Page 62 of Only You

Ana watched as Andrew pulled on his jeans and jumper from the night before, before heading for the door. Ana smiled at his backward glance and collapsed back onto the pillow, her body still alive and pulsing with the start of their morning lovemaking.

Ana heard the gentle muffle of voices and threw back the covers. Whoever was downstairs was obviously not going to be leaving in a hurry. Grabbing her pyjamas, she quickly dressed and headed back to her own room. She didn’t want their visitor guessing that she had just rolled out of Andrew’s bed. Whatever they had going on, they still needed to have ‘the talk’. Life was already complicated, and they’d made it more so, but for the first time in her life, Ana didn’t care. Last night had been perfect. She had felt connected to someone for the first time. It showed her there was another way.

After her shower, Ana got dressed, tidied her hair, and headed downstairs.

She stopped halfway.

She could hear a woman’s voice coming from the kitchen this time. Shoulders back, Ana continued her journey, stopping sharply at the kitchen door. In front of her, Andrew was standing near the coffee machine, his face set in a hard mask, while at the island sat someone Ana hadn’t seen in six years.

Andrew looked up as if sensing her presence. The woman at the counter spun around on her perched stool.

“Hello, Santana. Surprise.”

Ana stared hard at the woman in front of her, a hollow feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. What the hell was Eva doing there? Ana’s heart rate picked up as they stared at one another. Their age gap had ensured they had never been close, but looking at her sister now, there was no mistaking they were sisters, especially as Eva had grown her hair, having always worn it short.

“It’s Ana,” both she and Andrew said together, causing Eva to throw a startled look between them.

“Well, isn’t this cosy,” Eva said, accepting the coffee Andrew had placed in front of her.

Andrew stepped around Eva and headed towards Ana, but Ana gave a slight shake of her head. He stopped in his tracks, a frown marring his features. Ana sent him a pleading look with her eyes. She did not want her sister to know what was going on between them. She was already uncomfortable enough with her being there. Had Andrew been truthful when he’d said he hadn’t seen Eva since she’d handed over Olivia at the hospital? What the hell was happening? She had the best sex of her life with her ex-brother-in-law, and then his ex-wife, her sister, turned up.

Was Fate having fun at her expense?

Andrew turned to Eva. “What are you doing here, Eva?”

Eva turned to face the room. She was the picture of elegance and poise. Not a hair or item of clothing out of place. Even her makeup was natural and flawless. Ana looked down at herself in her ripped jeans and sweatshirt. She could never compete with the woman in front of her. Her father had made that perfectly clear all her life. She was sub-standard in comparison.

Eva picked up her coffee, her movement and posture reminding Ana so much of Olivia it was spooky. This woman had nothing to do with raising her, but clearly, her genes were very much present in the little girl. Ana moved into the kitchen, grabbing herself a cup of coffee. She needed a pick-me-up, and Andrew’s coffee was designed for that.

“I could ask… Ana the same thing,” Eva said, stopping Ana in her tracks.

“What Ana is or isn’t doing here has nothing to do with you,” Andrew said, his arms folded over his chest as he stared his ex-wife down.

“I beg to differ,” Eva replied, placing her drink down. “We had an agreement. No one from my family was to have contact with you or Olivia.”

“Seven years is a long time, Eva, and things change.”

Andrew’s voice was clipped, and Ana cringed at his tone. There had been an agreement she stayed away. She had thought it was simply her father telling her to forget about Andrew and her niece for Eva’s sake.

Eva leaned back on the stool and sighed. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

She was no longer staring at Andrew, her focus being on her hands. Hands she was wringing frantically in her lap.

“I’ll ask again. Why are you here, Eva? Seven years... seven years ago, you told me to take our daughter and get out of your life. Out of the blue, you show up on Boxing Day of all days, and you think it’s strange that I want to know why?”

Andrew sounded exasperated.

Ana’s stomach was churning. She felt too hot. The coffee wasn’t helping. Instead, it was making her nauseous. She needed to get out of there. This was not her battle. This was between Andrew and Eva. She made her way to the door, but Andrew caught her arm, sending electric pulses firing up her arm where his fingers touched.

“Stay,” he whispered. “Please, Ana.”

She looked at where they touched. Memories of the night before flooded her brain, how his hands and lips had set her body on fire. “You two need to talk,” she choked out.

Ana looked up at her sister, only to find her eyes watching her. She could not make out her expression. She was unsure she had it in her emotionally to decipher what was happening. The past twenty-four hours had been a bit of a roller coaster. Eva tilted her head as if asking a question, one Ana couldn’t begin to guess. Her stomach churned, and she knew she had to leave, even if Andrew wanted her there. Eva might be her sister by blood, but they had never been sisters, and she was not prepared to get caught up in whatever game Eva was playing.

“I’m sorry,” she said, not able to meet Andrew’s eyes. “I’ve got to go.”

Ana pulled away from Andrew’s grasp and walked out of the kitchen. This time, Andrew did not stop her. She pulled on her shoes and grabbed her bag. She took the car keys and headed out the front door without a backward glance. It was only then she could take a long, indrawn breath. Climbing into the car, she rested her head on the steering wheel as the first tears fell. She swiped at them angrily, switching on the engine. She opened her bag and grabbed her phone, sending an SOS message to Millie and George before realising it was Boxing Day, and they would be with their families. Their response, however, was instant.

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