A Most Unusual Romance Pt. 04

"No," Sally said, "That's true. What you did say was how much you'd enjoyed living with me and Clive when you were training. And who's Clive? Ohh, he's Sally's ex-husband." She looked at her niece in exasperation.

Zoe said, "The trouble is I hate the necessity to lie to my parents. I love all of you, and it doesn't usually worry me who knows."

"Zoe, if you want to tell them, then we are all here for you."

"I know, and what I do know is I want you all to love me tonight."

"God, she's getting demanding isn't she," Mila complained.

The rest of the night was spent in various combinations on my very large bed with one very interesting side foray into the shower.

In the morning Zoe dragged herself out of my arms and into the shower.

"Why in god's name did we agree to go with Zoe to church this morning," I moaned.

"Shut up," groaned Sally and she pulled the pillow over her head. Mila just rolled over and made pathetic whimpering sounds.

I literally crawled into the shower and stood under the falling water. Zoe took a sponge and washed my back. Sally appeared and peed before joining us in the shower.

"We've got an hour before the service," Sally muttered. "There's no chance Mila's going to make it, and we've got to pick up Tony and Kata"

"Leave her in bed," I said. "Zoe you take the Sport and pick up your parents and take them to the church. We'll take the Aston and meet you there."

Zoe nodded and left Sally and me in the shower.

Zoe, the darling that she is, had switched on the coffee maker and poured several glasses of orange juice.

We made it to the church moments before Zoe pulled up. We greeted them and said hallo to the pastor before making our way into the church.

I know I said I'm not very religious but there is something about a good church service that is up-lifting, and this was a particularly good service.

We stood in the car park wrapped up against the chill wind and confirmed the time we would meet this evening. Zoe was going to spend the day with her parents and they were going to meet up with Bree for lunch.

Sally and I got back to the cabin and rousted Mila from her bed. We spent the rest of the day puttering about. I called Daniel and confirmed the dinner reservation with him. When I rang off I remembered I'd forgotten to give them the heads up on Zoe's parents. No problem I thought I'd catch them before they met this evening.

Our table was booked for eight o'clock and we were waiting in the bar half an hour earlier. Zoe and her parents arrived on time but Sally got a text from Mia to say the she and Daniel were running late and they'd be there in fifteen minutes.

"Problems with the baby sitter," she read off the screen of her phone.

We were seated at our table by the time they arrived.

"This is nice," Mia said after the introductions had been made, and we had ordered our food. "For once Zoe, you and I aren't the token Americans at a table of Brits. Which means Michael and Daniel can't dominate the conversation with stories of obscure British sports."

Daniel gave his wife a long suffering grin, "Hey there's nothing obscure about cricket or rugby."

Zoe's father looked bemused, "I've seen rugby, and it looks a bit like our football."

"No dad, please don't encourage them."

"Shush peaches," he said.

Peaches I mouthed at Zoe and she glared at me and her father.

"But what's cricket?" He asked.

Zoe buried her head in her arms and Mia groaned.

Sally said, "Michael Fitzpatrick not another word about sport tonight or you're sleeping in the spare bedroom tonight."

"And that goes for you as well Daniel Davidson," Mia said.

I replied, "That a cruel and unfair punishment, I'm not sharing a bed with him, he snores."

"I don't," he said indignantly.

"Idiots," Sally snorted.

We were saved from further character assassination by the arrival of our first course.

The food was great and we kept the conversation rolling along as the various plates arrived full and left empty. Katarina shyly pulled out a battered copy of Daniels last book and asked him to sign it. He did but promised to give Zoe a set of signed hardbacks to send to her.

The waiter was serving coffee when disaster finally struck. It was like relentless tidal wave that just kept coming.

Mia turned to Zoe and said, "Have you decided on the date for the wedding yet. We want to make sure Daniels literary agent has the dates so she can plan his book signings around it."

The table fell completely silent. Zoe's mouth was opening and closing but there was no sound. Her father went white and tight lipped. Her mother kept looking back and forth between Zoe and Mia.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, I'd forgotten to warn them not to say anything.

Mia looked confused at the reaction to her question and came to the wrong conclusion. "Oh no, don't tell me that you and Michael have decided not to get married, I'm so sorry Zoe."

