Page 140 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

Epilogue: Ben

Epilogue: Ben

From his seat on the middle pasting table, of which there were now three to fit everyone, Ben felt one person’s absence more than was probably healthy.

Chaya had gone to stay with her parents for the holidays.

Not that it was unusual. Christmas wasn’t an especially big deal for her but being home for Hanukkah was.

But it was more than that. She had a boyfriend. Who was with her right now. Probably in the same room, or worse, bed. He was probably adored by Chaya’s family.

Fucker.

The very thought hurt as much as if Nan had stabbed him with the carving fork.

He glanced at Matt and Iz who sat on the table nearest the window. They’d announced to everyone they were getting married the following year just before Nan had placed the turkey on the table for him to carve. Nan was sitting at the top of the table with Zale in her arms, eating with one hand, but refusing Willow’s offer to put the baby in the small baby basket thing they’d brought with them.

Alex sat on her right and signed something to Zoe, who blushed. It was probably dirty given the way Zoe’s eyes flared and then mouthed to him he should stop. It was good to see his brother happy. When the lease had expired on Alex and Jase’s house, they’d both moved into Cerys and Zoe’s together temporarily. Luke was next to Cerys, admiring the engagement ring Jase had given her…attached to a keyring with the keys to their new house that they would begin the process of moving into between Christmas and New Year. So would his brother and Zoe as soon as they found a place.

Jase pulled a cracker with Willow, laughing as the contents went whizzing across the room.

Life was moving on for everyone, and he was still stuck in time.

“A toast,” Nan said, tapping her glass with her fork. “Nothing has given me more joy this year than watching you all fall in love and getting this sweet grandbaby.”

Ben huffed. “Not so much of the all, Nan,” he joked. “Last man standing right here.”

“It’ll happen, lad,” she said softly. He’d meant it as a joke, putting it out there before one of the others decided to make it. But her tone squeezed at his chest.

“But as I was saying, I hope for each of you that your love be modern enough to survive these times and old fashioned enough to last forever. Or not,” she said, looking directly at her daughter, his mum. “Because sometimes the best of your yesterdays will be the worst of your tomorrows.”

The armchair his father usually sat in was empty. Nan had been clear. He wasn’t welcome anymore, for Alex’s sake. His dad had opted to stay on the rigs and earn extra pay for working over Christmas and New Year instead, and everyone had breathed a sigh of relief.

“Anyway, raise your glasses. A toast to all of us. For health and happiness next year. To us.”

“To us,” everyone repeated, clinking wine glasses, champagne flutes, and beer bottles.

By the time dessert had been served, the Queen’s speech had played on the television, and Nan, a militant royalist, had made everyone stand for the national anthem, Ben was halfway to being drunk and yet had somehow been left in charge of Zale who was sleeping on his chest. Usually, the little guy brought him comfort. He’d offered him back to Willow, but she’d simply laughed and said something about how she’d be an idiot to risk waking a baby that rarely slept.

He glanced over at her, just as she and Izabel studied something on her phone. Willow looked up, and avoiding his eyes, waved for Cerys to join them in the kitchen, picking Zoe up on the way.

Their voices got a little louder.

A shriek.

“She did what?”

A loud shh.

“What’s going on in there?” he said to Alex who was in the armchair.

Alex looked over to the door that was being slid shut. “No idea.”

It was obviously a heated conversation. He just couldn’t make out the words.

“Alex?” Zoe said, sticking her head around the door. She waved him over, avoiding Ben’s gaze. And he knew Zoe. Because she relied on lipreading, she was always looking around to make sure she wasn’t missing someone speaking to her, but she deliberately avoided him.

Alex got out of his chair and lumbered into the kitchen.

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