Page 167 of An Unholy Affair
Thank you, God. Thank you.
Jack nudged the edge of the sandwich. ‘Come on, use that beautiful mouth for eating, not smiling.’
‘You pick the ring. I know I’ll love whatever you choose,’ she said.
‘You sure?’
She nodded.
His smile was as light as her heart. ‘I’ll be outside the shop when it opens tomorrow. Can we get married next week? You must know a vicar who would do the honours at short notice?’
She giggled. ‘I know a few.’
* * *
‘Darling!’
Jack stood in the corridor as a woman in her late fifties entered the ward and rushed to Eveline’s side. A man in his sixties followed a few feet behind her.So, these are her mum and dad…
Her mother reminded him of his, with her trim figure and immaculate presentation. He knew that some people wore their Sunday best when flying, but he was sure Diana Barclay dressed like this all the time. Eveline’s father, Peter, was extremely handsome, with a shock of thick white hair, but was clothed in crumpled jeans and a hoodie.
Her mum kissed Eveline’s cheek, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, patted the pillows behind her head, then touched the full glass of water on the bedside table. She fussed in a way that was completely ineffectual but designed to reassure both of them that she was actually there. Peter stood at the foot of the bed, his hands in his pockets, staring with deep affection at his ex-wife and daughter.
Jack flexed his fingers as if to offload some of the adrenaline in his body. He’d never been in a relationship before, so had no experience in how to handle ‘meeting the parents’ for the first time. On top of that, her mum and dad had no idea he even existed.
‘Jack!’ Eveline called out. ‘Come in!’
Here we go… He lifted his shoulders, hid his nerves behind a smile and entered the ward.
Eveline beamed at him, whilst her parents frowned in confusion.
‘Mum, Dad, I’d like you to meet Jack Newton. My fiancé.’
‘Your fi—what?’ her mother gasped.
‘My husband-to-be,’ Eveline replied, her eyes sparkling with happiness. ‘We’re getting married next week.’
Jack grinned at her excitement and the way she delivered the news with no preamble, as if nothing could stop it from bursting out. In the exquisite moment of silence that followed her words, he dedicated his life to keeping that look of pure joy on her face.
He extended his arm. ‘Mrs Barclay, Mr Shaw, it’s a pleasure to meet you.’
‘Er… Hello?’ her mother said, taking his hand and glancing between him and Eveline as if waiting for the punchline of a joke.
Her father looked even more flummoxed, but shook Jack’s hand firmly. ‘Call me Peter,’ he said, gruffly, his chest puffing as if to assert dominance in the face of a new male entering his pack.
Her mother cleared her throat. ‘I’m afraid you’ve caught us rather on the back foot.’ She levelled a look at her daughter and raised her eyebrows.
‘I first met Eveline over a year ago,’ Jack replied, deflecting her attention. ‘My family is from Foxbrooke and we reconnected recently after the death of my father.’
‘Oh,’ said Diana. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Jack nodded. ‘I’ve been living in France for the last few years, working in the hospitality industry, but now I’m moving my life back to Somerset to be with Eveline.’
Diana’s eyes flicked back to her daughter. ‘But, er,married? Nextweek?’
‘With Eveline’s job, it’s preferable that we marry before living together,’ Jack began. ‘And we both want children, so it didn’t make sense to wait any longer than necessary.’
That was the moment her mother started to soften. ‘Grandchildren,’ she breathed. ‘How…’ She gazed at Eveline, emotion tightening her jaw. ‘Lovely, darling.’