Could it get any worse, shit yes, of course it could.

"Does that mean you are going to change your plans Mila?"

Tony said in a quiet but penetrating tone, "Do I understand that you and my daughter are planning to get married, are you sleeping with her?"

Zoe firmly replied, "Yes to both of those dad. Sally and Michael are my lovers and he's asked me to marry him, and I've said yes." She was sitting next to Mila and she took her hand. "And Mila's part of it as well. I have three lovers and I'm the happiest I've ever been and probably ever will be."

"But he's already married, aren't you?" Kata said to me obviously struggling to understand what was happening around her.

"I am."

"We were married in January in England." Sally added. "Michael and Zoe will get married over here"

"Enough!" her father said. "This will not happen, no daughter of mine will live in sin in a godless mockery of a marriage." He made to stand up.

"Wait," I said holding up a hand. "You may not like this but I love your daughter just as much as I love Sally and Mila. We will get married with or without your permission."

"Never with my permission," he said. "Come Katarina we will go."

"Dad I'll get the car..."

"No, we can get a taxi." He turned and walked away, Katarina hurrying to catch up. He paused by the reception desk to order a taxi. Zoe went over and tried to talk to him. I went to go to her but Sally stopped me.

"You need to let them talk," she said.

Zoe was left standing on her own as the taxi pulled away, her shoulders shook as she sobbed uncontrollably. Sally and Mila pulled her into their arms. After a few moments Zoe held her hand out to me and I took it and wrapped my arms protectively around her.

"Why does he hate me so much?" she said to us.

"I'm not sure he hates you, Love," I said. "I'm pretty sure it's because he doesn't feel he can control you anymore. You're no longer his dutiful daughter."

Mia was standing behind us looking distraught, "I'm so sorry; I thought Zoe's parents knew all about you."

Zoe held her arms out to her and the pair of them hugged and cried.

Zoe said, "It's not your fault, I really should have told them earlier, but I was too much of a coward."

I headed back to the table to sort out the check. Daniel stopped me.

He said, "Don't worry, I've settled the check, let's get Zoe home.

Sally and Mila drove the Vogue back, and I drove Zoe in the sport. Daniel and Mia following us in their car. Zoe sat quietly in her seat as we drove out of town. I reached out to her and she clasped my hand with hers. "Zoe, no matter what, just remember that we all love you," I told her.

She part turned in her seat to face me. "We are going to be ok, aren't we?"

We arrived before I could formulate a suitable answer. We all got out of the various vehicles and headed into the warmth.

I let the others go ahead, stopping Mia in the lobby, "Do you think you can stay and help us with Zoe. This has really hurt her. I think she would benefit from your expertise. Are you ok for time?"

"Don't worry," she said. "We called the baby sitter from the car. She's fine if she has to stay the night. We can stay as late as we need to. It's not really my field, but I'll do what I can. I do feel responsible for what happened."

"That's good, she's putting a brave face on it, but I know she's hurting."

I stoked the fire and soon the flames were flickering giving the room a cosy feel.

Mila was fussing around in the kitchen making a big pitcher of margaritas. I grabbed a couple of tumblers from the drinks cupboard and poured Daniel and myself a generous slug of brandy.

"Cheers mate," he said as he sipped appreciatively. He let his breath out. "Shit, this is the good stuff."

There was something I needed to do, so I went up to my bedroom. On my return Daniel and I joined the ladies in the lounge. Sally moved over so there was a space beside Zoe for me to sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Mia sat on her other side and was talking quietly to her, her arm around her shoulders.

Mia was saying, "Zoe if you want to talk anymore we can meet at any time you want."

"Thank you Mia. I'm glad it's all come out, I'm tired of trying to pretend to my parents that I'm something I'm not. Can I call you tomorrow?"

Zoe looked at me, with her red-rimmed eyes and attempted to smile. "Well that went well, didn't it? I guess by now I've been labelled as a Jezebel by my family and my church."

"Possibly, but in any case that just makes you more adorable to me. I've always wanted a fallen woman to warm my bed."

A smile flickered across her lips, "Does that come with any extra bed privileges I can claim?"

