When Edward returned he suggested that we take our drinks upstairs and let the waiter get away for the night. We sat either side of the sofa, holding a glass of wine and chatting. One minute we were talking about day-to-day things and babies... the next thing I knew I was telling him my biggest secret.
"How many children do you want?" he has asked.
"A world full will do," I had replied thinking about all the beautiful babies in the world at that precise moment.
"I am sure you would," he had replied. "But seriously how many are you planning to have for real?" he asked.
"I can't have children," I blurted out and tried to brush it off with a follow on comment of "But there is always adoption," I said and took a gulp of wine, wondering why the hell I just told him that!
He was silent and stared at me for a moment to assess if I was joking.
"It's just one of those things," I said and forced a smile as though it didn't matter but I knew he could see that it did.
He was speechless just staring and searching in his mind for the right words. I'd seen that look before.
"You are wearing the same look my fiancée did when he found out," I said.
"You were engaged?" he asked surprised.
"Yes, hard to believe isn't it," I teased.
"Not at all," he replied quick as lightening. "So where is he? What happened?" he asked obviously intrigued.
"Long story," I said.
"It is a good thing I love the sound of your voice then," he replied making me blush and giggle at his flirting. "Tell me I want to hear all about the fool who let you slip through his fingers," he said moving his cushion behind his head as though I was about to tell him a bedtime story.
"It's nothing interesting..."
"Everything about you is interesting. Now who ended it?" he asked.
"He dumped me," I said and pulled a face.
"Mad man," Edward said in disbelief.
"When the doctor told us that I couldn't have children he was... well like you were a moment ago," I confessed and sighed.
"I'm sorry, it's just a shock that's all as I know how much you love babies," he said reaching out to touch my hand.
I moved it away as tears threatened and I didn't want to be a blubbering mess.
"Any way he said he was ok about it, there was nothing we could do but there were other alternatives we could look into when the time came for us to have children," I explained. "I thought the alternative he was referring to was adoption or surrogacy but five months later he left me and one month after that the woman he denied he was dating gave birth to his son."
"Oh my god!" Edward said floored by my Jerry Springer love life.
"So whilst he was sat making wedding and adoption plans with me, she was already three months pregnant with his child," I added so he could do the math. "When he left I asked him if he was seeing anyone, having an affair and he said no. I found out he was living with her so asked him again if they had been having an affair whilst we were together and he said no. Obviously he was barefaced liar as month later I found out about the baby because a mutual friend put congratulations on a facebook picture of the baby and tagged him in it. I saw it in my newsfeed."
"What a bastard!" Edward said astounded.
"And may I add by this point I was homeless not only because I was a student who failed her exams because I was too ill to sit them as I had lost my family but I had to move out of the house we brought together and onto a friends sofa. The pictures on facebook were of him, her and the baby in our old house on my sofa, in my bed and with our dog Ralphie because I couldn't afford to keep him either," I said letting it all spill out. "Even now I am still paying half the mortgage as he won't sell. That is why I hate social networking. You go on there to keep in touch with people but half the time it is just like opening a window and letting them throw a grenade at you which wrecks your life."
Edward was gobsmacked.
"I got a job working in a cafe for a crap wage and even the tips went on the mortgage. I had a second job as a cleaner at a doctors surgery first thing in the morning which paid for a room I had in a student house. I liked the doctors job as I got to make myself a cup of coffee and a biscuit in the morning but the landlord had meters in our rooms and I often ran out of money for electric. I had a tiny little electric hob that you use for camping that I could cook on. I made a mean fish finger sandwich," I said smiling at how excited I used to get making them.
"I can make them as well as hot dogs," Edward said proudly making me chuckle. "So with no electric you couldn't cook but what about heating?"
"No I had a fan heater and it obviously needed electric to work so I would just wrap myself up like a caterpillar in blankets and fall asleep as it was too dark to read and I would be shattered. The bathroom was shared and right next to my room so I was treated to all sorts of noises throughout the night," I said making him giggle as I pulled a face. "I would get up in the morning and find people collapsed in there so I would take my toothbrush with me and washed at the doctors whilst cleaning," I explained wondering what he would make of my confessions.
"What brought you here to this place?" he said looking around the room.
"I came to visit Arthur and Mary for the weekend as he was my fathers friend from childhood and I had an open invite at the funeral but if truth be known I was hungry and had no money for food so hoped they might make me sandwich," I said and giggled at the memory.
