When I finally arrived home in the evening, I walked in to my husband rocking our son and feeding him his formula.
He was such a good man and father.
"Honey," he said smiling, "this little fella is the best."
"I know. I wish I could take him with me most days instead of leaving him here without us."
He spent the days I was at work with the nanny and Glyn must have already sent her home.
I went down to the kitchen and saw that Glyn had made us some pasta which was his favorite meal. He put our son down to sleep and then joined me.
"Do we have models?" Glyn remembered to ask me as we ate.
"Do we have a finished record?" I then asked him first.
He smiled, "yes, actually, now your turn."
I was extremely proud. He must have gotten past whatever was frustrating him and holding him back from finishing this afternoon.
"I have four models," I then told him.
"So you went with Brooke, Heather and two more."
I nodded, "they are beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as my wife," he said happily. Somehow it felt like he was saying that just to flatter me. Everyone always talks about how beautiful I am when all I really want is for the world to see my strength and poise.
To see my heart.
"Laur?" Glyn then said after I had gotten deep in my own thoughts.
"Sorry," I said coming back to reality.
"So how long until Tom sleeps with each of them?" Glyn then joked.
"Well he better stay away from Heather or Paul will come at his throat," I said.
"Listen," he then changed the subject, "I don't really want him around your office."
"Tom?" I asked. They were best friends.
I thought back to when I told Glyn about Tom getting me high and me wanting to get drugs from him when I was in a dark place a few months ago.
Glyn was happy I got through that phase but has been frustrated with his best friend ever since.
"He is a rockstar," he rolled his eyes, "the typical sex, drugs and rock and roll and I don't want him to go anywhere near the models."
"That's what I'm worried about too," I admitted, "not about Tom per say but about the girls getting thrust into fame and turning down a dark path."
"You didn't," he pointed out. The start of my career was smooth and I stayed clean through the psychedelic sixties.
"I had George," I said, "he needed me to be his rock."
My husband took a swig of his wine.
"Does me being close with my ex husband upset you?" I asked him.
He never says anything but he does look annoyed sometimes.
"Of course not," he said, "I like that he still protects you when I can't. And you share children together."
"I can't wait to spend the day with them tomorrow," I nodded, "I can't believe Ollie will be 14 at the end of the year."
"He's a young man," Glyn nodded, "he's going to be going through some changes and you're going to have to let him be free to express himself."
"He is starting to sing a little," I said, "I am so happy to have a little musician."
"Look who his father is," Glyn smiled.
"And his step father," I pointed out.
"Yeah, well..." he said sitting back in his chair after finishing his food.
I got up and started cleaning and then when I was finished I worked on some designs and started planning things for the grand opening.
"Will there be any music at this event?" Glyn asked me.
"I haven't decided on that yet," I said smiling, "do you have any artists that might be interested?"
Tom was always around and I knew he would do it in a heartbeat but I wanted someone with even more star power.
Since my best friend Stevie would be on tour, I knew that meant she was out of the running. She was not that excited to take off for Asia and Australia and wishes she could stay back here with us.
"I'll find someone," he then said.
I forgot sometimes just how important my husband was. There's a world of musicians out there and he's connected in some way to them all. He's the biggest and most well known music producer in the world.
....
The next day came quickly and Glyn and I went to pick up my kids from their fathers for the week.
Annie and Darry were excited to back home with me but Ollie wouldn't come downstairs from his room.
George gave me a sympathetic look.
I went up to see what was wrong.
"Ollie," I said sweetly, "are you wanting to stay here with Dad?"
"It's not that I don't want to be with you," he said, "it's just that I don't want to be going back and forth. I am older, more mature and I want to be with Dad."
I understood.
"I know the back and forth all these years has been hard, I would do anything to make things easier for you," I told him.
"It's a little late for that," he said, "I am growing up and..."
"Honey," I said to him, "you are thirteen years old, far from being grown up."
"Can I stay here?" He then asked.
"Well yes," I nodded, "I won't force you to come home with Glyn and I."
"This is my home," he said.
Oh boy. Here we go.
I went downstairs after telling Ollie I loved him and hid my tears from my husband and from George.
"Any luck?" Glyn asked.
I shook my head no.
"Is he good to stay with you?" I asked George.
He nodded and gave a sympathetic look.
"What if we took a trip together?" I asked George.
We haven't been somewhere just me and him and the kids in a while. When we were in Greece we had a lot of people with us.
"Us and the kids you mean?" He asked.
"For Ollie," I said, "it's breaking my heart that he doesn't want to be with me."
