His niece grinned goofily at him whilst Freddie’s face crumpled into tears. He held out his arms for his father who was sat crossed legged on the carpet to scoop him up.
“It’s okay, baby. He isn’t as scary as he looks. He’s a big softie, promise.” Looking at his brother, Cameron could see the angst on his face. “Al, he doesn’t remember you. He just needs to get to know you.”
Moving around the sofa, he sat down next to his mother as Izzie settled on the floor, colouring with Isla, while his nephew continued to eyeball him nervously. Taking his hand in hers, the ageing woman squeezed it tightly as she took in the full sight of her son. “You look tired. How are you feeling? Isobel told me you’re struggling again.”
Alex shot his sister a warning look; he hated that she’d told his parents. The last thing he wanted was for them to spend their time worrying about him.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing really. It passes once I get on stage. Anyway, never mind me, looks like these two are keeping you busy, Em!” He was desperate to steer the conversation away from him.
Sensing his unease, Cameron began regaling less than favourable tales of fatherhood to his relieved brother.
“Yeah, I hope you don’t think you’re getting a lie-in in the morning. We’ve been teaching Isla that she has to carry her brother into your room when they wake at six in the morning. That’s what uncles are for, isn’t it?” Emma smiled sheepishly at her more than famous brother-in-law.
“Bring it on! If I can handle thirty thousand screaming girls, I think these two should be a doddle.” Alex winked as he slid from the comfort of the sofa down onto the floor beside his niece. “Can I see that? Wow, look at those pretty flowers. Did Auntie Iz draw those?” Isla smiled proudly as she shook her head. “Whoa, you mean you did? They are beautiful.”
She handed the picture over for him to keep before she shifted positions, moving to sit between him and Izzie. Handing Alex a crayon, she indicated that he should draw with her now. It wasn’t until he was mid way through his trademark drawing of a house that he noticed Freddie had left the safety of his father’s arms and was now about to stick his previously sucked fingers in Alex’s ear. Smiling down at him he began making duck voices at the little man. Well, if it workedfor his dad it may just help him win the chubby faced little boy over.
Lying in his bed early the next morning he drifted in and out of consciousness, his mind completely blank for the first time in ages. The door slowly creaking open forced him to sit bolt upright. Pulling the sheet up to cover himself he saw the small cherub like face peering in through the crack in the door. Emma hadn’t been joking.
“Hey, Isla. You wanna come in and watch TV with me?”
The little girl nodded before breaking into a run across the room and pulling herself up onto the bed. Alex lifted the covers, allowing her to settle in next to him, careful to make sure he tucked the sheet tightly around his naked lower half.
“Fred wake too,” she said innocently as he flicked through the channels trying to find something suitable for her to watch.
“Is he now? I should go get him then, right? Before he wakes your mummy, huh?” Isla offered no reaction, already lost to the family of pigs that were now dancing across the screen. “Isla, stay there while I get Freddie, okay?” With everything now safely ensconced in yesterday’s jeans he made his way down the corridor to where his nephew was trying to climb out of his cot. “Hey, little man. How do you fancy a breakfast date with me and Isla?”
Freddie held his arms up to allow Alex to lift him up. This was a definite improvement from the previous evening.
Returning to his room with his nephew clinging to his hip, he found his niece jumping up and down on his bed excitedly. “You wanna go find some food in Granny’s kitchen?”
The little girl slid off the bed, jogged over to Alex and slid her hand into his outstretched oversized one.
An hour later Cameron sauntered into the kitchen, taking in the sight of his brother making airplane noises as he spooned cereal into his son’s open mouth.
“We were joking, but thanks. Em really appreciated the extra hour in bed. He can do that himself. You don’t have to feed him if you don’t want to.”
Smiling, Alex continued to assist his nephew with his breakfast. “It’s fine. I’m kinda having fun actually, and Isla has been telling me lots of stories about her mum and dad too!” He winked at his niece signalling that he would keep their secrets to himself.
Laughing, Cameron dragged two cups from the stand. “Want one? I’ll just take one up for Em and then I’ll take these two monkeys off your hands.”
“No rush. We have plans to wake Granny and Papa next, don’t we, Isla?”
She nodded wildly, the glee evident in her eyes.
Cameron headed back out of the room laughing at the devilment in his brother’s voice.
Switching on his phone he began scrolling through his list of messages and emails. They didn’t stop even though he wasn’t working. He wasn’t interested in the majority of the rubbish that was listed there; instead he only read the ones from his management office. He knew the flowers had been delivered so why hadn’t she called Izzie’s work phone? He had written it clearly enough on the back of the card; he knew his writing was illegible at the best of times but he had taken his time to make sure she could understand it. He opened up the last email in the list from Janet, the band’s publicist:
‘Hi Alex, just confirming that Izzie has cancelled all your commitments for the next three months, the others agreed to drop the naked shoot too! I have no idea why.....! ;)
Chris is on vacation now for three weeks so any problems you can just run them by me or Marcus.
A Grace Harris from the Scottish TV company emailed me. I have copied it in below. Have a good break, speak soon.
Jan’
Scrolling down the screen on his phone he couldn’t get the damned link to work. Frustrated he logged in and out of his emails twice before the elusive message would open.
