‘This is a nice little High Street; I can see why you like it.’
‘Yes, Jonathan and I have always felt happy to mooch around. It’s small, familiar and has everything we need.’
‘How did you guys meet?’ Trish settled back to hear the tale.
‘Oh,’ she hated the thought of mirroring the conversation she’d had with Dominic, ‘I went to a cricket match and there he was.’
Trish nodded. ‘Dominic and I met in the local pub. Friends at first and then it was a rebound thing, a good rebound thing, as it turned out!’
Enya gave an unnatural laugh and stared at her coffee.
‘The reason I wanted to see you,’ Trish began, ‘is that Iris told me last night about Aiden’s ex, that she’s expecting.’
‘Yes.’ Enya put the cup down and gave the situation her full attention. ‘Yes, she is.’
‘I’ve got to be honest, it’s thrown me a bit. Not sure what to do with that news. I thought it best I talk to you, mother to mother.’
‘Of course.’
Enya was relieved the topic was not Dominic, wary of what he might have said or let slip. This duplicitousness didn’t sit well with her, yet neither did the fact she was once again in the middle of a discussion about Aiden and Holly and Aiden and Iris, just as she had been with Jenny and Phil. She couldn’t catch a break.
‘The thing is, Enya, Iris is my only child, and I care deeply about her happiness.’
‘Yes, Aiden is mine, ditto.’ She was not going to roll over.
‘I’m worried.’ The woman cut to the chase.
‘I can understand that. I’m worried too.’ She knew this was the time and place for honesty, around this subject at least.
Trish stared at her. ‘What are you worried about, specifically?’
With the addition of the last word in her question, Trish had made it sound an awful lot to Enya like she had the monopoly when it came to concern. As was becoming more common with these interactions, it wasn’t only what Trish said but how she said it that spoke volumes.
‘Specifically...’ Enya gave it some thought, knowing that with the wedding day looming, there was no time for tiptoeing around the topic, and she spoke directly. ‘I’m worried that Aiden has made a rash decision based on hormones and not logic. I’m worried that he proposed without knowing his ex, Holly, was pregnant and might not have fully grasped all that this will mean for him, for them. I think Iris seems like a wonderful girl,genuinely,’ she met Trish’s eye, ‘but I’m worried about how little they know each other, and how it would be easy to mistake infatuation or the attraction of the new for something that might not have longevity. But I guess, primarily, I don’t want him to get hurt, to mess up, to live with regret or to be unhappy. What about you?’ She took a sip of coffee.
‘The same. But add to that the fact that the man my daughter has fallen for, who I think seems like a wonderful guy,genuinely,’ Trish spoke sincerely, ‘has got a girl pregnant and moved on very quickly. It feels cold and complicated.’
Enya’s words, when they came, were unapologetic.
‘It’s certainly complicated, and I’m not here to defend him or make a case on his behalf, but I can tell you honestly that he is a lovely human. He’s been with Holly – orwaswith Holly – since they were at school. Never a rabble-rouser, never stayed out late, got in trouble with the police, taken drugs, lied, none of that.’ She decided not to mention the cycling proficiency incident. ‘He was just a good kid. Loves his rugby, a cold beer, home-cooked food. He works hard and he’s nice. He’s studious, conscientious, quiet at first with strangers, funny, considerate. Takes after his dad.’ She spoke without irony. ‘I worried, in fact, that he and Holly were too stable, too staid. I felt they both needed to get out of their bubble a bit more, but I never expected him to come home and say that he’d met someone else. For him to express his feelings so publicly is a big deal for him. He’s loyal, very loyal, and he had no idea that Holly was pregnant, and now he does, I know it will be torturous for him.’
Trish drew breath and settled her gaze on the middle distance. ‘Do you think there’s a chance he and Holly will get back together, if not now then once the baby arrives?’
Enya considered this for a moment. ‘I don’tthinkso, no.’
It was the truth. Yet there was a small part of her that acknowledged the possibility that when Aiden saw his child, and the infatuation with Iris had maybe dulled, he might be tempted to go back to all that was familiar, comfortable, and predictable, possibly the easiest route for all concerned. Especially as there would be a baby to consider, and assuming Holly might take him back.The latter point dissolved in her thoughts. Of course she would take him back; whether she should or not was a whole other matter.
‘That’s not quite the cast-iron guarantee I was hoping for.’ Trish raised her eyebrows.
‘Oh Trish, how I wish we could have those cast-iron guarantees.’‘It’s you and me, Enya B, us against the world!’‘Honestly, I think if he’d felt the pull of duty that strongly, he’d have gone back to her the moment he found out she was pregnant. But none of us know how the human heart is going to react over time, do we?’ She tried not to picture Dominic making admissions she would not act upon. ‘I also know that Aiden’s met with Holly, tried as far as he’s able to smooth the path ahead, agreed to support her, now and ongoing. He’ll take his responsibilities very seriously and I’m glad that he does.’
‘I guess that’s something Iris will have to contend with, the fact that financially her husband will be committed to paying for a child and all that comes with that.’
Enya felt the twitch of a nerve at the top of her cheek. ‘I guess she will. I’ve always given Aiden the advice never to be beholden to anyone else financially, to always be generous yet considered with money, but to always make sure you can look after yourself.’
‘Yet Holly is going to needhishelp financially?’
‘Well, three things. First, that’s between her and Aiden. Second, Holly is not my child, therefore I have no idea what advice her parents have given her. And third, he absolutely should, in my opinion, help out financially with this child he has helped create. As I said, he is a good person, loyal. Actually, four things – the final being it’s actually nothing to do with me! Yet here I am, advocating for him, fighting his corner!’
