*** AUTHORS NOTE ***
Geez, this has taken a while for me to write! So I've finally up loaded another chapter. I was going to make this the last chapter, but there was too much left to say in this story, so it might take another chapter or two. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one...
*** Tara's Point of View ***
*** FIVE YEARS LATER ***
Okay, so five years is a long time. But unlike the last time when Simone pressed the fast forward button on this thing, there ain't no bomb shell this time. Simone and I are still happily married, we finished building the house, Ethan's started school, and he has a new little sister. Her name is Peyton and she's totally cute, she's our little princess.
And me, well I'm just about to turn thirty five! Haha, I never thought I'd say those words, I mean seriously, I never imagined myself being so old!
"Come on, sweetheart, your friends flight has probably landed already," I raced around to Simmy's side of the car and yanked open the door, trying to get her to get a rattle on.
"Relax, my love, it's an international flight from New Zealand, they've probably been delayed or they're still trying to get through customs," Simmy reassured me. But she was wrong, when we got to the place where the international passengers came out of customs, Jules and Hayley were there waiting for us. And I must say that Jules did not look impressed as she stood there tapping her foot, with her arms folded and a scowl on her face. Her stance radiated a foul attitude and the scowl on her face made her look truly twisted and evil. I didn't understand why Simmy had offered to let them stay at our place when she found out that they were coming over.
"You're late, we've been waiting here for over half an hour," Jules snapped at my wife. I had to fight to hide the anger that her attitude enticed in me. If she kept this up though, it was going to take a Herculean effort to stop myself from ripping her throat out. The fact that Simmy had remained friends with her all these years, I couldn't decide if she was a saint or just a fool.
"Sorry, we would have been here sooner, but the traffic was crazy," Simmy said, putting emphasis on the last word, making it obvious that she was lying through her teeth. Jules raised her eyebrows, clearly seeing through Simmy's lies. "Okay, okay, the traffic wasn't that bad, I just over slept," Simmy admitted.
"It's three in the afternoon, how could you over sleep that long?" Hayley asked curiously. She didn't sound mad, she just sounded amused at the way her partner was over reacting.
"Well, we didn't get to sleep until some time after dawn this morning," Simmy replied.
"Yeah, that was my fault," I said with a sly grin on my face, wrapping my arm around Simmy's waist. "Sorry, ladies," I looked down at the ground to hide the grin that I couldn't seem to wipe off my face.
"Oh, okay," Hayley laughed slightly, obviously clicking to my meaning. "Shell we get out of this place then?" She suggested. So we turned around and headed back towards the car. As we walked Simmy put her arm around my waist as well and kissed the top of my head. I looked up at her and smiled.
We made our way out of the airport and back home, to our house in Toorak.
"Oh my giddy aunt, Simmy, this place is huge!" Jules said as we pulled up the driveway. Her reaction sent a smug grin to my face for a few moments.
"Meh, it would have been bigger if I had my way," Simmy reached over and nudged my thigh playfully.
"It's called compromise, remember? And besides, I thought that an underground, full sized cinema was a wee bit over the top," I played along with her game.
"But it would have been so cool, and you know that we have enough friends and family to fill a cinema," Simmy complained, but I knew she was just kidding around, just trying to tease me.
"Mhmm," I responded, giving her a look, letting her know that it was never going to happen. A look that she read all to well.
"One day," Simmy held up a finger to reinforce her statement. "One day there will be a cinema in that house," she predicted.
"Yeah, keep dreaming, sweetheart," I smiled, lent in close and kissed her long and hard. After a few seconds I heard someone clear their throat in the back seat, so I broke away from Simmy slightly. Her cheeks were going red and I could feel mine doing the same.
"Okay, shell we go inside?" Simmy suggested. So we all piled out of the car. We grabbed Jules and Hayley's bags out of the boot and made our way into the main part of the house, the main hub, the entrance way. "Alright, so we've set you up in the granny flat, because Tara's Ma and Da are staying in the downstairs guest bedroom at the moment and the upstairs guest bedroom doesn't have an ensuit," Simmy informed Jules and Hayley as they took in their surroundings.
So Simmy and I led them through the back passage and into the granny flat.
