Lydia finished.
Lou nodded miserably. She was over him. Really. But suddenly a year’s separation didn’t seem like enough distance.
‘Tell me, Lou,’ Lydia said gently, ‘how long were you unhappy in that relationship?’
‘I was happy most of the time,’ she protested.
‘Sure. But did he ever ask you to marry him? Did he ever give you any indication or promise of anything other than living for the moment?’
‘No.’
‘No,’ said Lydia, touching her friend’s arm, ‘he didn’t.’
‘It wasn’t his fault. His life is complicated. Delvine made everything so difficult. You know that, Lydia. He’s your friend too.’
‘Sure.’ Lydia nodded. ‘And you were more than understanding, Lou. In fact I don’t know of any other woman who would have been quite so understanding for quite so long. But he ended it, and vacated your life, and you’ve moved on,’ she said, indicating Lou’s round bump. ‘And you have this baby to think about now. And Will may have been my friend too, but my loyalty will always be with you.’ She grinned. ‘Always. Now, repeat after me: Will Galligher is in my past. I am over him.’
Lou rolled her eyes. ‘Will Galligher is in my past. I am over him,’ she said dutifully.
‘Now repeat it over and over until you believe it. All weekend if necessary.’ Lydia laughed.
Lou laughed too. She felt empowered by talking to Lydia. Her friend always had the knack of cutting through the layers to the crux of the matter. ‘You’re right, Lydia. Besides, the only room I have in my heart these days is for this little guy,’ she said, patting her stomach.
‘Atta girl! You’ll be fine, Lou,’ said Lydia, hugging her reassuringly. ‘Really. You’ll be cool. You’ll be calm. You’ll be collected. And if he puts one foot wrong, I’ll beat him to a pulp.’
Will hesitated a little before pushing open the doors and approaching. He hadn’t expected to feel this churned up, and part of him urged retreat. Maybe this meeting would be better on Monday morning? At least she’d be expecting him then, and it would be business as usual. Lou and Lydia looked deep in conversation. Don’t be stupid, man. She won’t bite. Get it over and done with.
He swung the doors open defiantly and ordered his legs to move. I am over her. Candy is my priority. Only Candy. He strode towards his goal, his eyes planted firmly on his target. Her long plait like a homing beacon. He noticed a crawling child with bilateral leg plasters also making its way to Lou from the opposite direction. Except he wasn’t looking at her with grim determination, but absolute glee. As if she was the best thing in the whole ward. Good taste, kid.
He saw her look down as the little one touched her leg, and he heard her laugh again, the noise carrying to him, evoking myriad memories from their five years together. She bent and hauled the babe up on to her hip, still chatting to Lydia. The child snuggled his head into Lou’s breast and Will’s heart skipped a beat as Lou cuddled the little boy close, her chin rubbing absently against his downy hair. He remembered how she had held Candy just like that. I am over you. I am over you.
‘Hell, Lou, don’t look now, but Will’s coming up right behind you,’ murmured Lydia.
Lou froze and cuddled little Terry closer. Today? He wasn’t due to start till Monday. She wasn’t ready for this. She was supposed to have the weekend to prepare. How was he going to react to her news?
‘Hello, Lou.’
Louise bugged her eyes at Lydia. Help.
Lydia bugged hers back, and nodded ever so slightly. It’s okay. I’ve got your back.
Will smiled at Lydia, who gave him a cool look. Oh, dear. He had counted Lydia as one of his friends. He and Lou had been out with Lydia and her husband, Gerry, many times, had been to dinner at their house on numerous occasions. Candy counted Rilla, Lydia’s third child, as one of her closest friends. But Lou and Lydia had always been really tight, and he’d known that Lou had been hurt when he’d left. And women stuck together.
He felt his heartbeat kick up a notch as Lou slowly turned. What would he see when she finally faced him? Would she still look as hurt as the day he had told her they couldn’t go on as they were? Or had she moved past that? To anger? Or contempt? Or maybe she’d be happy to see him? She’d smile at him and throw her arms around his neck?
Lou took a deep breath and slowly turned, bracing herself for his reaction, pulling Terry closer to her chest. ‘Hello, Will.’
Will’s thoughts stuttered to a halt. For a few seconds he wondered if he was having some kind of absent seizure. Or stroke. It took a few moments for the wiring in his brain to reconnect. He had heard about people being struck dumb and knew he was living their nightmare.
How naive had he been? The look on her face didn’t register. The amazingly large bosom where the little boy was snuggled didn’t register. He leant against the counter and took a deep breath. The only thing that registered was her enormous stomach. Pregnant? She was pregnant? He was completely speechless. In fact he was fairly certain he had his mouth open and was gaping like an idiot.
‘Close your mouth, Will,’ said Lydia, saccharine-sweet. ‘Don’t want to catch any flies.’
He glanced at her and saw the amusement and triumph in her eyes. Oh, yeah. Lydia definitely wasn’t keen on him. He ignored her, and struggled for a moment for something to say. The initial shock was waning, and he could feel the first spurt of a darker, stronger emotion. Anger? Jealousy? Possession?
Lydia’s smugness goaded him. ‘Jeez, Lou. You sure didn’t waste any time,’ he said, staring pointedly at Lou’s belly.
Lou gripped Terry even closer as she heard Lydia’s shocked gasp. She stared at him for a moment, stung by his words. ‘My office,’ she said, through clenched teeth.
Lou passed Terry to Lydia, feeling her friend’s hostility as a palpable force. If she didn’t get Will out of harm’s way Lydia was going to tear him to shreds. And the way she felt at the moment, with his insulting remark hanging between them, she might well let her.
He followed her, watching her plait sway and glide against her shirt. The urge to pull on it, flip her around, kiss her mouth and refamiliarise himself with those lips was strong, and he suppressed it with difficulty. Even if his life hadn’t been complicated, and there hadn’t been Candy to consider, Lou had obviously replaced him.
Lou pulled out her chair and glared at him as he sat opposite. How dared he? She was mad as hell, and battled to bring her temper under control. The very fact that being in this office reminded her of the number of times he had dragged her in here and kissed her made her madder.
‘I’m sorry. Was I supposed to sit around and pine for you all this time? Was I?’
He knew he had no right to feel so outraged. But he did. ‘Of course not,’ he snapped. ‘But, jeez, Lou. Did you even let my side of the bed get cold? Just how pregnant are you?’
‘I’m thirty weeks. And I don’t owe you an explanation, Will. You ended it. You left. You said you didn’t know when you’d be back. So I got on with