"What happened to your money?" he asked.
"My ex had some repairs done to the house and I had to pay half towards them as well as the mortgage payment which was all my wages. It was a bank holiday weekend so the doctors was closed. We had a new manager at the coffee shop who was a complete moron and hadn't put me on any shifts and I hadn't ate in two days. I thought its only 27.5 miles away and sunny I'll walk it, so I called to see if I could visit. Well I called the operator and said the pay slot in the phone had took my money and was blocked so she put me through," I shook my head at my old devious ways.
"27 miles!" Edward said. "Did they not come pick you up?" he asked.
"I didn't ask and didn't have time on the call so just said can I come over this weekend for a visit and they said yes. When I got here I was bare foot as the bottom had fell off one of my shoes," I laughed.
"You and footwear are a bad mix," he teased.
"We are," I agreed. "I was also sun burnt and dehydrated. They opened the door and looked me up and down as though to say who they hell are you. I sat in their kitchen with Arthur giving me water to drink and Mary was running a bath and swearing her head off. I could smell fresh cut cucumber, bread and tea. It was heaven. Arthur gave me a huge door step sized chunk of bread and butter with home made Jam it was the best thing I'd tasted in a year. I fell asleep at the table," I laughed.
"Well you had just walked 27 miles," Edward replied.
"Oh further than that, I got lost and my right hip was really sore so I was limping quarter of the way and got chin splints so I had to keep stopping," I rolled my eyes at how stupid I was.
"Painful. What did Mary and Arthur say?" he asked.
"They woke me to force me into a bath. Mary washed my hair and yelled to Arthur 'you can see her ribs' so that was the day Arthur saw me naked," I blushed.
Edward laughed.
"I tried to cover for myself by saying I had overestimated how far 27 miles was and had been ill lately so lost weight obviously it didn't work. Arthur said he would have been more convinced if I had said I had done the walk for charity and tried to get sponsor money. I was kicking myself for not thinking of that one I could have got a pound a mile," I said making Edward laugh too. "Arthur turned himself into a detective the minute I was upstairs with Mary getting into some of her PJ's and having a rest in a fresh made bed. He stole the keys out of my handbag and went to see where I lived. When he was there packing my stuff, as he decided I was going back over his dead body, my ex turned up looking for me and demanded to know where I was as I was £75 short on what he was due that month. I just didn't have it," I said shrugging as I didn't want Edward to think I was one to ignore my responsibilities. "They got into a row and Arthur punched him and got arrested."
"Arthur! Arrested?" Edward was astonished again.
"Yep I was asleep in bed. Mary got the call and Larry across the road is a lawyer so she called his office and he went to get him out. Arthur had a black eye and scraped knuckles the next morning. He told me he tripped over in the garden and then joked Mary had knocked him about again for not doing the dishes," I laughed.
"I think she does you know," Edward teased.
"I've seen her clip his ear," I joked. "So anyway a few days later I knew I had to go home and asked if I could have a lift and Arthur said no. I was gobsmacked but thought it is a bit far so I tried to remember where I had gone wrong on the way there, so as not to turn 27 miles into 35 again, but Arthur said 'Don't even think of leaving this house to go back to that doss hole of a bedsit you call home. It's full of druggies and knocked out ex boyfriends'. I realised then what he'd done. I was so embarrassed I burst into tears and tried to leave but he had locked the front door and my attempt was pretty feeble as I suppose I wanted to be saved from my horrific life but I didn't know how or who to ask for help as my family died."
Edward looked sympathetically at me.
"So I stayed with them and Arthur ended up in court for assault but the charges got dropped at the last minute. We think Larry got the police to have a word with my ex and tell him to drop the charges or else," I explained.
"Couldn't Larry help you get him to sell the house or buy you out of the mortgage?" Edward asked.
"No, Mark wouldn't have any of it. I think he likes to hold it over me and every time he so much as blows a lightbulb in the house he sends me the bill for half. It's a joke!" I said annoyed. "This month bearing in mind I've just had the extension built on this place with the money George left as that is giving back to the village as a whole and not me. Well the ex has built his own extension on the house and sent me a bill for a couple of grand."
"Surely he has to consult with you first and you have to sign off on any of the changes to the property," Edward replied.
"No he just sent me that shitty letter this morning. No doubt he will be down here screaming at me soon as I don't have a couple of grand to give him and charge me half the petrol money to come here," I sighed.