"Alright, so you've got you're living area here, the TVs hooked up to Foxtel so there's plenty of channels to choose from, you've got you're own little kitchen over there, I've stocked it with a few bits and pieces so you can have breakfast in here if you like," Simmy explained as we walked into the granny flat and our guests took it all in. "And up those stairs is the bedroom and ensuit, I put a few bits and pieces up there as well, just in case you forgot anything, so feel free to use anything," Simmy pointed everything out.
"Wow, dude, this is your granny flat?" Hayley was the first one to recover from her lack of speech.
"Yeah I saw it in a magazine when I was in high school and I thought that it would be really cool, so I threw it in just for kicks," Simmy told her friends.
"Excuse me," I raised my eyebrow at her.
"Aw, and the wife loved it too," Simmy said as a wee aside, I just continued to glare at her. "What? You know this house is like my baby," she touched my arm lightly, causing my look to soften. I couldn't help it, I was a sucker for those little touches as much as she was.
"Speaking of babies, I'm going to go give Ma a call and see how she's doing with Da and the kids, while you give these lovely ladies a tour of the rest of the house," I started to make my way back to the main part of the house. "Oh, and don't forget to show them your office," I called back.
I retreated through the house and out the back door to our outdoor living area to give Ma a call while Simmy showed her friends around the house. Truth be told, I just needed to get away from Jules for a bit. She just seemed to push all the wrong buttons in me and I didn't like how I felt when I was around her. I wanted to kick her ass for the way she treated my wife, both back in the day and while she was staying with us.
"Hey Ma, how's the zoo going? Are the kids behaving themselves?" I asked when Ma answered my call.
"They're perfect little angels, as always, darling," she informed me. "You're father on the other hand, he could do with being a little bit more enthusiastic," she concluded.
"You know what he's like, Ma, he isn't very good when it comes to expressing himself, but he loves you and he loves his grandkids," I reminded her.
"I know, darling," Ma replied. "Did your friends arrive safely?" She asked.
"Not my friends, Ma, they're Simmy's friends from before she met me," I corrected her. "And yeah, they're here," I answered her question.
"You don't sound too happy about that, Tara," Ma observed. I gave a long exasperated sigh before replying.
"I don't know, Ma, there's just something about her that doesn't sit well with me," I confided in her. "She just waltzes in here after years of barely any contact, acting like they're still friends even after the way she totally screwed with Simmy's head," I continued to pour my feelings out on the matter.
"Tara, I can tell you don't like this woman, but you need to respect the fact that your wife values her friendship, and you need to act civil around her," Ma advised me.
"I know, and I have been, but it's not easy," I replied. "I already feel like kicking her ass for the way she spoke to Simmy when we were late picking them up from the airport," I informed her.
"You need to bury those emotions for now and talk to Simone about them later, in private," Ma advised.
"Okay, Ma," I replied. "Well, I'd better let you get back to it," I said.
"Okay, we won't be much longer here, we'll see you in a couple of hours," Ma informed me. And with that the call was ended. I went back into the house and into the kitchen to pour myself a much needed glass of wine. Then I decided that I should at least offer our guests a drink as well. So I put the bottle and three more glasses on a serving tray and went off in search of our guests. I found them in the living room.
"Aw yum, thanks hun," Simmy exclaimed when she saw me walking out with the wine. Once I placed it on the coffee table she poured a glass for herself and our guests. I sat down on Simmy's lap when she had finished pouring the drinks, which I could tell surprised her, but she wrapped her arms around me none the less. I just needed to be and feel close to her right then.
"What did you ladies think of Simmy's office?" I asked Jules and Hayley as we all sipped away on our wine.
"It was amazing, and I can see why you made a point of telling Simmy to show us, I wouldn't have even known it was there if Simmy hadn't of shown us," Hayley was the one to answer my question.
"That's the whole point, it's meant to be my secret, but it's not much of a secret when the wife tells everyone who comes here," Simmy said, teasing me lightheartedly.
"I'm proud of how creative you were when you designed that office, so I can't help but want to share your brilliance with the world," I looked down at her and smiled. At my words Simmy pulled me in for a kiss.
"Naw, you two are so cute together," Hayley cooed, making me laugh because I knew how much it annoyed and embarrassed Simmy when people said those words.
"Thanks," I smiled over at Hayley, then turned my attention back to Simmy. "Ma said that they'll be another couple of hours, so what do you want to do until they get home?" I asked.
"We could watch a movie," Simmy suggested. "Do you two want to watch a movie?" She turned to face Jules and Hayley.
