Betrayal (15 page)

‘Too good!’ I yawn, ‘I have normally been
around the village by now’

‘You should sleep when you can they zap
your energy’ he snuggles back down on his pillow as he strokes Harry’s head ‘ I
should shower’ he kisses Harry’s head and heads for the shower with a smile in
my direction.

I feel confused, I don’t quite comprehend
what is happening but right now I don’t want to analyze things I want to appreciate
the short time Brad spends here.  When we finish feeding we once again change
the babies and I dress them in smarter outfits and brush their hair with the
soft brush.

‘No puking’ I warn them both as I lay them
in the lounge on the mat with the activity set overhead and they kick around. 
‘Right, I had better make myself presentable then.  Can you watch them Brad?’

‘Sure, you go and do your thing. Do you
have Wifi I have a few mails to respond to?’

I recite the code to him and leave him on
his laptop in the lounge overlooking the babies.

I want to dress to impress today so flick
through my wardrobe as I attempt to find something that is appropriate for
breastfeeding but not my normal black leggings.  I stop at the dresses and
decide that I could wear a dress as I won’t be breastfeeding in front of
people.  I didn’t put on much extra weight purely the weight of the babies
really but still had the jelly belly so I require something that emphasizes my
waist without hugging my abdomen.  I stop at the maxi dress I wore in Antigua
and decide it was ideal I could put a mint green cotton cardigan over the top
to bring out the same color within the print.

When I walk down the stairs some time later
my hair brushed down for once my face made up lightly and a small amount of
lip-gloss I notice Brad’s eyes light up in recognition of the dress.

‘You look beautiful’ he murmurs his eyes
sparkling.

‘Thank you’ I flush.  He is dressed in
jeans and a black polo shirt which stretches across his broad chest and
butterflies begin to flutter within my stomach. He lifts his camera and snaps a
photo of me, ‘What are you doing?’

‘Taking photos as you instructed’ he
teases. ‘Come and sit you haven’t eaten’ I enjoy a bowl of cereal enjoying the
sound of light music that is emitting from Brad’s laptop.

‘Don’t become too fixated on your weight Maddison’
he gentles at my refusal of toast too.

‘I am not’ I reassure him.

‘You look healthier with a bit of padding’
his eyes drift over my figure.

‘Oh my god you think I am fat’ my mouth is
open wide and he grins.

‘I was joking’ he holds his hands up in a
defensive gesture and I cannot help but laugh.

‘Your daughter is calling you’ I inform him
and he moves over and bends over the twins.

‘Now you two on your best behavior today
ok?’ he pretends to be strict but his mouth is tilted in amusement.

‘Will they like me’ I murmur to him and he
turns and frowns.

‘Of course why wouldn’t they?’ I am a bit
anxious to meet the people that have caused Brad so much heartache.  I shrug
and he comes over and sits beside me.

‘Just be yourself that’s all I ask’ he
strokes a finger down my cheek his intense gaze holding me prisoner.  A car on
the gravel outside interrupts the intimate moment Brad holds out his hand and helps
me up, ‘you look stunning’ he reminds me.

Brad’s parents are delightful and are
overjoyed at Ava and Harry’s surprise arrival bringing bags of gifts. His mum
hugs me to her and welcomes me to the family and his dad kisses my cheek and
tells Brad he has done well.  Brad is different around his family quieter and
brooding, the brother that drove his parents for the visit was not the one that
is now married to his ex-wife but does look very similar to Brad.  Todd kisses
my cheek and appears polite and well mannered, he does not hold the same body
confidence as Brad but his eyes move over me regardless of the fact that Brad
is present in the room.  Brad appears uncomfortable in the company of his
family hanging in the background, I search his face and he smiles gently
towards me.

‘So where are these babies?’ Rachel
Thompson claps her hands together and I guide her into the lounge where the
twins are still on the mat under the activity mobile.