"Can I read it?" he asked. I nodded as he picked it up off the coffee table. I sat in silence as he read it, he smirked at a few things and sighed disappointed at others.
I sighed heavily as I hadn't shown anyone the letter. Arthur would go mad. Drunk rambling about my past and showing Edward private letters was not how I envisaged this evening ending.
Edward put his arm out and beckoned me forward for a cuddle whilst he held the letter with his other hand. I moved forward and cuddled him as he turned the page and read the five-page letter Mark had sent me. God that tosser could waffle.
"You do know this letter is full of crap?" he asked once he had read it. "I can take care of it for you if you would allow me."
"No I don't want you to pay him," I said panicking.
"I didn't mean pay him. I mean legally," he said.
"I don't want to cause trouble," I replied.
"He is causing trouble not you. He is threatening to take half this place and half the takings," he replied and flicked to the page with the threat.
"He said I used money that I owed him to buy this place as there were mortage arrears. How could I not pay the mortgage arrears but afford to buy this place? I paid my half and he didn't so he caused the arrears not me. He even said it was because the baby cost so much. If you see on the bank statement for the mortgage they have been using that to buy food and things," I said and Edward reached for the statement.
"This is pub lunches, food shopping, cinema tickets, McDonalds," he said flicking through. "What the hell is he thinking?"
"I know and I challenged him on it and he said his wife... yep he got married which they also used this account for," Edward was shell shocked, "He said his wife put in the wrong card details on and that is why but they've never paid me back," I moaned.
"Bull, you have to type in a pin for any payment. If he is saying she has that card and that pin it is against the law as she is not an account holder," Edward said. "Let alone all these other expenditures coming out of the account. It should be money in from the two account holders and that is it. You are the only person paying into this account on the 23rd of each month. They seem to be using this account to top up their life style when they run out of funds."
"Yep and although the account I saved my money in was a joint account, he never used it and claims he had £600 in it which is bull as I had it transferred to my name only and the funds to my new account and closed it. The only account left was the Mortgage. I saw this place was up for auction as it was falling to pieces so I went to the bank to check on my savings account it was only a few grand from doing the odd buffet here and there for parties. Mary and Arthur wouldn't take rent so Arthur said 'Lets go and be nosey and bid on it. Why help run someone elses shop when you can be your own boss.' So we bid for it at the auction. It went 7k over what I could afford but Arthur had the paddle and kept bidding. The bank loaned me the rest as I put a business plan together and it was approved. I had to pay off that business loan. Mark now states he's entitled to half that loan and I should have used the loan to pay off the mortgage arrears. The arrears were his not mine. He fell behind. Every time I try to get him to sell the house so I can have my name taken off the mortgage they say I can't as it has to be clear of arrears for six months. I can't sell the house without his approval or even half of it to the bank. I even offered to sell him my half of the house for next to nothing and he refused. I offered to buy his half. He refused. He does it on purpose."
"Of course he is going to refuse. You are his piggy bank. So let me help you," he said and stroked my hair back so he could see me clearer only then did I realise we were full length on the sofa cuddling like a couple.
"He will get mad," I said.
"No doubt but I guarantee I will get him off your back," Edward said with such confidence that I ended up nodding that he could do it.
"I'm just nervous that he will turn up here shouting and scaring the customers," I said sighing. "It's bad for business."
"If he does I set Gerard on him," he teased.
"Are you not going to champion me yourself?" I teased back.
"I'm a Prince, I'm not allowed to punch people," he replied making us both crack up. "Can I show this to Piers and Gerard so they know to be prepared?" he asked
"Yes but don't let anyone else know," I replied.
"I won't and I realise you are putting a lot of trust in me. I won't let you down," he pledged.
"Don't let Arthur know," I added.
"No one but Piers and Gerard and they will know the agreement," he said. "I'll need access to some things like statements and paperwork."
"All in the cabinet and on the computer," I replied yawning and covering my mouth.
Edward reached to the back of the sofa and pulled the throw blanket over us. My eyes barely able to keep open now I had lain down and was cuddled up to his chest. Edward was just as bad. I felt his lips press to my head before my birthday ended with me and Edward snuggled up drunk on the sofa... nearly my fantasy but there is always tomorrow I thought as I fell to sleep hoping to dream of him in a very naughty way.
L^ҏ