"Yeah, okay," Jules replied, and Hayley agreed with her.
"Cool, well, I'll go and make some popcorn while you lot choose something to watch," I smiled, knowing that Simmy wouldn't have shown them our DVD library on their tour of the house, and knowing just how much of a shock they were in for when they did see it. We had accumulated more than fifteen hundred DVDs since Simmy moved into my apartment all those years ago. And we had a walk in wardrobe just to house them.
"I'll help you with the popcorn," Hayley offered.
"Um, okay," I said and led the way to the kitchen.
"You don't like Jules very much, do you?" Hayley started the conversational ball rolling once we were in the kitchen, surprising me by the way she just put it out there like that.
"It's not that I don't like her, I just don't know her, all I know is what Simmy has told me. And from what she has told me, I can't figure out why they're even friends," I admitted to this woman, whom I had only met on two other occasions.
"That's understandable, I don't know how they managed to stay friends either," Hayley replied.
"And, no offense, but I don't like the way Jules treats Simmy, I mean the way she spoke to my wife at the airport I was just about ready to slap her," I continued to confess to this woman.
"Yeah, I could tell," Hayley smiled. "Maybe you should have," she commented quietly after a few moments while the popcorn popped away in the microwave. I raised my eyebrows at her. "I love her and everything, but she can be a little brat sometimes," she said and we both cracked up laughing. "You're home is amazing by the way," Hayley said after a few more moments.
"Thank you," I replied, blushing slightly at the compliment.
"Simmy told us that you did all the interior design yourself, that's really impressive," Hayley stated.
"Thank you," I replied, still blushing.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did the two of you manage to afford all this?" Hayley asked.
"Well, Simmy makes quite a lot from her writing, and we're both at a stage in our careers where we can pretty much work when we want and for how much we want," I informed her without hesitation.
"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Hayley replied.
"Thank you," I said.
"You're welcome," Hayley said just as the popcorn finished.
"Shell we go find our women?" I asked as I poured the popcorn into a bowl. So I led the way into the home cinema room.
"Mmm, I smell popcorn," Simmy emerged from the walk in wardrobe that housed our DVDs.
"Haven't you found a movie yet?" I asked, a smile on my face at how cute it was the way Simmy was drawn to the smell of fresh popcorn.
"Nah, Jules is still looking," Simmy replied. So I put the popcorn down on the coffee table and followed Hayley as she walked into the DVD library to find Jules. I smiled as a look of awe took over Hayley's face when she saw how many DVDs there were to choose from. Obviously I was right when I figured that Simmy had forgotten to show them on the tour of the house.
"Hey, we should watch 'Romper Stomper', give these ladies a taste of Melbourne," I suggested, pulling it off the shelf.
"Aw yeah, great choice, hun," Simmy exclaimed. "Come on, before the popcorn gets cold," Simmy ushered us all back into the home cinema room, grabbing the DVD out of my hand as we went. Simmy and I ended up cuddling on one sofa, while Jules and Hayley did the same on another.
"Wow, that was crazy, almost as crazy as 'Once Were Warriors'," Hayley exclaimed once the movie was finished.
"Almost, but not quite, as the only Auzzie in the room, I'll admit that you Kiwi's can make a better cringe film than us," I commented.
"So you've seen 'Once Were Warriors'?" Jules asked me.
"Yeah I have, Simmy got me to watch it the first time she took me home to meet her family," I replied. Just then the kids burst into the room: Captain Ethan, Princess Peyton and Baby Girl. My parents have been so supportive of Simmy and myself that they've made Juliet as much a part of their lives as Ethan and Peyton.
"Mum, Mum, Mum!" Peyton cried out as she ran over to me.
"Aunty Simmy!" Juliet ran over to Simmy.
"Who are you?" Ethan stood in the middle of the room looking at Jules and Hayley. His question made Simmy laugh hysterically. I wondered why and made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"Kids, remember I told you that my friends were coming for a holiday today?" Simmy asked and all three kids nodded. "Well, these are my friends, their names are Jules and Hayley, why don't you guys tell Jules and Hayley your names?" She suggested.
"Hello, my name is Juliet," Baby Girl went first.
"Hi, I'm Ethan," our Little Captain went next.
"Hello, I'm Peyton," our Little Princess went last.
