to watch this?’ Owen asked from his place behind the twins’ buggy.
Lana nudged her brother with her elbow. ‘We have to say goodbye too,’ she reminded him.
‘Yeah, well, don’t think I’m going to kiss you.’
‘You’ll be sorry if our plane stalls, dives into the sea and we’re never seen again.’
‘Lana!!’ Annie pulled away from Ed and made a horrified face, ‘don’t even joke about it.’
‘Please don’t cry over the babies,’ Ed warned her, ‘you’ll just make them upset.’
Annie knelt down in front of the buggy and both Micky and Minnie began to giggle and babble, delighted with her attention.
‘I’m going to see you later, buddies,’ Annie told them as cheerfully as she could, with a big smile across her face, although now that she was really doing this she felt as if her heart might crack.
Minnie, who was an acutely sensitive soul, seemed to pick up that all was not well and an anxious look began to build in her face.
Annie decided to unbuckle her and wrap her up in a big hug.
‘Bye-bye Min, see you very soon. Very, very soon,’ Annie said, rubbing her hand over her baby’s back.
Her baby girl nuzzled her face against Annie’s shoulder.
‘Daddy’s here, and Owen and Aunty Dinah. Mummy and Lana will be back soon.’
‘Mumma,’ Min said, squeezing her podgy arms tightly around Annie’s neck.
If Min cried or protested, Annie wasn’t sure if she would have the strength to walk through the departure gate.
‘Boo!’ Owen had crept up behind Annie and now popped up under Min’s face, causing her to break into a giggle. ‘Come to big bruv,’ he said, holding out his arms and grinning.
Min let go of Annie and accepted a lift from Owen without the slightest worry.
‘You’re a star, Owen,’ Annie said, and bent over to kiss him.
‘Watchit!’ Owen warned, ‘no lips! One on the cheek is all you’re getting.’
‘A hug? At least a hug …’
He gave her a brief, one-armed squeeze because of Min. ‘And remember my DVDs. The full list plus the money is in that envelope I put into your bag this morning. All right?
‘Take care,’ she told him, swallowing a lump in her throat the size of a potato.
‘We’ll be sweet as a nut, Mum. You go off with Lana and have a ball. And next time you’re going to New York, you’re definitely taking me, OK?’
She kissed him again and ruffled his hair, just to annoy him: ‘I love you, all right?’
Then it was time to squeeze the life out of Micky and give Ed one last, long hug. Until the build-up of tears behind her eyes was at danger level.
‘You’ll be fine. You’ll be more than fine,’ she whispered, ‘you’re the best Dad ever and you run the house like clockwork.’
Feeling his arms hold her tight and his curly hair brush her face, for a moment she thought of when she’d first been invited into Ed’s basement of chaos. So much had changed. Imagine if she’d known then that he would become her totally domesticated husband and they would have twins!
‘OK, see you in four weeks!’ Lana called out. She was incredibly cheerful and excited. Ever since the flights had been booked, the cloud of boredom and gloom hovering above her for so long had completely evaporated.
She whirled round her family, landing quick kisses on cheeks then took hold of Annie’s arm. ‘C’mon Mum, it’s time to go. New York is waiting for us!’
As soon as her family was out of sight, Annie cried hard.
She cried all the way through the security process and on into the departure lounge. There, Lana marched her to a bar and made her buy a glass of buck’s fizz, even though it was eight in the morning. Only when the entire drink was downed, did Annie finally stop sobbing.
She blew her nose and began to look around through streaky eyes. There was a full ninety minutes till boarding.
‘We could try on a lot of perfume in ninety minutes,’ she pointed out, with a final sniff.
‘We could,’ Lana agreed with a grin.
‘You’re
Lana nudged her brother with her elbow. ‘We have to say goodbye too,’ she reminded him.
‘Yeah, well, don’t think I’m going to kiss you.’
‘You’ll be sorry if our plane stalls, dives into the sea and we’re never seen again.’
‘Lana!!’ Annie pulled away from Ed and made a horrified face, ‘don’t even joke about it.’
‘Please don’t cry over the babies,’ Ed warned her, ‘you’ll just make them upset.’
Annie knelt down in front of the buggy and both Micky and Minnie began to giggle and babble, delighted with her attention.
‘I’m going to see you later, buddies,’ Annie told them as cheerfully as she could, with a big smile across her face, although now that she was really doing this she felt as if her heart might crack.
Minnie, who was an acutely sensitive soul, seemed to pick up that all was not well and an anxious look began to build in her face.
Annie decided to unbuckle her and wrap her up in a big hug.
‘Bye-bye Min, see you very soon. Very, very soon,’ Annie said, rubbing her hand over her baby’s back.
Her baby girl nuzzled her face against Annie’s shoulder.
‘Daddy’s here, and Owen and Aunty Dinah. Mummy and Lana will be back soon.’
‘Mumma,’ Min said, squeezing her podgy arms tightly around Annie’s neck.
If Min cried or protested, Annie wasn’t sure if she would have the strength to walk through the departure gate.
‘Boo!’ Owen had crept up behind Annie and now popped up under Min’s face, causing her to break into a giggle. ‘Come to big bruv,’ he said, holding out his arms and grinning.
Min let go of Annie and accepted a lift from Owen without the slightest worry.
‘You’re a star, Owen,’ Annie said, and bent over to kiss him.
‘Watchit!’ Owen warned, ‘no lips! One on the cheek is all you’re getting.’
‘A hug? At least a hug …’
He gave her a brief, one-armed squeeze because of Min. ‘And remember my DVDs. The full list plus the money is in that envelope I put into your bag this morning. All right?
‘Take care,’ she told him, swallowing a lump in her throat the size of a potato.
‘We’ll be sweet as a nut, Mum. You go off with Lana and have a ball. And next time you’re going to New York, you’re definitely taking me, OK?’
She kissed him again and ruffled his hair, just to annoy him: ‘I love you, all right?’
Then it was time to squeeze the life out of Micky and give Ed one last, long hug. Until the build-up of tears behind her eyes was at danger level.
‘You’ll be fine. You’ll be more than fine,’ she whispered, ‘you’re the best Dad ever and you run the house like clockwork.’
Feeling his arms hold her tight and his curly hair brush her face, for a moment she thought of when she’d first been invited into Ed’s basement of chaos. So much had changed. Imagine if she’d known then that he would become her totally domesticated husband and they would have twins!
‘OK, see you in four weeks!’ Lana called out. She was incredibly cheerful and excited. Ever since the flights had been booked, the cloud of boredom and gloom hovering above her for so long had completely evaporated.
She whirled round her family, landing quick kisses on cheeks then took hold of Annie’s arm. ‘C’mon Mum, it’s time to go. New York is waiting for us!’
As soon as her family was out of sight, Annie cried hard.
She cried all the way through the security process and on into the departure lounge. There, Lana marched her to a bar and made her buy a glass of buck’s fizz, even though it was eight in the morning. Only when the entire drink was downed, did Annie finally stop sobbing.
She blew her nose and began to look around through streaky eyes. There was a full ninety minutes till boarding.
‘We could try on a lot of perfume in ninety minutes,’ she pointed out, with a final sniff.
‘We could,’ Lana agreed with a grin.
‘You’re
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