‘Oh look Ron’ she gasps ‘they are gorgeous,
oh Harry is the image….’ Her hand flies to her mouth and I look directly to
Brad for help.  He moves over and wraps his arms around me gazing down at our
gorgeous children.  My body sings at the contact the blood rushing to my
cheeks, he is behind me his front once again up against my back his hands
crossed over at my jelly belly stroking softly. My hand moves automatically to
his to prevent the stroking and I glance up my eyes wide, my cheeks flushed and
he grins aware of how his touch affects me.

‘He is like Daniel’ he agrees, his eyes
moving to his parents.  Ava choses this moment to exercise her lungs and I
smile that’s my girl if her brother is getting some attention she wants the
limelight.  Brad releases me and scoops them both up handing Ava to his mum and
Harry to his dad.

‘This is your grandma and grandpa’ he
informs them gently.

‘Oh my’ Rachel rocks Ava who is already
wriggling about aggravated ‘have your parent’s met them?’ she ask me.

‘No my parents are dead I am afraid so they
have only you’

‘Oh Ron’ she searches for her husband who
is totally entranced by Harry.

‘He is the well behaved one’ I inform Ron
who appears quite overcome with emotion.

‘He is perfect’ he sits on the sofa and
strokes Harry’s tiny fingers.

‘Sit mum’ Brad invites and she adjusts
Ava’s position and joins her husband.

‘Can I get anyone a drink?’ I offer.

‘I would love a coffee please Maddison’ Ron
calls.

‘Tea please’ Rachel replies her eyes moving
over my attire, ‘you look very well for someone just given birth Maddison, when
I had the boys I was a wreck for months.

‘Thank you’ I smile, ‘Brad has been a huge
help’ I admit smiling over to him, ‘Todd can I get you anything?’

‘Coffee please’ he smiles his eyes intent
on my breasts.

‘You having a tea Brad?’ I enquire ignoring
the uneasy feeling in my stomach and wondering whether the brothers torment him
intentionally.

‘Yes please. Do you need help?’ his eyes
question and almost plead.

‘No you spend time with your family’ I
smile in response.

When another car pulls onto the drive my
stomach churns, I am not going to relish this I know.  I turn from the kitchen and
watch as Brad takes a breath and opens the door, does he still love her? The
thought makes my stomach drop.   

Another man walks in and shakes Brad’s hand
before a blonde woman, who is perfectly turned out with her manicured fingers and
pungent perfume, enters and wraps her arms around Brad.  He eases away from her
immediately and I wonder whether it is because he doesn’t care or he does too
much.  A little blonde girl pounds into the house gazing up to Brad with her
thumb in her mouth.

‘Hi Uncle Brad’ her blue eyes regard him
carefully as she pulls at her blonde hair.

‘Hi Sofia’ he ruffles her hair before
inviting them into the lounge.

I add some cups to the tray and carry it
in, Brad immediately retrieves it and places it on the coffee table.

‘Jake, Charlotte this is Maddison’ he
introduces and Jake moves his eyes over me in an identical manner that his twin
did.  They were alike but Todd is more like Brad than Jake.  Jake was fairer,
his eyes more hazel than brown like Brad.

He bends and kisses my cheek, ‘pleased to
meet you’ I greet him.  Turning to the woman who I knew the moment she entered my
house was a piece of work, I hold out my hand ‘Charlotte, nice to meet you’

She takes my hands limply and smiles, ‘and
you’ her blue eyes assess me down her nose.  She is taller than me and slightly
curvier.  I would say she is probably older than me by quite a deal maybe ten
years but that would be about right Brad is ten years older than I.  Her face exhibits
no obvious signs of age but the lack of movement suggests that she has had some
work done. She is dressed in a short dress and heels her bright pink lipstick
stretched tensely across her mouth.

I wait for the inevitable when they move
over to see the babies, ‘oh he looks just like Daniel’ she gushes as she holds
onto Brad’s arm her eyes wide, my eyes move to his arm then up to his face and
he is watching me with a help face.  I move over to him, ‘can you help me
honey’ and take his hand as I move him out into the kitchen.

‘Thank you’ he smiles down as I lean up and
reach for the tin containing some cakes I made yesterday.