"It's very nice to meet you all," Hayley said and Jules agreed with her. Jules was smiling ear to ear, it seemed like she was genuinely happy to meet Simmy and mine's family.
"How was the zoo, kids?" I asked. They all started yelling at the same time, telling me how much they had enjoyed their day out with Granny and Grandpa. "I hope you said thank you to Granny and Grandpa," I said and they all nodded.
"Mummy Simmy, can you show me some more stuff on the piano?" Ethan asked. Ever since Simmy came back to us five years ago, Ethan had been so excited about learning to play the piano and Simmy had been so patient with teaching him everything she knew. I was so proud of both of them.
"Don't you want to play with your cousin? She has to go home tomorrow morning," Simmy reminded him.
"Nah, she can play with Peyton, I wanna play piano with you," Ethan stuck to his guns.
"Come on then, Little Captain," Simmy used her pet name for him. Ethan rejoiced in his victory and they both rushed upstairs to the music room.
"Aunty Tara, we're going to go play outside on the ship, okay?" Juliet informed me once Simmy and Ethan were out of the room.
"Okay, Juliet," I replied, stopping myself just in time from calling her Baby Girl, remembering how much she disliked it now that she was getting older. She wasn't going to be a teenager until her next birthday, but she was already acting like one. "Hey, where's Granny and Grandpa?" I asked just as the two girls started to make their exit.
"Oh yeah, they wanted me to tell you that they're tired, so they're going to bed early," Juliet replied.
"Okay, thank you, Juliet," I called out as they raced each other to the back door. Juliet let Peyton win, like the good older cousin she is.
"You two must be starving, I can whip up some Mexi-wraps for dinner, if you like?" I suggested once I was left alone with Simmy's friends.
"That sounds really good, but I'm feeling quite tired, I think I might just head to bed," Hayley said. "Are you coming to bed, babe?" Hayley turned to face Jules.
"Actually, one of those Mexi-wraps sounds good, I might just have a bit of a feed before I head to bed, okay?" Jules said.
"Yeah, sweet as, don't keep me waiting too long though," Hayley said with a sly grin on her face. They exchanged a kiss, then Hayley made her way to the granny flat, while I led Jules into the kitchen. I felt a little uneasy about being alone with Jules, but for my wife's sake I had to be civil with her.
"So, you and Simone seem to be doing well for yourselves," Jules commented as she sat on a bar stool while I began preparing dinner.
"Yeah, we get by," I replied.
"No need to be modest, Tara," Jules said. "I was so happy when I found out that Simmy had settled down and had a family. I always wanted the best for her," she informed me.
"That's so sweet of you," I plastered on a fake smile, trying to hide the fact that my words were coming through gritted teeth.
"You and I, we've never really had a chance to know one another," Jules commented.
"You're right, we haven't," I replied, trying to keep my sentiences short and to the point. Thankfully Juliet chose that moment to burst into the kitchen.
"Aunty Tara, come quick, Peyton's stubbed her toe," Juliet exclaimed.
"Keep an eye on the mince," I instructed Jules and then dashed off to my daughters rescue. When I got outside, Peyton was screaming her head off. I scooped her up and took her inside, into the downstairs bathroom. "It's okay, Princess, Mum's here now," I tried to sooth Peyton as I went.
"What's going on? What's wrong with Peyton?" Simmy came bounding down the stairs, two at a time, Ethan hot on her heals, a worried look on his face. They followed us into the bathroom.
"She stubbed her toe, she'll be alright," I reassured everyone in the room. I washed the blood off and gently put a band-aid on the toe concerned, then I kissed her little tootsie. "There we go, all better now," I kissed Peyton's forehead as well.
"You're very brave, my Princess," Simmy picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom. "Mmm, smells like Mama Tara's cooking some dinner, are you hungry, my Princess?" Simmy asked. Peyton nodded, still sobbing a little, but no longer crying. I smiled at how amazing Simmy was with the kids.
"Thanks for that," I said to Jules once we were back in the kitchen and I resumed cooking dinner once more.
"No problem," Jules replied. "Is Peyton alright?" She asked.
"Yeah, she'll be fine, my Little Princess is tough," Simmy answered the question.
"Just like her mum," Jules said quietly, with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. I didn't know what to make of that look.
"Yeah, something like that," Simmy replied, then she turned her attention to what I was doing. "Oo, are you cooking Mexi-wraps?" Simmy asked, sounding very excited at the prospect.
