“Lemme go!” He squealed.
“You’re not charging around with your willy hanging out!” Lucy yanked the shirt over his head as I forced on the bottoms, “There! Like it or not, you’re dressed!”
Nigel leapt to his feet and stuck his tongue out at her.
“Oh!” She pretended to be offended, “I’ll get you for that!”
He bolted for the door and she chased him out into the front room. Alexander caught him three steps into the room and lifted him into the air, “It’s time for bed, Bud! Come on now, say your good nights! Pass around your farewell kisses!”
Nigel oddly did not argue. He simply gave everyone a wave and stayed in his father’s arms. They followed Oliver and Carolena up the stairs. Lucy and I put Gryffin, who was already sleeping, and Nattie down in the nursery.
“Good night, Nattie Muffin,” I kissed her little head, “I love you.”
“Wuf you, Silly,” She mumbled. Her eyes were nearly closed, “Wuf you, Yucy,” She held her hand out for my sister, who took it in hers, “Night,” Nattie whispered and I watched her face go slack.
“Isn’t she the most precious thing ever?” Lucy whispered, kissing her on the side of the head, “Good night, Miss.”
“She is the sweetest child,” I answered as we tip toed out of the room, “I can’t believe she spawned from Alexander.”
That night, Oliver and I watched Lucy and Alexander sit closer together than they needed to on the sofa. They snuck sideways glances at all evening and kept making each other laugh. There was a lot of accidental hand touching and whispering. They even split the last bottle of soda sharing the bottle, which was something I’d seen them do before, but it seemed somehow intimate where the other times it had been friendly. Oliver and I pretended not to notice and said nothing about it.
At about midnight everyone was getting tired.
“I hate to think of it,” Ollie stood and stretched to his full height, which allowed him to press his fingers to the ceiling, “But I have to go to work tomorrow, so it’s up the wooden gwelly for me.”
Alex rolled his eyes, “Sadly, Ladies, so do I,” He leaned back against the couch and then tossed his weight forward so that he rolled on to his feet, “As much as I hate to admit it, I’m off to bed.” He looked down at my sister, “Lucy, are you sure that you wouldn’t be more comfortable sleeping upstairs? I’m more than happy to let you have my room.”
“Oh no!” Lucy held her hand up, “I’m fine on the sofa. You have to work tomorrow, you need your bed.”
“If you change your mind, it’s no problem,” He gave her a long look and smiled, “It’s so good to see you, Munchkin! We’ve got loads of catching up to do, yeah?. Until then, sleep well,” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then turned to me and kissed mine, “Night, Sil.”
“Good night,” Oliver kissed my sister as well, “See you at breakfast.”
“At breakfast!” Lucy smiled at Oliver as he left the room,
“Goodnight, Alexander,” She called after Alex as he finally headed up the stairs.
After they’d gone, I gathered up the extra pillows and blankets for Lucy. “I wish I had another bed for you,” I told my sister as she settled on to the sofa.
“Oh, this is fine. I sleep on the couch a lot at my flat.” She patted her pillow and sank back into it, “I love it here, Silvia. It’s so cosy.”
“What's cosy are you and Alexander.”
Her face went red as a beet. “I was flirting with him,” She admitted, “Was it obvious?”
“I think,” I tucked the blanket around her feet like I used to when she was a little girl, “That he enjoyed it very much. He hasn’t had much to do with women since his divorce.”
“Oh, Sil, he’s hotter than ever!” She whispered excitedly, “The last time I saw him he was with that bitch, Melissa, and she kept giving me looks, so I hardly spoke to him at all. I was right upset about it, if I never told you. I wanted to tell her that he was mine! Funny, huh? That would have done great, me telling his bitch of a wife to back off my man!” Lucy laughed, “Today when I got off that train,” She sat up and grinned at me, “I thought he was Oliver and I was ashamed because he gave me butterflies in my tummy. He looked so absolutely gorgeous! I thought, ‘Oh, my God, Lucy Cotton! You can’t go falling in love with your sister’s husband! Get a grip now!’ When it was Alexander I thought I’d die.”
“You’ve been admiring him since you were what? Ten?”
“About that. I wanted so badly to have him be my boyfriend at Bennington.” She lay back with the back of her hand against her forehead, “Remember how he’d humour me? Taking me here and there. Do you remember the Christmas ball when he told Meredith to go rest her feet because he was going to dance with me for a while?” She giggled, “I couldn’t breathe being so close to him. I just held my breath the whole time. Oh, I loved him madly! But I understand he’s got a lot going on in his life now. I’ve no intention of coming in and making trouble.”
“Lucy,” I told her honestly, “There isn’t a whole lot going on in Alexander’s life. You’re remembering the lad who used to strut around Bennington like he had a key to the girl’s dormitory. He’s changed. He doesn’t even date anymore. His ex-wife cut him deep and he’s never been the same Alex since. He gave her all he had and she took every bit and then abandoned him with two children and not much left inside.”
“It’s awful what she did, Silvia. I hate her for that. I don’t care if she was a loony. Alexander might not always have been the nicest bloke, but he deserved to marry someone who loved him.” She paused, “It’s all he ever really wanted, you know? It was his only real requirement.”
“What?”
“That someone would love him for who he is. Someone who wouldn’t constantly compare him with Oliver. It’s why he stayed with Meredith for so long, you know? She saw him, not Ollie’s twin brother. I know he loves Oliver, but wouldn’t it drive you batshit to be held shoulder to shoulder with someone all your life? He would be downright awful sometimes just to set himself apart. I think he did it just to test whoever was around him to see if they loved him anyway. But nobody ever understood that, did they? I think maybe his mum, but nobody else.”
Lucy did, obviously. It had never struck me how well she knew Alexander. They had always had a friendship apart from Oliver and me, although all I had ever seen was Alexander playing the big brother role and Lucy being a love sick little girl. Still, I had never considered all the private conversations they must have had and all the intimate observations she had been able to make. Lucy had literally spent years watching Alexander from afar, hanging on to every word he said. Somewhere along the line she’d gotten his number. Lucy was no dummy.
“He was never downright awful to Melissa that I ever saw,” I told her honestly, “He was always kind to her, even after they split up. She calls him from time to time and he’s always very cordial.”
“Well, he shouldn’t be then. He deserves someone who loves him for all he is, the terrible and wonderful Alex I’ve always fancied.”
“Yes, he does. And I know you’ve always fancied him. Let me tell you how Oliver and I feel about this, Lucy. You’re a woman and he’s a man. Fall in love or have your fun, whichever you choose. Don’t get hurt, don’t hurt him and keep the children in mind. It’s all we ask.”
“Of course, Silvia. You know I wouldn’t hurt him or the children.”
“I’m just as worried about your heart getting broken. It is Alexander we’re talking about. The terrible and wonderful Alexander.” I kissed my sister on the head like she was six years old, “He may have mellowed some, but his stripes are just the same. Get some sleep. We want to make a big breakfast in the morning.”
“Good night, Sissy.”
“Goodnight,” I went back to my room and slipped into my bed.
Oliver rolled over and smiled at me, “Did you see what I saw happening with those two?”
“They’ll be snogging by this time tomorrow night,” I assured him, climbing into bed.