Page 34 of Escape for Christmas
‘How I feel doesn’t matter now. Your dad does. Family is the most important thing.’
Tegan stepped forward and rested her fingers on his arms. Brody let his own hang limply by his sides.
‘How you feel does matter,’ she told him, finally letting go of Brody. ‘It always has, and I’m so sorry things have turned out this way.’
He felt his throat tighten. There was so much he could say right now: so many hurtful, bitter words. But none of them would help Tegan or make him feel any better.
‘Yeah, I’m sorry too, but the important thing is that we have to get through the next few weeks, or however long you’re back for.’
‘You’re a lovely, good, kind man.’
A lovely, good, kind man. The words stung like salt in a wound. Being a lovely, good, kind man hadn’t been enough for Tegan, and now it wouldn’t be what Sophie thought of him, either.
‘And any woman would be lucky to have me?’ he said bitterly.
‘You know they would. Don’t start this again,’ she begged.
Brody ignored the last part of the sentence. ‘Are you staying here tonight?’ he asked. ‘Or do you want to go to your parents’? I can ask Mum to give you a lift. I’m sorry I’ve had too much to drink to be able to drive you.’
‘I – thought I’d stay here. I think it’s what everyone will expect. I called them on my way, and Mum even said I should stay with you tonight. She said you must have missed me and that she and Dad could wait until tomorrow.’
He felt sick at the charade they had to put on.
‘So I came here first. I think your mother will expect me to stay too.’
‘So many expectations,’ Brody murmured.
‘Yes. But it might not be for long.’ Tegan let out a sniff and stifled a sob. ‘I didn’t mean that. I hope it’s not for that reason.’
She started to cry, and Brody’s tough shell cracked. He sat on the bed next to her and took her in his arms and let her cry into his shoulder. Only a cold-hearted bastard wouldn’t want to comfort the woman he’d loved. The woman he’d thought he was going to marry, until Tegan had found someone else and slept with them. Maybe that’s why he’d felt closer than he expected to Sophie tonight, because he understood exactly what she’d gone through, more than he could admit.
Now his engagement to Tegan was a sham, their relationship purely for the benefit of their families.
Tegan was convinced the stress of her brother’s acrimonious divorce had been one of the contributory factors toher father’s first heart attack. The Jamesons had had a difficult year, with Alan’s continuing ill health forcing him to sell his construction business and take early retirement. Tegan’s mum, Fiona, had had her own health scare, which had fortunately proved to be benign, but the family had been under continued stress for a good eighteen months now.
A week after Tegan’s brother had announced that he and his wife were splitting up, Alan had had his heart attack. It had been touch and go whether he’d make it for a while, but he had pulled through. Now he was waiting for major heart surgery and had been warned to avoid stress, so that he was in the best possible shape for the operation; but with the time he’d had of things lately, this was easier said than done.
That’s why Tegan had begged Brody not to reveal that they were breaking up until after the New Year, or when her father was stronger and had started to recover from the surgery, so that the news wouldn’t impact his fragile health.
Brody soothed her.
Tegan wiped her eyes, and he held her closer to try and calm her.
‘I won’t let you down,’ he promised.
‘I know. Unlike me.’ She sniffed. ‘I know I’m asking a lot and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I think we need to set some ground rules, though, for the next few weeks, to try and make sure things aren’t awkward.’
How could things be more awkward than they already were? Brody thought. ‘What kind of ground rules?’
‘Well, that we’re sharing a room – whichever house we’re staying in – so that our families don’t suspect anything.’
‘No one will know where we’re sleeping while we’re at Felltop,’ Brody reasoned. ‘And no, my mother does not come into my bedroom.’
‘I never thought she would,’ Tegan said. ‘We do have to be convincing, though. I don’t want Mum and Dad – or anyone – thinking something is amiss. You did agree to that, Brody, and I’m grateful. I would never forgive myself if Dad had another attack, especially now that the operation isn’t so very far away. You know what happened when Harry told him he and Sarah were—’
‘Yeah. I know …’ He stared at the floor, not needing to be reminded why they were in this situation. ‘Does Wes know about our arrangement?’ he asked, though even saying the man’s name left a sour taste in his mouth.
‘He’s aware that I don’t want to cause trouble. He thinks I’m going to tell the family while I’m over here.’
