“No. It doesn’t. It doesn’t even feel like the house we viewed all those years ago. Before me and your dad got married.” She smiled at the thought of it. “We’d only lived here two days.”
“You made us stay with Dad’s parents in a hotel.” Claire piped up. “I never understood why you didn’t stay in the hotel. You could’ve had a honeymoon suite.”
Mum smiled over at our dad, who was carrying a small glass of whisky. Some things would never change.
“We’d just spent a couple of million on this place and another small fortune furnishing it. We were entitled to christen the place.” Dad sat down next to Mum.
The rest of us looked mildly nauseous.
Max turned to him. “Seriously?”
Dad nodded. “Yep. That sofa, the one you all loved sleeping on – that was the first place.” His eyes were dancing with amusement so I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or winding us up.
I decided, for my sanity, that it was the latter.
“Aside from anything that we really want to pretend never happened, what’s your favourite memory of living here?” This was Ava. She had her phone in her hand and looked to be filming us. “Let’s start with Mum.”
Our mother smiled, looking so much like Ava, just with different coloured hair. “The day when I came home from thehospital with Ava and you all crowded in the bedroom to meet her. I knew that Ava would be the last so for the first time I had all of you there together, just like now, which is the last time in this house.” She didn’t tear up which surprised me, because Claire had.
“Dad, what’s your favourite memory?” Ava switched the focus of the camera to him.
“The day you left for college, even though you were going to America and we’d only just found out. All of you were doing well, either at college or working, in your own apartments – I think that’s when Callum, Max and Jackson were renting an apartment together and I never knew who would be staying there with them. But that afternoon when we’d dropped Ava off at the airport and then came back to an empty house – I felt like I’d got it right as a parent. You were all doing well and we’d done our bit bringing you up. You’ll all understand that one day. Savour it because a year later they’ll start coming back.”
He was smiling, but I just about understood what he meant.
Ava panned the camera around us all, pausing at Max. “You’re the oldest. What’s your favourite memory from growing up here?”
“I’ve got a few. Jackson jumping off the top of the wardrobe because he thought he could fly’s a personal favourite because it illustrated what an absolute eejit he could be. He was so upset that he hadn’t flown.”
Jackson was making indignant noises which Ava ignored.
“What else?”
Max looked at Claire. “I lost my virginity in the secret room, which none of you knew about until now because you chose to believe a rumour.”
Claire looked aghast and Ava definitely caught that. “I thought it was that girl from school?”
Max shook his head. “She wanted to and I refused because she was just using me. I did have some self-respect. She bragged to everyone and I didn’t want to make her look bad, so I let it go. It was here in the secret room and I don’t think I was the only one to lose it there, was I, Cal?”
Callum shook his head. “True. No details coming your way. Too many small ears.”
“What else do you remember, Max?” Ava said, refocusing. “Your best memories.”
He nodded, looking around at us. “I think the birthdays we had here, and the treasure hunts Marie would come up with that were just to keep us busy for a bit but we all loved those. We had a couple of Christmases here too, which were good.”
“I always preferred to have Christmases in Oxford,” Claire said. “It was more likely to snow there and it always felt more holiday-like.”
“So what are your favourite memories?” Ava lingered on her.
“Bringing Eliza here for the first time after she was born and walking round the house with her, telling her about me, that this was where her mum had grown up. And I think it was here where I met Killian for one of the first times.” Claire glanced over to where Killian was setting up some obstacle course for the kids. “He and Max had come back to stay for a night out and I saw him all dressed up to go out. I don’t think either of them came back home that night though.”
Killian came over, leaving Owen with the kids. “I caught some of that. Was that when I saw you here for the first time?”
Claire nodded. “I was in my school uniform and you were in a shirt and trousers, ready to go out. I was mortified when you met someone else and didn’t come home that night.”
“You were hospital bait, Clairey. If I’d have looked at you, Max would’ve put me in intensive care because you were sixteen.” He gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.
“So you waited until she was eighteen?” Max shot him a glare, but there was nothing to it. “Brave.”
