Isabel, The Beauty Next Door Pt. 09

Her smile falters for a moment; she's unaccustomed to people she flies with treating her this way.

"And we are Mac and Emma," Mac says.

"Drew," Drew says, pointing to herself.

"Sorry, these corporate flights are usually more rigid. I either have to dodge wandering hands or be talked down to," she says. "And I am Bernice."

"Bernice, everyone is treated as an equal at C&W, and if you experience any difference, let Lance know. I will then be talking to or banning any individual who steps out of line."

"This is my first time with C&W, but I will ask to be called first if you need someone." She smiles and walks off.

"So, Jay, how have you been coping since the last time we met?" Emma asks.

"Since Miley spoke to me, I feel that I am looking forward to more. I still have nightmares, but they are getting fewer now."

"I must say I've had some of them," Mac says.

"It's the eyes," Emma adds.

Drew looks at all three of us. "Jay doesn't talk about what happened much. He told me when he first came home, but I don't bring it up, and he....well, he's Jay. He didn't mention Miley Cyrus to me. When did you meet her?"

"Just before I came home, she came to the ranch to relax. I taught her a couple of methods to relax her tension, and she gave me some sage advice about how I should view the man I killed."

"You made a huge impression on her. She used those techniques every day. She even adopted your tree."

I laugh. "It survived my attack then."

"It was touch and go, but it came around," Emma says. "It's still Jay's tree. Even the hands call it Jay's tree, and I have noticed more than one of our lady guests sit there quietly when they think no one notices." Emma's eyes drift over to Drew. "So, Drew, are you in the Jay Stokes fan club?"

"Always have been," Drew says without thinking and then blushes when she realises she said it out loud.

Mac and Emma laugh. "It's okay," Emma says. "You are in a long list of our friends and family." I try to ignore them and finish my breakfast.

The breakfast was cleared, and the table between Drew and me had folded away. I moved to the seat next to me, reclined back, and closed my eyes, figuring I should get some shuteye. The next thing I knew, I had a blanket on me and was being woken because we were getting ready to land.

"It's alive," Mac says to everyone's amusement.

I put my chair up and fold the blanket. Bernice sweeps by and takes it without breaking stride.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Seven thirty UK time," Drew says.

"Shit, I didn't know I was so tired," I say, rubbing my face.

"Are you kidding," Drew says. "You haven't stopped all week so we would be able to return on time. I'm surprised we were able to wake you."

Isabel and Sarah are waiting for us at the airport's VIP lounge. We have a complimentary minibus from the hotel. I get a welcome kiss from my bride-to-be and a big hug from my sister, and then it's a short wait until Mac, Emma, and the crew join us from immigration. We pile into the waiting minibus and drop Drew off before heading out to the hotel, where there's a welcome party waiting.

As per tradition, my family turned up early to celebrate Isabel's and my union fully. Of course, the Richard's couldn't be outdone, and a large portion of the close family had already arrived on the Thursday evening. The moment I walked in, I made a show of giving my mother an envelope and asked her to keep it safe until the wedding reception.

At first, Mac's introduction was a little tense, but within five minutes, he had become an honorary member of the Stokes and Richards family. Now I was pleased I got a kip on the plane as the celebration lasted into the small hours of the morning. It's not as though I got any sleep when Isabel got me to bed a little before three.

Once breakfast is over, Hannah whisks Isabel away, and Isabel is replaced by Sam. We had forgone a stag night for our meal last night with our families around us. Sam is now looking pregnant, but that is no surprise seems there are two in there.

I spend the afternoon hanging out with Mac, Emma, and Sam. I'm told that Hannah has taken Isabel, my mother, Rachel, Sarah, and Heather (Isabel's mum) to a spa for lunch and some pampering. I guess I get the shitty end of that looking after our guests. Most take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and walk along the cliff towards a secluded cove.

I understand why we have to stay behind, and if I'm brutally honest, I am happy to have the rest after the night before's exertions. Our intensity hasn't dropped at all in the years since we met. We spoke about it before I left for The States, and the life we have experienced so far has added dimensions to our love. We both admit that we feel the same longing for each other that we had in those first weeks in my bedroom at my parents.

"Shit, dickwood is here," Sam says, breaking me out of my thoughts. I look up and see Bradly walk through the door with his fiancée, I presume. I'm surprised; she seems, well, normal.

