses. ‘That’s where we met.’
Zach has never mentioned any of his new friends or going to a pub. I wouldn’t have had a problem with him going out, so why would he keep that from me? We spoke most nights and sometimes it was late, so he could have gone out with his pool buddies first. He’d always say he’d been working on the house and that he’d finished the night off with a couple of beers at home. ‘I had no idea he even knew anyone from around here.’
‘That’s strange, he has a fair few friends who he liked to drink and chat with. I got talking to him just after Christmas after he’d had a few too many. He told me about his brother dying, which was sad, and that he missed you.’
Alarm bells are going off for me. Zach barely speaks about what happened to his brother. He only spoke to me about him because we met at a local grief support group. We bonded over our losses and cried together. All I can think of him doing now is being a bit tipsy and talking openly to Nicole in a pub while I was hundreds of miles away. What is more perplexing is how he and Nicole made out they barely knew each other when he came home and saw her in our house. All he mentioned was her rummaging through his desk. I realise now, I don’t know Nicole at all because why is she only mentioning this now? We’ve spoken a handful of times and become quite close because of our boys. Or maybe I don’t know Zach as well as I thought I did. Nicole isn’t exactly holding back; she’s speaking openly to me. Zach, however, has hidden a part of his life here from me, which seems odd. My mum’s words ring through my head again. Why rush things? Shouldn’t you get to know Zach better before running up the aisle? I worry about you…
‘Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned his brother. I didn’t mean to upset you.’
I wave a dismissive hand and force a smile. ‘It’s okay. I’m not upset, just surprised because he doesn’t like to talk about what happened to him.’
Nicole blows out a couple of breaths. ‘And I’m sorry for going on about my problems with Will.’
‘Don’t be. Anytime. I hope he wakes up and realises how lucky he is to have such a wonderful son.’
‘Me too,’ she replies.
My phone beeps.
Zach: I’ll be home in five. Xx
‘I best get back. Zach’s nearly home. Anytime you need to chat, I’m here.’
‘We keep calm and carry on for our kids, don’t we?’ She looks up at me as I stand. ‘It’s all okay though, isn’t it? Caiden will always have you, and Aaron will always have me. No matter what, we are always there for them, for our children. He’s my world and I know Caiden is yours.’
‘Yes, he certainly is.’
She frowns and goes to speak, but stops before taking a moment. ‘I’m so glad you moved here, Eva. Enjoy your meal and we need to do something fun together soon, maybe a spa day.’
‘I’d love that.’
‘Oh, your fringe is lovely by the way.’ She stands and hurries towards the café. I’ll probably see her at the school gates later, but in the meantime, I really need to talk to Zach. He has this whole life here. He’s made friends but he hasn’t mentioned any of them to me. He confided in Nicole which is out of character and I can’t work out why he would.
Caiden is my everything, Nicole was right about that. I hurry back to where I parked my car outside a gift shop and I drive home.
* * *
On pulling up, my eyes widen as I see the red Fiesta parked in front of Zach’s van, then his text comes through.
Zach: Cancel lunch. Your mum was waiting outside in her car when I pulled up.
Fifteen
I exhale slowly and walk through my front door with a fake relaxed and happy expression pasted on my face. She can’t see the worry that I’m holding inside. Freddie wags his tail and I pat him on the head. Mum is already there to greet me, her full-length charcoal-grey coat still buttoned up.
‘I tried to call you earlier, sweetheart.’
‘What is it, has something happened?’ If there wasn’t an emergency, why else would she be here? I know. She’s concerned about me. I’m the emergency. Her expression is one of pity and I can’t believe she drove all the way here without speaking to me first.
‘No, I woke up this morning and was really missing you and Caiden, so I thought, why not visit? I wanted to see your new house. There’s a holiday park close by. I’ve already called and they have a chalet I can rent so I won’t get in your way.’
Zach comes up behind her. He raises his brows as if to say, did you know she was coming? I can’t answer him, obviously, but if I knew Mum was about to turn up, I wouldn’t have agreed to go out for a pub lunch with him.
He clears his throat. ‘We were just about to go out for something to eat before Caiden finishes school. I think I’ll make something instead, then I’ll collect him so you two can catch up. Do you want to join us for lunch, Susan? You must be hungry after the journey.’
