One Last Chance (19 page)

The
y headed to the Blanchardstown Shopping centre. Although Dundrum shopping centre was closer to the house in Merrion, Blanchardstown was Ally’s home away from home. Her apartment wasn’t that far away from it so she always did her shopping there. Now it was just habit.

When the
y got there, they parked in the multi-story car park. They made their way into the centre and wasted no time hitting the shops. Ally wandered from one store to another while Nick just followed closely.

Ally stopped into BT2, Mar
ks and Spencers and Mothercare. Then couldn’t resist going to the BUILD-A-BEAR workshop to have a new bear made for Ben. His little elephant seemed to have vanished so Ally pick one as close as possible to the one he lost.

After a couple of hours, t
hey stopped into one of the little coffee shops to get a coffee so Ally could give Ben his bottle.

“Do you have any family Nick?” Ally asked when the thought popped into her head suddenly.

“I have a brother that lives in the US,” Nick replied as he took a sip of his coffee. “But we aren’t close, never were. Our parents died in a car accident when I was eighteen.”

“Oh Nick
, I am so sorry,” Ally said feeling genuinely sad for her friend. And that is what she thought of Nick. He was now her friend.

“Alex was twenty six and an arrogant asshole,” Nick continued. “He thought because he was older he could tell me how to live my life.
So I joined up with the service and haven’t really spoken to him since. He didn’t approve.”

“
Don’t you talk to him at all?” Ally asked surprised by this. She never really thought about Nick as having a family or a life outside his work for Cole.

“He calls me at Christmas,” Nick sighed as if the memory of all his brothers’ phone calls were something he didn’t want to think about. “But sometimes I wonder why he bothers
calling at all. He doesn’t approve of my life and makes it very clear when we talk.”

“I’m sorry,” Ally said unsure of what else she could say.

“You’ve just discovered you have three sisters recently haven’t you?” Nick said suddenly seeming more comfortable to talk to Ally than he had ever seemed to before. “How do you feel about that?”

“I don’t know to be honest,” Ally replied truthfully
. “I have known those girls all my life. And in some ways they were already like my sisters. But things are still new and a little weird.”

“I can understand why
,” Nick nodded and took a sip of his coffee.

“Can I ask you something?” Ally said as she sat Ben up and began to rub his back to burp him.

“Sure,” he said as he placed his coffee cup down on the table and sat up straight.

“Do you think I should be worried about this Jason thing?” Ally said, lowering her voice so no one could hear her. “I mean he hasn’t tried to contact me, maybe he did just want
ed to say sorry when he dropped into the garage. And maybe he did just bump into Nan in the supermarket.”

“Do you think you have any
thing to worry about?” Nick asked leaning forward and looking into her eyes. “Let’s say he walked in here right now, how would you feel? Would you be scared?”

Ally thought for a moment but she already knew her answer.

“Yes,” she replied honestly.

“Sometimes our gut instincts speak louder than every other part of our body.” Nick shrugged. “It’s that little voice inside that tells us what we don’t always want to hear. It’s that voice that should be listened to because it’s usually right. But that said, you shouldn’t worry. He won’
t get the chance to do anything.”

“Okay,” Ally said with a smile.

A few minutes later, she settled Ben back into his buggy and they were off again. Ally told Nick she wanted to stop by the Boots store to pick up some baby stuff for Ben and then they could head back home.

As they were walking around the baby department in Boots, Ally realised she had left her purse on the table in the coffee shop.

“Can you watch him while I run back?” She asked Nick.

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” Nick protested.

“I need to get it before someone else does,” Ally insisted. “All my cards are in it. It won’t take two minutes to run back down to the shop.
Or you could go. I am in the middle of a busy shop. I will be safe. Nothing will happen here.”

“Fine,” Nick said, looking a little unsure. “I will run back for it. But you stay right here. Don’t move, do you hear me?”

“Okay,” Ally nodded.

Nick hurried towards the exit of the shop.

Ally stood rooted to the spot, one hand on the buggy one holding the shopping basket she was carrying. Suddenly, Ben started to cry and Ally began to wheel the pram back and forth slightly trying to settle him down. But he just cried harder.

She reached into the buggy
, looking for his soother but couldn’t find it. She sat the shopping basket on floor and bent down to search in the nappy bag in the basket under the buggy. Ben just howled louder. Ally was starting to feel panicked when she couldn’t seem to find the spare soother. She saw two feet walk towards her and stop. She was relieved Nick was back.

“Can you pick him up,” she asked while she continued to search her bag. Finally
, she located the spare soother. “Got it.”

She stood back up and her heart
nearly burst out of her chest with fright. There standing before her with Ben in his arms, was Jason.

“What are you doing here?” Ally asked as she swallowed hard to stop herself from throwing up.

“I was just doing a bit of shopping,” he replied like it was an obvious answer. “Wasn’t aware it was a crime to shop
these days.”

Ben started to cry again and Ally’s mothering instinct kicked in.

“Give me my baby back,” she demanded as she reached out her hands to take Ben from him. But to her horror Jason stepped back.

“You’re baby?” Jason
replied in a sarcastic tone. “That’s some magic sperm lover boy has to have to produce this little bundle so quickly.”

“Jason, just give him to me,” Ally said trying hard to hide the fear in her voice.
“Please.”

“I think he likes it with Uncle Jason,” Jason said as he gently
rocked the baby back and forth.

“
Why are you doing this?” She half demanded, half cried. “Please, just stop. Give him to me.”