We are sitting in the lounge area, and Bradly doesn't see us. It helps that some of Isabel's family see him and recognise him, being Tottenham Hotspur fans themselves; I'm not a football guy, I think you already know that. This diverts Bradly away from where we are chilling and gives me a reprieve for now, anyhow.

I look at Sam. "We should let him settle in before..."

"Yeah," she answers with a knowing look.

We hear the lift ping and guess that Bradly's gone to take his luggage up.

"Sam, do I have time for myself?" I ask. I am feeling tense and need an hour to meditate.

"Yeah, I was thinking of taking a nap," she says. I look at her, shocked, and she hits me. "I would swear, but..." She grabs my hand and places it on her stomach. I stroke her growing bulge, and we get up.

We make our apologies, and I escort Sam up to her room before finding my brushed cotton t-shirt and trousers. We know we won't bump into Bradly because Sam has organised that the parents and main participants are in one wing, and most of the other guests are on the opposite side. I head out to an outcrop on the cliff edge and do some warm-ups. It's not long until I am lost in my mind and feel all my tension dissipate.

I feel someone sit down close to me, but I don't look, and they don't try to speak. My focus is on my breathing and my heart as I feel the energy flow through my body. The energy runs through each muscle group in turn as I gently shift my weight to allow each group to be stretched and compressed.

I take a final deep breath and resume my original cross-legged, relaxing position.

"That was incredible to watch," a female voice says calmly. There's an air of confidence in the voice as I open my eyes and turn toward the sound. "I'm Megan," she says.

"Mmm, I saw you arrive with Bradly," I say.

"And you didn't come to greet us?" Megan says, smiling. "It's okay, Bradly said you didn't get on."

"That might be a little understated," I say.

She laughs. "He can be a handful, but you can't help who you love." She takes a deep breath and looks out over the water. The breeze plays with the few loose strands. "He's very proud that you are his brother," Megan adds.

"Yeah, I bet my success really stuck in his throat," I smiled to myself. "What was his reaction to me killing someone?"

Megan, at first, is taken aback by my directness. "Oh Christ, at first, he threw a right hissy fit when the first reports came in. Then, the realization of what you did and why, started to filter through. That's when I saw his pride in his brother."

"I wish I had felt the same way. It messed with my head for a while, and then someone said something that I didn't expect. Not from her, and it opened my eyes."

"Wow, you are so different to your bro...." Megan starts to say but stops as a couple approaches from their walk.

"Hey, Mac, Emma. This is Megan, Bradly's girlfriend.

"Fiancée," Megan says quickly.

Both Mac and Emma smile at her enthusiasm. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Megan," Mac says.

"Megan, these are two of my closest friends, Michael and Emma."

Megan stands to greet them. "Now Bradly will be jealous that I got introduced to you two first," she says happily. "It's an honour to meet two people I have anticipated meeting since Bradly said we were coming."

"Well, I hope we don't disappoint over the hype," Emma says.

"I was at Glastonbury and saw you all on stage. I tried to get to talk to you then, James, but by the time I got through security, you had gone."

"Ah, we had to rush off. We had dragged this reprobate away from his work and graduation preparation, and we had a date with Adele," Mac says.

There was a not-so-awkward silence, and then I got up. "I need to get a shower before dinner. Mac, how was your walk?"

"This place is incredible. I can see why you've chosen it for your wedding."

"Sam found it; she had a wedding here last year," I say.

"I haven't met Sam yet," Megan says, getting into the conversation.

"Sam is an incredible person," Mac says.

"Incredible? I guess you could call her that," I say. "Has Bradly been told about Sam?" I say, being cryptic.

"I thought she is an old family friend and your best friend from childhood. Am I missing something?" We start to walk toward the hotel, and I can see Bradly standing on his balcony, looking our way.

"Obviously, mother has not been talking to Bradly as much as I thought. Sorry, Megan, I better wait until Bradly is around. Not sure how he will take this news." I look at Mac with raised eyebrows. Mac laughs, and I shake my head. "Hope you've packed a spare dummy for Bradly," I add as we walk toward the entrance with my arm on Mac's shoulder.

"Hey honey," Megan says as we get close. "I found your brother and Mac," she states proudly. Bradly stays quiet as we get the steps that lead to the reception.

I look up. "Mum will be back around four thirty, and I will see you at dinner," I say more to appease him, and also to take the focus from Megan before Bradly starts anything.

But Bradly surprises me. "Very impressive out there, James. Can we catch up before?" He asks.