"Zoe, we are your family and we will always be here for you." I held out my hand to her. Her engagement ring sat in my palm. The diamond glistening in the flickering firelight, "This is yours and I never want you to take it off again."

She held out a shaky hand and I slid the ring back where it belonged.

She held her hand up for all of us to see. "I'm never taking it off again," she announced.

She stood up and looked around the room. "I have a family, they are all here in this room and they are the best family in the world."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Epilogue - four years later.

The afternoon was warm and sunny as we sat on the car blanket watching the village cricket team play their local rivals. Crack - the sound of ball on willow came from the centre of the pitch and a polite round of applause echoed around the cricket pavilion. I bounced my nine-month-old niece on my knee and she giggled as she clutched my fingers.

"Michael, I've only just feed her," her mother said. "If she throws up its all your fault and you get to clear up the mess."

"Mila stop being a fuss pot," my wife said sitting up on the blanket we were laying on.

Mila took her daughter from me and pointed at the wicket. "Look Samantha there's silly daddy running back and forth going nowhere." Her daughter gurgled happily, dribbling on her mother's top.

My heavily pregnant daughter Gillian grinned at her from where she was sitting in a deckchair. "You do realise if my Tony bowls him out we will never hear the end of it."

Mila laughed, "I'm not sure what's going to be worse, if Tony does or doesn't. Either way one of them is going to be bragging the rest of the weekend."

I stirred and asked Gillian, "What time is Julia and the rest of the family arriving?"

"Later tonight dad," she replied. "It's been a lovely week without the kids but I've missed them." She and Tony had been staying with us the past week while her sister and Robert her husband had taken all my grandchildren camping in France for a week. The large English house was going to be very full for the next few days

I placed my hand on Sally's rounded tummy and she hummed contentedly. I asked, "Are you sure you don't want to know the little one's sex this time?"

"No, we started the tradition with Michael Jr. and we are not going to change it."

I groaned, "Honestly, you think she could come up with something more original than that."

"Come on, it's not all Zoe's fault, she's American and you know how they like their juniors."

"Harrumph," I grunted. I looked over happily at Michael Jr. - Mikey, as he was known to us, played with his toy tractor in the grass beside us.

"And in any case it's all your fault. Who was it that came up with the idea that the other wife should name the baby?"

"Which you both thought was a great idea," I replied.

Sally lay back resting her head on my thigh, smiling up at me as I sat propped up against the wooden railings surrounding the pavilion. "And we still do!"

"So what's she considering this time?"

"Shaun for a boy and either Leigh-Ann or Rebecca for a girl."

They all sounded nice but I wasn't going to admit it. "Is that her punishing you for Siobhan?"

She punched my leg, " Don't be daft she loves that name."

I said, "Do I need to go and get them?"

"Nope, she texted a few minutes ago. They are walking down to join us." She gestured with her head.

I glanced over to the road leading to the pavilion and sure enough there was Zoe pushing my one-year old daughter in her stroller. She saw me looking and she waved. She looked a lot more rested now. There was a spring to her steps, which had been missing the past couple of months.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Reflections

As I lay back on the blanket that nice summer's afternoon, I thought back about the past few years. I guess it's only fair that I bring you up to date.

First, and of course the most obvious thing is that after we'd been in the states for nine months, Mila finally met the man of her dreams. She jokes about it now that she moved all the way to Denver to meet him and he lived in Kent, only a two-hour drive from our England home. It hadn't come as a great surprise to any of us. Sally, Zoe and I had always known that deep down I was a game to Mila. Not that she didn't love us all, she did! But I was never really her 'special one'. Her love of Sally was the thing that kept her with us.

We had become great friends with our neighbours Daniel and Mia from across the lake. Dave was Daniel's best friend from England and he had been staying with them on an extended holiday. Sally and I saw the mutual attraction the first time he and Mila met, but it took several weeks before we could get Mila to admit it. The thought of moving away from her Aunt Sally was far harder on Mila than the thought of leaving me.

So I said it took Mila a month to gain the courage to admit to the rest of us that she loved Dave. The poor girl was so confused that it was ripping her apart. And yes it was very hard for us to let her go. But as I reminded all of them, I'd always said that I'd never want any of them to stay with me because they felt they some obligation. We all did our best to support her. It took her yet another month before she followed him back to his village in Kent. I'd loved to have been there when she walked in to the village pub and sat down on Dave's lap. I was so proud when she asked me to walk her down the aisle and give her away the next summer.

