Page 97 of All We Want for Christmas
‘I am. You need a rest too.’ Flynn meant it. His folks looked worn-out and no wonder after the worry, the sleepless nights, the stress and the shock of finding out about Molly and Esme. Flynn didn’t only think they needed a physical break, he thought it might do everyone good to have some space and time to reflect.
Flynn eased himself upright to prove that he could stand on his own two feet – well, one, but he needed to make his point.
‘When you’re back, I’ll speak to Molly about making sure that, from now on, you can visit her and Esme.’
‘We’d love to see them in Cornwall. Esme would love the sea.’
He patted his mother’s shoulder. ‘She’s going to love it.’
His mum started to cry and Flynn knew exactly how she felt. All those years they’d lost, but it was time to move on.
‘Don’t cry, Mum. They’re in our life now and we have so much catching up to do.’
‘I just want to see you happy. You deserve it.’ His mum wiped her eyes and said, ‘Lara seems nice. She’s done so much to help us.’
‘Yeah, she’s nice.’ He didn’t trust himself to say more.
‘Oh, and we’ve been meaning to tell you. She was at the hospital in the morning when you were taken in.’
‘What?’ He thought he’d misheard. ‘I didn’t see her. You didn’t say that before.’
‘It was outside the ward in the corridor. We’d gone to get a drink while Molly and Imogen were with you and she was waiting there. We didn’t know who she was until we met her the other day,’ his father said. ‘And she didn’t tell you either?’
‘No. No …’ He was glad of the support of his crutch. Lara had rushed to see him, spotted Imogen and Molly by the bed, and decided to leave rather than intruding. He felt awful at the thought of her holding back her own fears and needs for his family’s sake – and his.
‘I think she felt awkward, not being one of the family,’ his mum said. ‘And we didn’t say that we were visiting you by name at the time, and neither did she. It was only when we were moving cottages that we mentioned it to her. She said she just wanted to make sure you were OK but she’d clearly rushed there as soon as she’d heard. She must care about you a lot.’
His mother leaned in and kissed his cheek and his dad grinned awkwardly. ‘We’ll get on our way. It’s a long wayhome. Take care, for God’s sake, love. My heart won’t stand this kind of drama again.’
‘I promise I’ll be careful. I’m a dad now and a grandad. Ready for my pipe and slippers.’
‘You will never ever wear slippers or smoke a pipe!’ his mum said.
‘Now, off you go,’ Flynn said. ‘Have a great holiday and WhatsApp me when you arrive.’
‘We will. Promise me another thing. You won’t get another bike,’ his mother said.
Flynn smiled enigmatically.
His dad shook his head. ‘I wouldn’t hold your breath, Paula. Come on.’
After they’d gone, he sank down in his seat again.
Lara had rushed to the hospital yet hadn’t dared to come to see him: even though she was the one person he longed to see most. It was clear that Lara didn’t feel part of his life – and the thing that tormented him most was he’d made her feel like that. He’d excluded her because he wanted to protect her, yet in doing so he’d caused her even more pain. It wasn’t his decision to dictate what she could handle – it was hers.
He had to respect her ability to make that decision and yet he needed to show her that she was as important to him as anyone else in his life. But how?
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
‘It’ll have to do,’ Flynn muttered to himself, looking around his sitting room the following evening, hardly able to believe it was New Year’s Eve.
The table was laid, ready for the Uber Eats delivery from the Greek restaurant that Lara had liked. He’d managed to order a bottle of fizz online, along with a pre-lit artificial tree plus baubles and tinsel. There was a vase on the table – thank God it had been a holiday let, as he’d never owned such an item – with some greenery that he’d foraged while hopping around the grounds nearest the cottage, along with some slightly wilting flowers that Mrs Danvers had left while he’d been in hospital.
The only thing missing was Lara. In half an hour, he hoped she’d arrive and he could spend the evening showing her that he wanted her to be part of his life: his presentandhis future.
She’d been out the previous evening; he’d no idea where and he’d had an anxious wait for a reply to his message asking her if she would come over to spend New Year’s Eve with him.Ifshe was free, that was, because there was a staff party happening at Carlos’s place, and he was pretty sure she’d been planning to go to that.
It was 11 a.m. that morning before she’d messaged back:
