Someone Like You

Part Sixty Four

A/N So here it is, the end to yet another story. Hope that you enjoyed. Thanks to @achudasama1 who has mentioned the 2017 Literary Awards that are happening, I've tagged this story in them. Would love nominations/votes if you feel it's deserved.  Thanks again for the votes, comments and reads, the next story is already on it's way. xx

Chapter Sixty Four

"I can't believe it's been a year since Mansell died."

Theo looked up from the newspaper that he was reading and across the table at Nina, "it seems like a lifetime since he was last here as so much has happened."

She shrugged, reaching for her coffee, "I suppose I can agree with that."

She peaked into the pram beside her at the angelic sleeping face of George Peterson. He really was the greatest little boy a girl could ask for, and the last six months of her life were the happiest ever. Since he'd appeared six days before he was due, she had suddenly found a sense of purpose. Her initial resistance to not moving in with Theo had fallen by the wayside, but rather than moving into his house, he and Melody had moved in with her. Daniel was now back in the town house and the boys had sold the flat that Theo used to live in. They'd had a legal battle with their father over Mansell's will, but he'd lost that fight and along with it gained a large legal bill that he could little afford.

Any day now he was going to be arrested for fraud, and he looked likely to join her brother James in prison. James had been sentenced to three and a half years for aggravated assault, after making a plea bargain. Now there was little evidence that he and her step mother had ever lived in the house, once more it was a family home, and the sound of laughter filled the rooms.

Suddenly the ferry that they were on lurched and Theo rolled his eyes as she reached to steady her coffee, "this ship is determined to make me vomit I swear."

Nina laughed at that, "you are so useless Mr Peterson."

Again he rolled his eyes, then glanced past her to the seat across the aisle that was facing the screen playing Finding Nemo, and the almost five year old Melody who was engrossed in it.

"They didn't show films like this when I was a kid, she's lucky," Nina followed his gaze. "I did this trip so many times with my gran and the ferry listed twice as much and there was NOTHING to do all the way to France."

France.

They were heading back to the place that they first met, to meet up with Mansell's French family and scatter his ashes. Half on the beach he'd landed on back on D-day, the other half at his brother's grave. It was what he'd want, and now that Helene was becoming more infirm, they knew they were running out of time to do his. The anniversary of his death seemed both poignant and appropriate.

Daniel was already in Normandy, he'd flown down from Paris earlier that day, but he was heading back straight after their ceremony. Theo, Nina and the kids were heading down to the south of France for some spring sunshine, a holiday that they'd put off for the last twelve months, but was now very much needed.

When she sighed, Theo reached out and placed a hand over hers, "there are pools, massages and lots of rest on the horizon. I promise." He put his paper down and leaned across the table to her, "in fact, I promise to do any night feeds or disturbances until we get back to London. OK?"

That made her laugh, "a rather empty promise when George is the angel child."

He laughed too, "holidays are unsettling...so be prepared."

An hour later they had docked in Cherbourg and all piled into Theo's large SUV, and they were rewarded by driving off the boat into spring sunshine. They called for dinner with her aunt and cousins at their home, but by four o'clock in the afternoon they were arriving at the same house that she'd booked for her and Mansell almost two years earlier. Her cousin had kitted it out with everything they'd need, including a full fridge, which was a relief on a Sunday evening when everything was closed.