"Sure, give me ten minutes, and I'll meet you in the lounge." Bradly nods, and we pass out of view. "What was that about?" I ask Megan.

"He might surprise you sometimes, James, but the reason I love him is that when he's not being an ass, he's the most loving soul. The older he gets, the more I see it."

"Well, that's a first..... Megan, you can call me Jay," I say.

I go to walk off, but Megan grabs my arm. "Please don't let past events..." she pauses, trying to find the words. "Don't give up on him, Jay." Christ, Bradly has landed on his feet with this one. I see her eyes moisten as the emotion gets too much. She lets me go and runs off toward the lift. She turns when she presses the button. "See you in ten minutes."

I look at Mac and then head toward the grand staircase. I'm only on the first floor, and as I reach the door, Sam walks out of her room. "Hey, Jay," she says and follows me into the room.

"I just met Megan," I say as I start to strip.

"So what is Bradly's fiancée like?"

I pause for a second. "You know, she's okay," I say.

I walk into the bathroom and turn the taps on. When I return after my shower, Sam has her feet up on the bed. "Bradly wants to catch up before dinner. Do you want to come? Oh, and just to make it fun, he doesn't know about that," I say, pointing at her stomach.

Sam laughs. "Oh, are we going to have some fun?"

"Now, come on, we are talking about Uncle Bradly here." We both laugh.

"I think he's going to flip," Sam says.

"Well, he's got five months to get used to it," I say.

I get dressed, and we head down to the lounge. Bradly sees me, and he smiles as we walk through the door. He sees Sam, and his smile drops a little before his eyes settle on her baby bump. Bradly's eyes double in size. "Bloody hell, Sam, you're pregnant," he blurts out.

Sam beams and looks at me with that mischievous look I've grown to love over the years. "Hey, Bradly," she says. "Good to see you're still as observant."

"How, ummm, who.." Bradly is stuck for words.

"This is going to be more fun than I thought," Sam says.

"You mean, how did my wife make me pregnant?"

"Well, yeah. Or did you finally find what a real man feels like?"

"Brad," Megan shouts. "That is not right in any situation," she says. Bradly's face drops. I can see who wears the trousers now.

"Sorry, it's a bit of a surprise, that's all," Bradly replies, looking uncomfortable.

Sam sits down on the sofa opposite Bradly and Megan. I sit next to her as Bradly slowly sits, not knowing where to go from here.

"To answer your question, Bradly. I already knew a man that, how did you put it, 'Shows me what a real man feels like'." Bradly's eyes dart to me and then back to Sam. "Yes, Bradly, you are going to be an uncle," Sam says. "To twins," she adds to rub it in.

Bradly sits back, either waiting for the punchline or processing the news, his face not looking happy. Megan squeals, breaking the silence and Bradly's gaze. "I'm going to be an aunty," she says. She gets up, rushes over, and sits between Sam and me. First she hugs Sam and then me. "Is this what you and Mac were talking about earlier?" She asks. I nod. This girl looks truly happy about being an aunt.

"Well, at least one of you is happy for me," Sam says.

"No, no, no, you can't," Bradly says. "Tabloids will have a field day."

"Get a grip, Bradly, you're not that famous," I say.

"Bradly," my mother says as she walks through the door, looking all fresh.

"Hey Ma," he replies, still looking socked, but happy for a distraction. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to be a grandma?" He says, putting himself right back in it. Never the brightest spark.

"That's because it wasn't something you tell someone over the phone," she replies.

"But you know how this will look. I can't believe you knew."

"We knew this was going to happen for years, Bradly. It just took until now for Sam to be ready," Mum says.

"We were talking about it before James went to university. The twins will know both parents, living next door to each other," Rachel adds. Both women are now looking at Megan. I wait for Bradly, but he seems to have lost the use of his brain.

"Mum, Rachel, Sarah, this is Megan, your future daughter/sister-in-law," I say. "Megan, this fine lady on the left is our mother, the beautiful one on the right is Sam's mum, and the young lady at the back is our little sister Sarah."

Megan gasps. I don't think this was how she had planned her meeting with her in-laws, but she recovers quickly and stands. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mrs Stokes, and you, Mrs...."

"Squires," I say.

"None of that, Mrs rubbish," Mum says, opening her arms to Megan, who almost runs in. "You can call me Heather, or if you are comfortable with it, you can start calling me Mum. This reprobate next to me is Rachel. I must apologise that only one of my sons has any manners," she says.