"Yes I am," I smiled.
"Choice!" Simmy rejoiced. "Why don't you sit down here, in between Ethan and Juliet, my Princess, so I can help Mama Tara with dinner?" Simmy suggested to Peyton, who just nodded, so Simmy placed her gently on a bar stool. "Good girl," she kissed our daughter on her forehead. "I'll get all the sides and that ready for you, hun," Simmy told me.
"Thanks, sweetheart," I said and gave her a quick kiss as she walked passed me to the fridge and pantry. Dinner was served quarter of an hour later, we all just ate at the counter. And after dinner Simmy and I took the kids upstairs to put them to bed.
"I might just head off to bed as well," Jules said as Simmy carried Peyton towards the stairs and I followed her with Ethan and Juliet in toe.
"Alright, goodnight, Jules," Simmy said with a little wave.
"Goodnight, everyone," Jules said.
"Goodnight," the kids and I all sung in chorus and we parted ways at the foot of the stairs.
***
"So are you going to tell me what's on your mind? Or am I going to have to pry it from you?" Simmy asked as we layin bed together about an hour later, cuddling in the middle of our huge bed, having finally gotten the kids to fall asleep.
"Okay, there's a couple things on my mind," I rolled over so that I could look Simmy in the eye as we talked. Ma had told me to confront my wife and tell her about my feelings, so I guess it was then or never. "Why did you laugh earlier when Ethan burst into the living room and asked who Jules and Hayley were?" I asked the easy thing first.
"He reminded me of me," Simmy chuckled. "When I was about his age, maybe a little bit younger, I met my step father for the first time. I woke up one morning and found him in a sleeping bag, on the floor, in the living room," Simmy retold one of her childhood stories.
"And you said, 'who are you?'" I finished her sentence.
"Exactly," Simmy smiled.
"Well, Ethan is turning out to be a lot like you, he's got an insane love of music, he's creative, totally random and he's going to be a killer with the ladies," I replied.
"He's more like you with that last one then," Simmy replied. I just smiled, blushing slightly at her comment. "So, what else is on your mind?" Simmy asked after a minute or so of silence.
"I don't really know how to say this, which is crazy, because I always feel like I can tell you anything," I sighed and watched my wife for a few moments. She just waited patently for me to continue. "There's something about Jules that really rubs me the wrong way. She seems to know how to press every wrong button there is to press in me, and I don't like feeling this way," I explained. "I can't even figure out why the two of you are still friends, not after the way she treated you, and the way she still treats you," I admitted. Still Simmy watched me patently. "You say that she's changed since high school, well if that's true, I'd hate to see what she was like back then, because the way she behaves now is bad enough," I continued to rant, and silent tears ran down my face.
"I tried not being friends with Jules," Simmy said quietly, wiping my tears away. "I told her to piss off and she did, we didn't talk for almost six months, because she insulted my best friend. But in the end it was me who contacted her again. I couldn't get her out of my head, I tried everything, but nothing worked, so I caved," Simmy explained. "I can't kick her out while she's here, but say the word and once she's gone, that's it, she's gone from my life forever. I don't want you getting upset over some woman from my past, I should have never invited her into our home, I was wrong, I should have considered your feelings and I'm sorry," Simmy concluded.
"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," I replied, feeling elated that she had suggested it though. Her suggestion and the way she had made it without hesitation proved to me just how much she loved me, how much she was willing to give up for me. I was done talking, I had exposed myself and my feelings and I was overjoyed by my wife's response. I lent in slightly and kissed her to show just how happy I was. "I love you, sweetheart," I whispered as I pulled away again.
"I love you too," Simmy replied.
***
"Boss, what can I do for you?" Simmy's voice broke into my sleep. I rolled over and saw that she was sitting up in bed, talking on her phone. "Okay, I'll be there in an hour," Simmy said before hanging up the phone. She then turned to face me. "Oh shit, I'm sorry, hun, did I wake you?"
"Yeah, kind of," I replied. "What's happened?"
"There was a body found in St. Kilda, in behind a strip club, I have to meet everyone at the scene," Simmy informed me.
"Okay, be safe and find the truth," I instructed her. Simmy kissed me, then padded off to our bathroom to have a quick shower and get dressed before heading off, out into the night lit city.