“
And what is it I am doing exactly,” Jason asked looking Ally straight in the eye. “Holding the baby of someone who once meant a great deal to me? Or keeping a parent from its child. It’s not very nice, is it Ally?”

“I don’t know what you are getting at,” Ally said looki
ng at him in complete confusion, but she knew he was upset about something.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t have figured it
out, Ally?” Jason continued as Ally stared at him. She didn’t know what to say. “Do you really think I am that stupid?”

“Jason, what is it you want?” Ally sobbed unable to hold her tears back
any longer. “What do you want from me?”

“Ally, I want what is rightfully mine,” Jason said lowering his voice. “I want you back. You need to see
that you belong with me. I am the one that loves you the most.”

“Jason, I am married to Cole,” she cried. A few passers-by were looking at them now and Ally could feel her heart race faster.
She wished Nick would hurry up and come back.

“But you don’t love him the way you love me,” Jason insisted. “I know you still love me Ally.”

Ben cried harder and wriggled in Jason’s arms. Ally’s heart was breaking as she longed to comfort her baby.

“Jason, please,” Ally begged. “Just give me my baby.”

Jason didn’t reply he just stared at Ally and Ben continued to scream.

“YOU’RE SCARING HIM!” S
he screamed, not caring who was watching them now.

“Fine,” he sighed
, sounding completely irritated as he handed Ben back to Ally. As he did, the manager from the store came up to them.

“Is everything alright madam?” H
e asked looking directly at Ally. She didn’t reply. Instead she hugged Ben tightly, closed her eyes and cried.

“Madam,” the manager said again
, this time a little firmer. This time Ally opened her eyes and was surprised to find Jason was gone but there was a crowd around her. “Madam are you okay?”

“I… I… I’m okay,” Ally sobbed. Just then
, Nick appeared behind the store manager and the minute Ally saw him, the tear’s started again. But this time they were tears of relief.

“Ally!” Nick said as he quickly pushed
his way past everyone until he got to her. “Ally, what’s happened?”

“Ja…Jason,” she sobbed as she struggled hard to catch her breath. “H… he…ha…had…B…B…Ben.”

Nick instinctively wrapped his arms around Ally and a wailing Ben and hugged them tightly, all the time scanning the shop, trying to spot Jason.

“I just want to go home,” Ally whisper
ed sadly against Nick’s chest.

“Okay,” he said taking Ben from Ally and after he reassured the manager of the store that everything was ok. He escorted Ally to the car. He opened the door of the car and wait
ed for Ally to climb inside before he hurried around to place Ben in his car seat. Then he packed away her buggy, her shopping bags and headed for home.

He called Cole on the way home and Cole nearly exploded
on the other end of the phone. Nick knew Cole had every right to be angry with him. He knew he should have never left Ally alone in the store.

“I’m sorry,” Ally said when Cole finished ranting
in to the phone at Nick and hung up.

“You have nothing to be sorry for Ally,” Nick replied. “Mr
. Thomas is right, I should have never left you alone. I messed up. He has every reason to be mad at me.”

“You cannot take the blame for Jason,”
a still tearful Ally insisted. “Nick, I was in a store, in a shopping center for Christ sakes. Even I thought Jason wouldn’t have had the guts to pull something like this. I am not letting you take the blame for this.”

“Ally,” Nick said. “I
took my eye off the ball. I allowed things to get personal, I dropped my guard and he got to you. If anything happened to you or Ben, I would never forgive myself.”

“We are okay.” Ally said reachin
g forward and placing her hand on his shoulder. “You have nothing to beat yourself up over.”

“I don’t think Mr. Thomas sees it that way
,” Nick replied sadly.

“Well
, I will make him see it like that,” Ally said defiantly.

The
y rode the rest of the way in silence. Ally was lost in her thoughts, replaying what happened with Jason over and over in her mind.

When they reached t
he house, Cole was already home. He was out the door and next to the car as soon as they pulled into the driveway.

“Are you okay?” H
e asked as he pulled open the car door, his voice a mixture of worry and anger. He took hold of Ally as she stepped out of the car and held her close to him. “Did he put his hands on you?”

“I’m okay, honestly,” Ally said
, fighting to hold the tears back. She knew Cole was mad and her crying would only fuel his anger.

“Let’s get you both in side,” he said as he released her and leaned into the car to take Ben from his car seat.

He led her up the steps of the house and inside where they were greeted by a worried looking Rosie.

“Rosie
, can you do me a favour and take Ben up to the nursery and get him settled,” Cole asked as he passed Ben over to her.

“Certainly, Mr. Thomas,” she replied and headed straight for the stairs. Cole walked in to the living room and paced up and down. Ally stood for a moment in the hallway, unsure of what she should do. Before she could decide
, Nick came through the door carrying Ally’s shopping bags. He place them on the floor in the hallway.

“Can you both come in here,
now!” The sound of Cole’s voice made Ally jump with fright. She looked up at Nick before they both walked into the living room. Ally suddenly felt like a kid being sent to the headmaster’s office.

For a moment
, he just paced up and down trying to bring his anger back under control. Ally glanced over at Nick but his eyes were fixed on Cole.

“I seriously don’
t know who I am angrier with,” Cole finally spoke as he stopped pacing and turned to Ally and Nick. He looked at Nick and Ally’s heart sank. She didn’t want Nick in trouble over this. “I told you not to let her out of your sight. I asked you to keep my family safe. I trusted you with them and you let me down.”

“Cole that is not fair,” Ally snapped unable to listen to anymore.

“It’s the truth,” Cole snapped back.