She still visits us regularly. Dave knows that she's bisexual but he's happy knowing that she is also content to restrict her playtime just to Sally, and very occasionally Zoe. I do get to watch. He tells me he's got the best side of the deal. He has his 'me time' and a hot sexy wife on her return.

Sally's divorce had been finalised a couple of months when we married in the New Year at a county house in Devon. Mila and Zoe were Sally's bridesmaids. All our old friends were there, and Daniel and Mia and the children flew over.

In the beginning of that summer we also sat proudly in the audience as Zoe graduated. Sally, Mila and I had seats in the faculty area. She sent her allocated tickets to her parents with a plea to come. Her parents came but wouldn't talk with us. I was an abomination under the eyes of God as far as her father was concerned and I was corrupting his precious daughter. She went out for a celebratory meal with them, but called me to pick her up after an hour. She stood outside the restaurant in tears, and it took us all several days to bring her back to the Zoe we all loved and cared for. I gave Zoe the money for their trip and she passed it on to her mother, I've no idea what she did with it.

In early September, Sally, Mila and Bree were Zoe's bridesmaids at a ceremony we held at the lakeside at our home in Denver. Sally was six months pregnant at the time and her curving belly enhanced the beauty of her dress. Mila and Dave flew over for a couple of weeks. They split their time between Daniel's place and ours. The weekend before the ceremony the bridesmaids and the bride to be, took Mia and went on a spa vacation. Daniel, Dave and I had a man vacation on the lake; we spoilt the children something rotten.

Zoe's father refused to attend, I really had hoped that he would swallow his damn pride and be there for her. Her mother arrived unexpectedly the day before the ceremony with Zoe's elder sister and her family. She'd been so upset at her husband's refusal to acknowledge his daughter that she'd gone to stay with Elizabeth and Ralph. They had convinced her to come to the wedding with them. Zoe cried when she saw her mother at the door. Ralph gave her away and Daniel was my best man.

Daniel's Christmas bestseller that year was a disguised retelling of my life with Sally and the girls. I didn't talk to him for a week after her sent me a signed pre-release copy. For Christ sake he turned me into a washed out cardiac surgeon. It cost him a week of serious arse kissing and a bottle of extremely rare and a very expensive Glenfiddich 50-year old single malt to get back in my good books. For god's sake I'm an artist of healing not a bloody butcher. I might let him have a glass one day, but then again at nearly £1,000 a glass I'm not sure I've forgiven him that much to waste a glass on the heathen. Sally thinks I'm being pedantic as he did dedicate the book to 'the wonderful family across the lake.'

Our son was born in November, a healthy eight-pound boy who announced his arrival to the world with a set of the healthiest lungs I'd ever heard. Zoe had become so broody when Sally had announced that 'the stick said yes', that we agreed that as soon as she finished her first year's internship she could throw away her contraceptive pills.

We spent a fair percentage of our time in England, the way my contract worked out my teaching commitment was no more than twenty hours a week. I'd negotiated a partnership with the local interventional radiology group who worked at the University Hospital and the Porter Adventist Hospital. I'd known that medicine was a business in the States, but I couldn't believe the money I was earning for performing a relatively few cases a week. That still left us a couple of months to enjoy the new house in Oxfordshire.

On the day she finished her internship Zoe ritually disposed of her contraceptive pills and happily announced her impending motherhood two months later. At the same time Mila called with the news that she was pregnant, the two girls were born a month apart.

My two-year contract as the emeritus professor of radiology ran its course and I stepped down from the position. The university kept me on as a visiting professor at a much lower workload. And I went part time, (one day a week) at the radiology practice.

Which sort of brings us back to where we were before I drifted off into this reflection of the past few years

No actually it doesn't, I'd forgot to explain why Zoe had a spring to her step earlier. Two weeks ago Zoe's mother called out of the blue and asked to speak to Zoe. Her father had suffered a minor stroke and desperately wanted to see her and his granddaughter. We were packing for this trip to the UK, so we arraigned for Zoe and Siobhan to fly to Milwaukee and she would join us as soon as she could.