‘No problem’ I mumble my insides upset and
churning ‘but just so you know I don’t want her here on a regular basis’ and he
chuckles.

‘Careful Maddie you sound jealous’ he
whispers.

‘I don’t want Harry to become the baby that
reminds everyone of a terrible tragedy’ I turn to him, ‘we will always remember
Daniel in this family but as a positive’ I watch for a reaction.

‘Absolutely’ he pulls me into his embrace,
‘thank you’

I wrap my arms around him and inhale
savoring the unexpected contact.

‘Oh…excuse me’ a voice calls.

I drop my arms and turn to find Charlotte
standing in the doorway of the kitchen holding the little girls hand, ‘sorry,
Sofia needs the bathroom’

‘Of course, just to your left there’ I
direct her before taking the cake and moving into the lounge where Ava is
creating, ‘I think your daughter needs you’ I call Brad.

‘She is a fidgety one’ Rachel is bobbing an
unhappy Ava in her arms.

‘Brad is the only one that can settle Ava’
I inform her as he collects her and snuggles her into his neck.

‘I thought we had this conversation Ava’ he
soothes her, ‘best behavior today’ she settles into Brad’s neck and everyone
oohs and aahs. 

‘Aw he had that way with Daniel’ a voice
appears behind me and I can feel myself becoming aggravated.

‘So Maddison you met Brad in Antigua’ Jake
questions.

‘That’s right’ I confirm suspiciously
wondering where this is going.

‘You hit gold brother’ he smiles over
towards Brad whose eyes are dark and I know it isn’t with desire.

‘I think so’ he mumbles his eyes finding
mine and I smile encouraging.

‘We had almost given up on you?’ he teases
sending a look to Todd as if they shared a private joke.

‘Why?’ I enquire sweetly the hairs on the
back of my neck rising.

‘Well he hasn’t committed since….’ He
began.

‘Oh since you stole his wife’ I nod in mock
understanding.

His face drops as he glances over to Brad,
‘this one needs taming’ he chuckles.

‘Jacob!’ calls his dad, ‘how dare you speak
to Maddison in that manner you are standing in her house for the love of god’

‘I was joking dad’ he rolls his eyes and I
turn to Brad who is fuming Ava struggling against him and I move over to him.

‘Relax’ I whisper as I stroke his face,
‘Ava’ I remind him and he drops his gaze to mine before hushing our daughter.

I walk over and take Harry who is beginning
to sense the tension in the room, ‘you can have him back in a bit’ I promise
Ron as I lift my son and kiss him gently moving him against my chest.

The only thought that runs through my mind
at that precise moment is if this is family I am glad I don’t have any as I
walk into the kitchen and show Harry the window.  He squints against the light as
I stroke his head my lips on his forehead as I close my eyes. ‘It’s ok baby’ I
whisper.

Brad appears and walks over to me, ‘you
ok?’ he has Ava snuggled into his neck and I pray for the day to finish.  His
brown eyes warm towards me and I wish I could remove all the hurt from him.

‘I am fine’ I reassure him gently.

‘You can comprehend why I travel a lot’ his
eyes move over me and I relax ‘it is one day we can do this’ he encourages.

‘We can’ I agree as his fingers find my
chin and lift my eyes to his the atmosphere alters as he leans down placing his
lips against mine in a gentle, soft kiss.

‘Aw you two are so cute’ Rachel interrupts
walking over to us her arm around her son, ‘I am sorry Brad’ her eyes move up
to her son’s.  ‘You know what he is like, but you know what? I would say you won
the lottery wouldn’t you?’ she winks and Brad smiles.

As I place the babies into the pram they
are already dozing from the feed they have just consumed.  I was relieved for an
excuse to get out of the room to be honest, but when I returned I was aware of
the tension in the room once more.

‘Everything ok?’ I check on Brad his jaw
tense.

‘It will be when they depart’ he mumbles as
he helps me organize things.

‘Go on then daddy’ I smile, ‘you can drive’