Resolution (Saviour #2)(34)
“That rego of yours Lauren, I thought your surname was Day?”
“Yep it is, my rego is to let the world know who I belong to.”
“And who might that be, I can’t imagine a fiery wee thing like you belonging to anyone.”
Wee thing? Aww shucks I’m blushing…
“It’s a company car Dave; Gabe leased it through the business for me as I had no means of transport.”
“Ah right so you’re… So you’re the one that…who, I mean.”
I can’t help but smile as he struggles to find the right words; he’s blushing brighter than his orange hair.
“Yes Dave, I’m f*cking the boss, in fact, we live together.”
On that note I flounce out of the office and leave him to make of that what he will.
Things between me and Gabe couldn’t be better and we settle into our own little bubble of love. We eat out in restaurants with friends and by ourselves, we eat out over at Jemma and Max’s place and we have Zach, Sam, Coop, Jen, Stella and Ryder all over to ours for dinner one night. We do normal, everyday ‘couple’ things and I enjoy every minute of it. We have Ava stay with us almost every weekend and one weekend she actually comes to us without Sophie, who is at a family wedding in Sydney. Gabe is over the moon as she has cancelled on previous occasions if Sophie couldn’t join her. We spend a quiet Saturday shopping for new clothes for her and a few bits for me, I have finally started putting weight back on and decide to treat myself to a few summer dresses as the weather is warming up nicely.
October ends and the whole Wilde clan prepare themselves for a family break up at the holiday home they share at Lake Mulwala. The first Tuesday in November is Melbourne Cup Day and its labelled ‘The Race That Stops The Nation’ because that’s exactly what it does, a public holiday for a horse race. Yes really. Don’t remember getting that in England for the Grand National.
So on the Friday before, we pick up Ava and Sophie and make the four and a half hour drive for some fun in the sun, it’s not summer yet but Mulwala is generally a few degrees warmer than the Peninsula and we have a few days of twenty five degrees plus, forecast. The family have a boat and jet skis that they keep up at their holiday home. The whole five day break sounds like it’s going to be fun, if only Jackie wasn’t going to be there. Gabe has made me promise to play nice and I will do my best, purely for Charlie and Ava’s sakes. Ava will be turning fourteen on Sunday and we have managed to get hold of four tickets for her to see One Direction in concert next year, she has gone on about these tickets for weeks and Gabe and I have played along in making out how sorry we are that we couldn’t get hold of the prized tickets as they sold out so fast. She will be stoked when we give them to her and the other bits we have bought her.
We arrive at the seven bedroomed house just after two, with only Sam and Zac there before us. Zac’s boys are setting up a huge tent in the back garden, which the older kids will sleep in, Ava and Sophie head straight outside to join them, Sam and I leave the boys to unpack while we go to the supermarket, bottle shop, bakers and butchers, there will be around twenty of us in attendance over the weekend so we buy enough supplies to last us until at least Sunday, then we will have to do another shop.
Things turn decidedly cool when Jackie and Charlie arrive, I’m polite but I make a point of not giving her a kiss or a cuddle when she walks in, instead pouring all my affection in Charlie’s direction; it’s the first time I have really been in her company since the weekend I found out about her and Gabe and I’m morbidly curious to watch how he reacts in her presence now that I know the facts. I notice within the first half hour of her arrival he leaves the room as soon as she enters or he reaches for me, either with his hand, arm, just his fingers or eyes but each time she gets near him, he’s there and I’m not sure if the reassurance is for me or for him and my heart breaks for him; what a god awful position to be in and for so long, from such a young age, he clearly loves his Dad and I can’t begin to imagine the guilt he must bear for what went on between him and that f*cking awful woman, I hate her, I truly hate the bitch.
The rest of Friday is uneventful, even when Stella arrives and the discourse between her and Jackie is apparent to everyone except Charlie. The fire pit is stacked with wood and lit, we have steak, burgers and sausages cooked on the barbie for dinner and then all sit around the fire and chat and enjoy a drink. Gabe and Jen bring out the guitars and we all have a sing, or just listen, I find it a massive turn on watching him strum away, every now and then he closes his eyes as he loses himself in the music and every time he does, what I feel for him goes up just a notch, if that’s at all possible; Gabe starts to sing ‘I’ll be watching you’ as he opens his eyes they lock with mine, a shudder runs through me and I give him a little smile, in return I get the full on eye f*ck treatment.
Zac can’t resist shouting out, “Take it to the bedroom you two; there are children and old people present.”
Everyone laughs at our expense, “Leave them alone, I think it’s great our Gabey Baby has finally found ‘The One’, gives me hope that one day I might get as lucky.”
Stella has had a fair bit to drink and I just smile at her remark, Jackie stands and Mumbles under her breath and my mouth goes dry.
“What was that Jackie?” Stella asks.
Jackie smiles at everyone and says, “I said I’m very tired after the drive I’m going to go to bed, are you coming Charlie?”