Bradly looks at me all smug. "She's not talking about you, Bradly," I say, smiling. Megan darts behind and embraces a stunned Sarah.

Mac walks in. "What have I missed?" He asks, seeing my happy look.

"Bradly, this is..."

"Excuse me, Jay," Megan says, releasing my little sister. "Can I?" She has the cutest smile, so I nod and indicate to her to continue. "Baby, this is Michael and his girlfriend Emma. Mac, Emma, this is my fiancée, Bradly Stokes of Chelsea FC."

Mac looks at me, and I shrug. Mac smiles and extends his hand. "Bradly, it's good to meet you finally."

Bradly puffs his chest out and says, "Thank you, Mac, it's good I'm not the only famous person here this weekend."

"I know Jay is getting famous in his field right now, especially with him designing a new building in central London. His name is going to be everywhere."

I look at Mac, and he winks at me. "Anyway, Mother, did you have a good time at the spa with my future wife?" I say, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, thank you, and they will be at home, and we girls are leaving after dinner. Megan and Emma, you are both welcome. There is more than enough room."

"Can I?" Megan asks Bradly.

"They will be back in plenty of time for the ceremony, Bradly, and it will give us a chance to get to know her better," Mum says.

Bradly shrugs. "If you want to go, baby, go. I'm sure us boys can survive one night."

I can see Emma talking to Mac. It seems like he's telling her to go, and she wants to stay. By the time dinner is called, Mac has persuaded her to go. It's a relaxed dinner, and there seems to be a lot of laughter. I have to admit I am enjoying myself more than I thought.

The ladies leave in the hotel minibus. The one thing that stands out is Sarah's smile. She feels all grown up being involved. I guess she will be an adult before I know it.

Mac and I go and sit in the lounge with dad, Harry, and Bradly--the rest of whom are left sitting around talking. As the night goes on, more of the wedding guests arrive. Some of our university friends turn up. Well, the male ones, anyway. Most of the girls are going straight to Isabel and my house. I think Hannah and Isabel want to show our home off a little. The place is large and will swallow the twenty or so girls that will be staying there tonight. I'd hate to be the neighbours.

It's about nine when Mac and I get up and sit at the piano. Mac starts to play a couple of notes, and then we begin to sing together. We have done this a couple of times at The Ranch for fun. Then Mac starts to play Emma, and we begin to sing together, remembering Glastonbury. My attention is taken when I hear some of our friends and family begin to join in. I look around, and every face is looking our way, either smiling or singing along. As the song progresses, more people come to see what is happening, and all the staff stand and watch.

As the last couple of notes are played, everyone starts to clap and cheer. Even Bradly has a huge smile on his face and is whistling. Mac and I hug, next to Sam, he is my closest friend.

"You know, you haven't got a bad singing voice," Sam says, smiling at me. Sam, Mac and I get up, and we go and sit back on the sofa. It is only meant for two people, but Sam just sits on my lap.

"I don't get you two," Bradly says. "You have always acted like you are together. In fact, you seem closer than ever. If I didn't know you both, I would have said he would be marrying you tomorrow."

"That's because we are closer. Jay has always been the only man that I have any affection for. Alongside Hannah, he is the most important person in my life. I have loved him all my life, but now I love him even more as the father of my children. It's not the same love I feel for Hannah, but it's as intense."

"I love you too, Munchkin," I say, and Sam turns and tenderly kisses me. It's only a peck, but it conveys more than just a friend kiss.

"So you live next door to each other. I bet Isabel is pleased about that." Bradly seems to be trying to stir the pot.

"She loves it. There has always been a strong bond between Isabel, me, and Hannah. She's the one who talked to Jay about my wish to have children and persuaded him to... well, you don't need the details."

"No, but I bet it would have made the best-seller list," Bradly says.

"Bradly, it was done within a loving environment between four people who are committed to each other. These children will grow supported with more love than any other."

"So, how many ladies are at your houses tonight?" Bradly asks, changing the subject.

"Not sure. Should be over twenty, though," I say.

"Megan won't like that," he says.

"I'm sure if she wants to come back, Isabel will call an Uber," I say. What Bradly doesn't know is that Isabel messaged me earlier, and I quote. (shock emoji, shock emoji.) Megan is an Incredible person. Can we keep her and lose Bradly? (kiss emoji, heart emoji) I love you and miss you (heart emoji). I'll phone you after breakfast. I had to show Sam, who gave me a knowing look when Bradly mentioned Megan.