“Maybe. No, leave well alone. I’m supposed to be seeing her on Sunday, I’ll tell her then.”
“If you’re sure. Okay, I hate to run out on you like this, but we should be making a move. Lots of paperwork to catch up on, and our ogre of a boss is a bit tied up at the moment…”
“Go, get out of here. Thanks for visiting and bringing me up to date on things. Oh, and, Charlie, I bet your mum is going to have a good laugh about this when you tell her.”
“Umm…she already knows and er…sends you her love and told me to pass on her best wishes, sir.”
A smile stretched his dry lips apart. “Thanks, that’s cheered me up.”
Katy and Charlie left the hospital and returned to the station to let the team know that Sean was bearing up and would be back on duty soon.
The day which Katy had been dreading all week dawned. She dressed Georgie in a pretty pink summer dress and then went through dozens of outfits in her wardrobe until she finally settled on a cream dress and jacket she had worn to one of her friends’ wedding a few years before. “How do I look?” She asked AJ, twirling in the kitchen.
“Beautiful as ever, except for the slippers, you might want to ditch them.”
Katy poked her tongue out at him.
Georgie came bounding into the kitchen carrying her favourite doll. “Mummy, you look bootiful.”
Katy leaned down and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “That makes two of us.”
“I’m a lucky man.” AJ beamed.
Katy scrutinised his attire up and down. “You’re not wearing that, are you?”
“What’s wrong with it? Jeans and a casual shirt. Oh no, don’t tell me I have to dress up? It’s nearly ninety degrees out there.”
“Yeah, and your point is?”
He shook his head and stomped out of the room. He reappeared wearing his cream linen suit a few minutes later. “Will I do now?”
“Daddy, now you look bootiful, too.”
He picked Georgie up and spun his giggling daughter around on the spot. Katy smiled. This was a moment to cherish. She just hoped they were still in good spirits by the end of the day.
“Come on, let’s get this over with. I mean, let’s visit Nanny and Granddad.”
AJ placed his daughter on the floor and wrapped an arm around each of them. “Whatever happens today, I have all the family I want around me.”
AJ drove, and they arrived at the country estate his parents owned a little after twelve. The traffic had held them up. Hardly the best start to what Katy thought would be a fraught day.
AJ’s mother stood on the steps, awaiting their arrival.
“We’ll let Georgie go first, she’ll help break the ice.” AJ patted Katy on the knee.
“Good idea. Come on, let’s face the music.”
AJ got out of the car and released Georgie from her car seat. “Go see Nanny, sweetheart.”
“Nanny, Nanny, Nanny.” Georgie ran up the steps and flung herself into her grandmother’s arms.
“Georgie, my precious child. My, don’t you look pretty?”
Katy and AJ held hands and climbed the steps to join them just in time to hear Georgie say, “It’s the dress I wanted to wear to Mummy and Daddy’s wedding, but Mummy said I couldn’t.”
“Oh, have you two set the date then?” AJ’s mother asked, misunderstanding what Georgie had said.
AJ held up his hand to show off his wedding band. “No, we got married last week, Mother.”
Cecilia’s face darkened with anger until Georgie asked, “What’s wrong, Nanny? You don’t look well.”
“Not in front of Georgie, Mother. It wouldn’t be fair,” AJ warned.
“You’d better come in. Let’s see what your father has to say about this.” She turned, still carrying Georgie, and stepped through the large double front doors.
AJ glanced at Katy.
She touched his face with her hand. “Stay strong.”
“Reginald, where are you? Our visitors have arrived,” his mother shouted, unladylike.
“I’ll be out in a moment. Go into the garden, I’ll be with you as soon as I’ve finished my phone call.”
Once they were in the garden, Cecilia asked them abruptly, “Drink?”
“Thanks, we’ll have a non-alcoholic one, if you don’t mind,” Katy said.
Cecilia glared at her and went back into the house.
“I’m not liking this one bit,” Katy said.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, love.”
“Don’t take any shit, AJ. Any sign of trouble and we’re out of here. Life’s too short for this sort of crap.”
“Okay, don’t be negative, let’s see how things progress for now.”
“What the…?” AJ’s father bellowed in the hallway.
AJ bent down and whispered in Georgie’s ear. “Go see Granddad, sweetie.”
Georgie ran through the patio doors calling for her granddad.
“Shame on you for using your daughter like that.” Katy sniggered.
“I’m willing to try every trick going if it’ll help. Remind me whose idea it was to come here today?”
“Yours.”
“Why do you always listen to me?”
“Because you’re wise,” Katy replied.
“Not this time.”
AJ’s mother and father appeared with Georgie running ahead of them.
“Hello, Father.”
“Son, Katy. Nice to see you both. I hear congratulations are in order.”
AJ nodded. “Yes, I suppose they are, sir.”
AJ’s father held out his arms for Katy to walk into. “Congratulations, I wish you’d given us the chance to attend,” he whispered in her ear.
Katy gulped down the saliva filling her mouth. “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. We’re sorry, sir.”
“What’s done is done. Where’s the champagne, Cecilia?”
“But they wanted non-alcoholic drinks.”
“Nonsense. It’s time for us to celebrate. You’ll all have to stay the night if you get too drunk, won’t you?” Reginald let out a roaring laugh.
Katy offered to help AJ’s mother, but she refused and scurried back into the house.
“She’ll come around. It’s about time you two did the deed. I’m delighted for you both.”
“Thanks, Dad, that means a lot.”
“Now, I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but we’ll get past it. Give your mother time to get used to the idea.”
“Thank you, sir,” Katy said, feeling a little more relaxed.
Georgie ran off into the garden, chasing a couple of butterflies as Cecilia rejoined them and handed over the bottle
