Anna took a few deep breaths and intertwined her fingers with his before beginning to speak. She spoke no louder than a whisper and if she hadn’t been perched in his lap, James wouldn’t have heard a word she said. “I’m okay.”
“You know it’s okay if you’re not. I mean…I’d understand,” he frowned.
“Okay fine. I’m not okay. But I will be. It’s just…hard,” she admitted sadly.
“Don’t force yourself. Take your time. No one’s going to hold it against you or judge you for it. Promise.”
“But nothing happened! You saved me. You got there before he had a chance to…” but the words caught in her throat.
“I should have got there sooner.”
“Don’t, James! You didn’t do this. I did. Grant was my past, my mistake.”
“No! Don’t you dare blame yourself for that psycho! I shouldn’t have let it get that far. I shouldn’t have let go of you,” James snorted, running a hand through his hair, trying to regain his composure. “Anna, this is my fault.”
Tears were streaming down her face, over the scratches and past the bruises, but she didn’t care. Instead she buried her face in James’s shoulder and sobbed until she had no more tears left to cry. James never once moved. Instead he just sat there holding her hand and stroking her back, letting Anna get it out. And if she needed to cry it out and soak his shirt, then that was fine. He hated seeing her broken but nothing and no one would stand in his way as he tried to put her put back together. If people thought winning a gold medal or breaking world records took dedication then they hadn’t seen anything yet. He owed the sobbing woman in his arms the world and nothing would stop him from giving it to her. Ever.
Two hours later Diana and Kathryn crept up the stairs to check on their children. The screaming had long since died off and they couldn’t hear any noise at all. Curiosity had gotten the best of them and they couldn’t wait any longer. The door was already slightly ajar and Diana knocked on it quietly before pushing it open a little wider so they could see everything was okay with their own two eyes.
Relief consumed them as they saw Anna perched in James’s lap, their hands tangled in each other, James’s head balanced precariously on top of Anna’s as they both snored softly.
Kathryn mumbled, “Thank fuck,” before she realised what she had said. She turned and looked at Diana, embarrassed as her face turned a shade of fire truck red.
Diana just smiled knowingly. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Moments later, reassured and relieved, they closed the door and headed back downstairs.
***
Anna
Once they had reported in, everyone broke off into different directions. Kate and Kelley had discovered James’s vast collection of Wii games and were battling it out in what can only be described as the most vicious game of tennis ever played. It combined violence, sledging, and an occasional volley.
Brandon and Michael retreated to the backyard and were attempting to clean the barbecue, despite the fact that it was already spotless. Adam and Lachlan vanished somewhere leaving Renee, Diana, and Kathryn sitting around the kitchen table speechless.
No one knew what to say to make this better. It didn’t matter what they did or what they said, they knew they couldn’t take the pain away, no matter how much they wanted to.
It was Renee who broke the silence. “What are we going to do about the wedding next week?”
“Next week?” Kathryn and Diana answered in unison puzzled.
“Yeah, didn’t you get your invitation? Anna planned everything while you were in the UK. Before she flew over and joined you. Everything’s arranged for next Friday,” Renee explained.
“I don’t know,” Kathryn answered, feeling off kilter. She knew that Anna had been looking forward to marrying James and making it official, but now it seemed like everything was up in the air. At this point, Kathryn wasn’t even convinced that the Anna she had always known and loved was in there.
“Do you think we should cancel?” Diana offered.
“Cancel what?” a voice whimpered from behind them, shocking them all.
Anna stood there wearing James’s clothes. They hung off her shoulders. The faded blue hoody hung almost to her knees and she didn’t have any hands. Her arms were wrapped protectively around her stomach, her hair was dishevelled, but she was standing. And she was present. And in that moment, nothing else mattered.
“Hi honey,” Kathryn almost cried.
“Hey Mum.” Anna smiled, reaching out and taking Kathryn’s hand. And that gesture alone was enough to reduce both Kathryn and Diana to a puddle of tears. “Geez!” Anna giggled, looking at Renee’s stunned expression.
Thankfully Renee was quick to pull herself together and recover from the shock. Anna, the real Anna, the Anna that she knew and loved was standing before her. Except for a few ugly bruises and scrapes there was no sign of the broken Anna that had been carried through the house only hours earlier.
“Your wedding next week. What do you want to do? Cancel or go through with it?” Renee asked matter-of-factly.
“Cancel? Why would I cancel?”
“Cancel what?” James grinned as he strode purposefully into the room and stood behind Anna, draping his long arms over her shoulders. Instinctively Anna leaned back into the warmth of his embrace.
“Our wedding,” Anna explained. “Wanna go ahead with it or cancel?”
“Your call,” he answered diplomatically, shooting his mother a knowing look.
“Let’s do it! What have we got to lose? And besides, once it’s out of the way we can get on with our happily ever after. And I’m so ready for that!” Anna squealed excitedly, causing Kate and Kelley to drop the Wii controls and race into the kitchen.
“What’s with the squealing?” Kate asked, eyeing Anna, who was beaming.
“We’re getting married next week!” Anna giggled, unable to stop herself.
Kate and Kelley looked to their mother for some kind of explanation but Kathryn had nothing. All she could offer her confused daughters was a half-hearted shrug.
“Yay!” Kelley mimicked, elbowing Kate in the side.
“Yeah! Awesome!” Kate agreed her heart not really in it. But Anna didn’t notice. She was too busy staring at James, a wide, happy smile covering her battered face. And in that moment, James knew that she had never looked more beautiful.
An hour later James managed to drag Anna away from the clutches of the other women in the house who had immersed themselves in finalising trivial wedding details.
“You hanging in there?” he asked as he led her by the hand out the back door and towards the pool.
“Yeah, it’s just weird, I guess,” Anna admitted, shrugging a reluctant shoulder. James just squeezed her hand and waited patiently for her to continue. “I mean, I love my family. And yours. But…but…”
“It’s okay, you can say anything to me, you know that.” He smiled.
“I just feel like they’re all watching me. Every time I move, their eyes seem to follow me. It’s like they are waiting for me to break down or crack up. It’s unnerving.” Anna felt guilty as soon as the words tumbled from her mouth. “And don’t try and tell me that they aren’t,” she warned.
“They’re not.”
“I can prove it,” Anna announced with certainty.
“How?” James asked as he sat down on the side of the pool and dangled his feet in the cool water before tugging Anna down beside him.
“On the count of three turn around and look at the kitchen window. I guarantee that there will be at least three sets of eyes watching our every move.”
Reluctantly James nodded his agreement. “One…two…three,” and then on queue they both turned around. James gulped loudly. Standing in the kitchen window, watching their every movement stood Brandon, Lachlan, Michael, and Diana. James shook his head with disappointment as he locked eyes with his father. There was no avoiding the truth when it was standing there, burning a hole in the back of Anna’s skull.