"Our son loves you," George assured me, "I will talk to him."
"No," I said to them both, "I understand that he wants some permanence and wants to stay put. I just selfishly wish it was me he wanted to stay with."
How long would it be until Annie and Darry felt the same way?
"It's the music thing," Glyn pointed out, "he looks up to George in that way."
We all nodded and agreed.
"Well my schedule is clear this week," George said, "we can take Ollie somewhere if you're free."
I did have work to do this week but Olivia could take care of it for me.
I looked at Glyn.
"I can stay back with Ethan," he said encouraging this trip.
"We could take them back home to Friars?" He asked, "they might enjoy that."
I agreed. Ollie needed that.
....
Within hours we were on a plane back home. This was where the kids grew up and they have been missing it a lot lately.
"Thank you," Ollie said to me on the plane.
"For what? For taking you back home?" I asked him.
He nodded, "and for giving me a chance to feel like we are all a family again."
"We will always be a family," I assured him.
"When Olivia and Glyn are around it isn't the same," he said.
He wanted just me and his father and I didn't blame him.
We arrived and the kids instantly wanted to run outside in the garden.
Even Ollie for once joined in with his siblings.
I was exhausted after our long flight and ready to wind down but they were ready to keep playing endlessly.
"The cleaning service has sure kept this place in great shape," George looked around.
For a moment I thought back to raising my kids here. This used to be my home too before we got divorced.
"It has never looked better," I nodded and then yawned.
"Go nap," he encouraged me, "I'll wait for the kids and get them something to eat and then see them to sleep."
I nodded and did just that.
I don't know how long I was asleep but woke up and heard commotion downstairs. I hurried down to see that my kids were all playing charades with their father.
I walked in the room quietly and they all got excited.
"There she is!" George exclaimed.
"What time is it?" I asked him.
"You've been asleep a few hours only, it's almost bedtime."
"I'm sleepy now," Annie said hugging me.
"Should we all get to sleep?" I said to my little partiers. It always amazed me how they always wanted to stay up late.
Everyone agreed and I got them all tucked in in their own bedrooms. Everything was just as they had left it.
Then I went back down to see George just sitting on the sofa in the same spot he was in with some whiskey in his hand.
"You going to sleep?" I asked him and sat beside him.
"Soon," he said.
I nodded. I could tell he was deep in thought.
"A nice subtle, quiet, out of the spotlight...." George began to ramble, "....this type of life is the dream, honestly."
He wasn't wrong. It has felt good to be back here and everyone was in a happy mood.
I then poured myself some wine and drank with him.
We talked for hours and laughed together until I told him he needed to get some sleep. I, on the other hand, was well rested.
"Come here," he said and I went and cuddled against him. He put his arm around me.
"What do you want to do tomorrow?" I asked him.
"I was thinking we could bring the kids to Liverpool," he suggested.
I absolutely loved this idea.
George's parents passed away in the 70s and I knew he missed them. The kids haven't been there since they were really little. Annie might have been a baby.
"It's almost like we never left this place," he then turned the subject back to the house we were in.
He held me tighter and I felt so many memories go flooding through my mind.
"I am happy to be here with you," I said to him, "and our babies."
He made me feel so safe. This was the man I fell in love with at the height of Beatlemania. Life ended up getting in our way and we decided to be apart way too quickly.
"I don't want to make things weird. Glyn might not appreciate...." He trailed off as he loosened his arm and then let go.
"You found Olivia before I found Glyn," I pointed out the reason we never could get back together.
"You got married before we could ever decide anything," he then said.
"I've always loved him," I said to George.
"You didn't when we were together in the 70s," he added.
He was right. I was able to forget about Glyn once I broke things off with him to be with my husband.
"What are you saying?" I chuckled to myself looking into his eyes.
That's when he looked into my eyes and a few seconds later he reached over and kissed me.
I was in shock.
I also had a tad too much wine because I didn't stop him. I kissed him back and we kept kissing for a while. My heart was racing.
What were we doing?
We had changed so much the last few years. I don't think we would be here today and have the relationship we have for our kids if it wasn't for stepping away from each other and not feeling trapped in a marriage like we did.
We then went our separate ways down the hallway upstairs and when I reached the guest bedroom I turned around.
He did at the same time from the master bedroom.
"Lolo," he whispered over to me.
I teared up a little and then uttered, "yes?"
"Come," he said reaching his hand out.
I walked slowly to him and grabbed it as he led me inside.
Here I was in my old home, going to sleep in my old bedroom with my ex husband. It was like some fantasy.