“Right, that’s it. You’ve poked the bear.” I swept in, picking her up in a fireman’s lift and began to run with her, which lasted a good twenty seconds before her laughter made it impossible to carry on.
I set her down, keeping my arms around her waist, holding her close to me. “How were the girls today? I saw them go wild at the goals.”
“I think that was the only thing they understood. Heidi wants you to teach her how to score a goal.”
“I can do that.”
She smiled again. “Don’t you spend enough time teaching kids to do that at work?”
“I like teaching kids how to do things, it’s why I became a teacher. And it’s different with Heidi and Mia. We’re not in school; I’m not the head teacher when we’re at home or on the beach.” Yesterday they’d buried me in the sand and decorated me with shells. I’d had more pleasant experiences but it was fun and I had a feeling it was something they’d remember.
“Mia adores you. Heidi does too, but with Mia it’s something else.” She took hold of my hand again and we carried on walking, only another five minutes until we were back at her cottage.
“I think it’s because of what happened with Cara.” I had another theory too, but I wasn’t sure whether I should share it.
Romy squeezed my hand. “And what else. I know you well by now. There was a second part to that sentence. You had the same tone yesterday when you were talking about your car. ‘I really like my car.’” She did a fairly good job of mimicking my tone.“There was a but at the end of the sentence you didn’t say. This time there’s anand.”
“I think there’s a connection with me and Mia because neither of us are related to you and Heidi. You’re Heidi’s mum, and Mia knows that, so there’s a bond between you that will always be so different. I’ll never be Heidi’s father, just like Mia will never actually be your daughter. That sounds a lot sadder than it was meant to. I’ve explained it clumsily.” I squeezed her hand, hoping to fuck that she didn’t take any offence.
“You’re right. Those are the facts and we can’t change them. But I can say, and I need to find a way to explain this to Mia, that it’s different, not less.” Her eyes grew wet with unspent tears. “It’s early days for us, and you know I’ve spoken to the girls about you and us and how you’re my boyfriend – they got very giddy at that. But, fair warning, Heidi hasn’t had a dad. She knows Joel is her father and he looked after her when she was a tiny baby, but she’s not had a father figure. She wants to please you, that’s why she paints you pictures that you probably don’t want, and when you come over, she wants to show you everything she’s done, just like Mia does. So don’t think, if we have a future, you won’t play a part for Heidi too. It’ll just be different, but still equal.”
That had my eyes stinging. I stopped, looking at the sea in front of us, the tide in. Romy wrapped herself in my arms, resting her head against my shoulder. I was tall, but so was she, which I liked.
I liked everything.
“I know what you mean. I’m not going to leave you or the girls high and dry. I wouldn’t be sticking around like I have been doing if that was my plan.” I had other plans which had become more solid since I’d received my decree absolute from my solicitor. I was officially divorced.
I hadn’t celebrated it. There was nothing to celebrate. That part of my life was over, but what I had done was call Bryony and ask how she was. She was fine, pregnant, which surprised me, and happy to hear from me. She apologised, as did I, then we wished each other well.
Like the sea, we would continue to ebb and flow. There was no point in trying to get to a place we once were, our tides were past that now.
“I know. That’s why I accepted Fleur’s babysitting offer.” Her smile was back. “We should hurry up and make the most of it.”
Then she pulled me by the hand and started to jog the last hundred metres home.
A house with no children in it, and no chance of a little voice going ‘ewww, they’re kissing’ felt as good as a private resort with a staff team.
I pinned Romy to the back of the front door, like I had the first time we’d slept together, taking my time with kissing her, my hands exploring under her clothes, skin I knew well by now because we really did try to make the most of the quiet times.
“Where do you want this? Bed?” I dropped to my knees, her back still against the door, pulling her underwear down her long legs, baring her to me.
“Finish what you’re doing here, and then I’ll let you carry me to bed.” Her hands were on her tits, playing with her nipples, which was a whole different level of turn on.
I licked at her between her legs, hearing her whimper, because she knew what was coming next. I loved going down on her. Some mornings, I managed to wake her up like this, occasionally she woke me up the same way, although she’d always give in and ride me at the end so she could take her own pleasure.
I wasn’t exactly complaining.
Three minutes later and she was pulling my hair as she came. I didn’t give her breathing space, scooping her up again in my arms and carrying her upstairs to her bed, climbing over her onto the mattress, my own clothes lost somewhere in the process.
There were more kisses, time slowing down as the bedroom became our cocoon for a short while, a place where it was just us.
I rolled onto my back, pulling her on top on me.
“Oh, you want it like this, do you?” She grasped hold of my cock, lowering herself down onto it, her moan travelling straight to my cock, which felt ever harder.
We’d stopped using condoms a week ago, which I wasn’t complaining about.
My hands held her hips, her hands on my shoulders and she started to move.
