“Jeremy,” I said, my heart squeezing that he’d remembered. “He’s two minutes older than me.”
“And your only sibling?”
“I have several half siblings, probably more than I know about. Sex was a mainstay of The Way Forward. People had to be creating, reproducing, women were supposed to be pregnant allthe time. It was the only way to prepare for the future we’d been privileged enough to be part of and know was coming.”
Mitch nodded and carried on eating, as though mulling over what I’d said.
“I could well have ten children by now if I’d stayed.” I shrugged, but it wasn’t a dismissive gesture, it was acceptance. That’s likely what would have happened. Thank goodness it hadn’t. “I’m glad I left when I did.”
“You were eighteen, you said, when you left.” He paused and tipped his head, studied me. “Did something happen to make you decide enough was enough?”
He’d hit the nail on the head, but I wasn’t ready to go down that sordid route with him, at least not yet.
“So do you have children?” I asked.
“Er, yes, two. Boys. Nathan and Harry. Growing up fast, they’ll be teenagers before I know it. There’s just over a year between them.”
“Do they look like you?” I asked. I wasn’t surprised he had children. I’d put Mitch five years older than me, and he was too damn handsome not to have a past.
“Do they look like me?” He downturned his mouth. “I guess, a bit; they’re dark-haired, dark-eyed. Nathan, he’s the eldest, is catching up with me height-wise. His mother is always complaining about buying him the next-size-up shoes.” He paused. “You want to know about his mother?”
“Only if you want to tell me.”
He was quiet for a moment, then, “I want you to trust me, so, yeah, I’ll tell you.” He paused, swallowed. “We were married for nearly ten years, had the boys, bought a nice house in the suburbs, and then she, Sarah, had an affair. Traded me in for some asshole who works in tech and she gave him my life to live.”
“Your life?”
A muscle twitched under his left eye. “He lives in my house with my kids, sleeps in my bed. That’s stealing a life, right?”
I reached out and set my hand on his. “I’m sorry, that sucks.”
“It does, it did. I gotta get on with life, though, make the best of the situation. At least she hasn’t taken the kids to Australia, that’s where he’s from, so I still get to see them. I blocked that in court. Horrible time, she made me out to be the guilty party, told me I was a shit dad for not letting them go live in the sunshine on the beach.”
“He might be moved in but he can’t replace you, you’re their father.”
“I didn’t have kids to not be with them, you know. Doesn’t feel right.”
I nodded slowly. Having kids to not be with them was exactly how The Way Forward operated.
“How is your food?” he asked.
“It was a great choice.” I continued eating. “So where do you live if he’s in your house? Did you buy another place?”
“Kind of, I live with the twins, Cillian and Finn, it’s a big house. I’ve got a bed there.”
“Oh, I see.”
“But I work shifts, on the beat, you know, so my sleeping habits can be a bit crazy.”
“You work on the beat,” I repeated and took a sip of milk. It went surprisingly well with the food.
“You’re wondering why I’m not further up the ranks?” He raised his eyebrows at me.
“That’s none of my business.” Feeling full and the food practically finished, I set down my fork.
He ate his last few mouthfuls then did the same. “I’m not very good at following rules that don’t suit me.”
“What do you mean?”
