Page 67 of Only You

Star raised an eyebrow. “I think you better come in,” she said. “The girls are content playing.”

Star led him into the drawing room, where Damian was lounging comfortably on the sofa. Star motioned to the chair in front of the enormous fireplace that dominated the room. Lucas and Mary were nowhere in sight, so Andrew took a seat.

“Apparently, Ana is on a sleepover,” Star updated Damian.

“Oh,” Damian said, sitting up. “What happened?”

Andrew looked at Damian. “Who said anything happened?”

Star laughed. “Andrew, we are your friends. You two left here yesterday afternoon. Well, let’s just say the sparks were flying. Even Mary and Lucas noticed. Anyone within a five-mile radius who saw you two in the same space...”

Andrew held up his hand. He’d heard enough. His patient and his wife, his best friends... could this situation get any worse?

“We slept together.” Andrew sighed.

Star held out her hand, and Damian placed a five-pound note on his wife’s open palm. “Sorry,” she said, looking sheepish when Andrew stared at her. Then her expression morphed to concern. “She really is at a sleepover?” Star said, her gaze locking on Damian.

“That’s what I said.”

“I thought it was a euphemism for something,” she said. “What happened?”

Star’s demeanour changed instantly, her concern shining out.

“Everything was great, then Eva turned up.”

Andrew sighed.

“Eva... as in your ex-wife-Eva?” It was Damian’s turn to speak. “What the hell did she want?”

“She wanted to talk about the past. Ana didn’t hang around to listen. She left, then told me she wasn’t coming home and that she’d see me tomorrow.”

Andrew dropped his head into his hands. It sounded even worse when he said it out loud. He’d screwed up, and he didn’t know how to fix it. Maybe he should have ordered Eva out of the house, not invited her in. He should never have let Ana leave.

“Ana probably just needs time. You need to give it to her, and when she’s ready, you need to talk,” Star said. “If you need us to take Olivia, then we will be happy to have her stay.”

“You’re pregnant. You have more than enough on your plate,” Andrew said, thankful for such wonderful friends but aware he already relied on them too much.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” Star hissed at him, making Andrew hold up his hands in surrender. Damian tried unsuccessfully to hide his smirk. He’d obviously heard it before. “Back to the matter at hand. How are you doing? It must have been quite a shock seeing Eva after all this time.”

Andrew’s heart was burning in his chest. “She told me a lot. I still need to process.”

Star nodded. Andrew knew she would understand.

“Does she want to see Olivia?” Star asked. “What I did should not have any bearing on what you choose to do,” she added, understanding where his thoughts had gone. “The fact I let Christian back in was my choice. You must do what is right for you and Olivia. No one else can tell you what to do.”

“Thank you,” Andrew said, knowing out of everyone, she would understand. “She asked about Olivia, but she didn’t outright ask to see her. She opened up to me about the past. Apparently, she’s had a lot of counselling. If I’m honest, my head is spinning.”

Star got up and knelt on the ground in front of him, resting her hands on his. “Only you can decide what is best for the pair of you, and it is probably a conversation you need to have with Eva. She may want to keep her distance, but then she also may want to make amends. Life is short.”

She turned back to look at her husband, the love the two shared lighting a bridge between them.

“Daddy!” an excited voice squealed from the doorway. Andrew jumped up and caught Olivia mid-leap, spinning her around and burying his head in her hair. Holding his daughter grounded him. She was his priority, and whatever was to come would need to be for her, no one else. “Where’s Ana?”

Andrew put Olivia down and dropped to one knee in front of her. “Ana is at a sleepover,” he said.

“Really, with her friends?” Olivia asked.

“Yes, with her friends.” At that moment, Andrew understood how well Ana knew his daughter. She had taken steps to make sure Olivia wouldn’t question her absence, giving him a reprieve. “She said you can exchange stories tomorrow.”

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