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Robert sat down with his large orange juice and checked the time on his phone. Once upon a time it would have been a glass of whisky, but he had learned the hard way that drinking when he was upset only lead to more upset.
The phone buzzed in his hand as a text came through.
A: Be there in 5.
He scrolled up to the previous conversation.
R: Dinner in the pub. I need a curry.
A: What’s wrong?
A: Rob?
R: Rebecca was at the meeting. She’s working with the Corrie Group.
A: What did she do?
R: Nothing. Just sat there. Others did the talking.
A: U okay?
R: I will be once I see you. X
A: Soft lad
A: X
Robert smiled at the last kiss. They’d been married for 9 years and it still shocked him how in love he was with Aaron. Coincidently, it had also been 9 years since he’d last seen Rebecca White. With no ties to the village, she’d left. Lachan had been sent to prison for the car crash that had killed Chrissie and Lawrence as well as a final, more direct attempt on Robert’s life. And Seb wasn’t his. That had come out in the aftermath of Lachlan’s last murder attempt.
It had hurt. A lot.
But Aaron had been there. He’d helped. Aaron always helped. They gotten through that time and all struggles afterwards together. Robert wasn’t a fantastical man, but he knew that if soulmates actually existed, he’d found his.
Someone plopped down across from him in the booth. The warm feelings he’d had dropped as a pitted feeling opened up in his stomach.
Rebecca White.
She smiled at him and blinked in what he assumed she thought was a seductive manner.
“That’s seat’s taken,” he said without preamble.
“Charming as ever,” she purred.
“I mean it. Shift.”
“Oh, come on Robert. We’re in business together now. You’ll have to get used to having me around again.”
“Not on my off time.”
She rolled her eyes. “So what happened to your fingers?”
Robert looked down at the silver splints covering the ring and pinky fingers of his left hand.
“Got caught in a door. You’re not moving back here, are you?”
“Would you like that?”
“Not in a million years.”
“You haven’t even asked about Seb?”
Robert clenched his teeth. He was curious.
“He’s doing great. Got him into one of the best boarding schools in the country.”
“Can’t be bothered to raise your own son?”
“I’m giving him the best start in life with the best education.”
“There are more important things than posh schools.”
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. “Well you’ve changed your tune. You can take the boy off the farm, right? Why are you still here, anyway? I would have thought you’d have gotten bored out of your eyeballs and moved on long ago.”
Robert didn’t get the chance to answer as a small girl, her blonde hair braided back in a messy ponytail, wearing a dark green hoodie, walked up to the table, took Robert’s barely touched glass of orange juice and downed the entire thing.
“Er… you’re welcome…?” Rob said, as she placed the glass back onto the table with a thump.
“Thanks. Dead thirsty,” she said, her blue-green eyes smiling. She went to wipe her mouth with her sleeve.
“Uh - No.” Robert handed her napkin.
“Who’s this?” Rebecca asked.
“Who’s asking?” the girl responded.
“I’m Rebecca.”
“Beth.”
“Where’s dad?” Robert asked.
“Helping Adam with his tie.”
Robert snorted and smiled.
“Adam’s back?”
“Different, Adam. Why are you still here?”
“That was rude,” Beth said, smugly.
“Nose out you.”
“Robert, who is this?”
“Told you. I’m Beth. She hard of hearing, dad?”
“Dad?”
“Or maybe she’s simple?”
“Wha--”
“Hi Daddy!”
A small boy came walking up to the table. He was wearing a purple blazer with Cookie Monster on the pocket and and wore a blue tie. He had dark fluffy hair and amazing blue eyes. He was an exact miniature of Aaron Dingle.
“Hey Mate. You’re looking very smart.”
The boy nodded, proud of himself.
“This is Adam. He’s four,” Beth told Rebecca. She then turned to her brother. “This is Rebecca. She’s a little simple.”
“Robert! Are you just going to let her…”
“Didn’t think we’d see you ‘round here again,” said a new voice. Aaron Dingle-Sugden strode up to the table, hands one hand shoved in the pocket of his hoodie, the other carrying a small booster seat.
“She’s simple daddy. I think she got lost.”
Aaron smirked.
Rebecca stood up in a huff. “You’re still with him?”
“Yeah. Kind of part of the whole, till death do us part thing…” Robert said.
“You’re not wearing a ring.”
Robert held up his hand with the broken fingers. He then pulled out a chain from under his collar, his wedding ring hanging from it.
“You know Beth, I think there might be something to that simple thing you were talking about.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes.
Robert snorted. “Don’t tell me you came back here thinking I was available…”
“Of course not!” she said, but the increase of her blinking told him otherwise.
“Daddy I’m hungry,” Adam told Aaron, tugging on bottom of his hoodie.
Robert took the booster seat from his husband and placed it beside him on the bench. Aaron picked up the small boy, handed him to his husband and Robert sat him down.
“I’m in my Daddy Rob suit,” Adam told Rebecca proudly.
“If Dad’s wearing a suit and tie to dinner, Adam has to too,” Beth said, sliding into the booth on the opposite side, ending up next to her brother.
“As you can see, Bex, my family’s ready for their tea. So if you wouldn’t mind…” Rob motioned with his head.
Aaron sat down in the seat next to Beth and picked up the long memorized menu, sharing it with the 7 year old.
Robert turned his attention to their 4 year old showing him the kiddie side of the menu.
“No Daddy, I want big food like you and Daddy and Beff.”
“Well how about some nuggets? They’re from the big food side.”
“Want what you’re eating, Daddy.”
“Oh I was thinking about having squid. How about you Aaron?”
“Nothing but broccoli for me tonight.”
Both men laughed at the face their youngest pulled.
Rebecca backed away from the table, without so much as a look from the Dingle-Sugden family.
She had no place there.
End