After All - Part Fifty Five

Chapter Fifty Five

The boat powered across the azure seas, the groan of the engine the only thing that disturbed the peace and serenity. It was idyllic, and if she could have frozen a moment to savour for the rest of her days, then that was it. Dylan had hired a crew with the boat, so they could appreciate the day for what it was. And as the boat surged through the rolling water, they both lounged on the top deck, basking in the sun. The guide took them South, along the coast, and from their recliners, they sipped tropical fruit juice as they watched the coast move from one luxurious resort to another isolated beach, then they veered off further out to sea and as they finished their lunch, a small island came into view.

Their host came up to see them, explaining that the island was uninhabited, but there were three beautiful beaches, they had a small dinghy on board to take them to shore.

Half an hour later they were swimming in the perfect, warm sea, laughing at the fish that were plentiful near the shore. It was idyllic and yet more memories for them to store up for the future.

It was dark when they got back to the hotel, and the subject of her father didn’t come up until they were in bed, exhausted and well loved.

                “I don’t want to leave here.” Matilda was running her fingers over his chest, dragging her nails against his skin.

Dylan let out a slow moan, his eyes still closed, “it is heaven...but nothing lasts forever, not holidays anyway.” He grimaced at the faux pas then opened his eyes, “not you...not us. I mean here...this. After all we’re going to Chiang Mai.”

It was her turn to grimace, “can we put it off, go another time?”

Propping himself onto his elbow he towered over her, “what is it? What are you afraid of?”

She shook her head, “I’m not afraid...not really. It’s just...” She sighed, “whilst it’s just the two of us I can believe this is it, this is forever, but if you and Gareth start arguing, or my Dad says something...” She blinked away tears; all she wanted was for everyone to get on.

He chuckled, “nothing they say will be undeserved or put me off. I was wrong Matilda, I DID wrong. I get that. It’ll take years for you to trust me again, if you ever do truly, and I can’t expect them to be any easier on me.”

She shook her head, “I do trust you, I always have, that’s the problem.”

He sighed, “you always did believe in me, more than I did myself.”

She smiled sadly, “you were always doing things. If you wanted it you were single minded in getting it. I should have known when I sent you those papers that you’d rebel. It was the biggest failing double bluff of all time.”

                “You didn’t want to divorce me?”

She shook her head, “I just needed you home, holding my hand as I watched my mother die.”

Pulling her into a hug he placed his lips on her forehead and groaned, “I am SO sorry.”

Her eyes were closed when he pulled back to look at her and he thought she was closing the subject, but then she spoke, “talk to me.” Her eyes flashed open, “tell me how you’re feeling...in the future?”

He nodded, “no more misunderstandings. I get that. I WANT that.” His arms slid around her, pulling her into his body, “because I want to wake up to this...to YOU, every morning. Ok?”

As she nodded, desperate tears did fall, and Dylan took an age kissing each one of them away before devouring her in a similarly attentive way.

When they boarded a plane north to her father five days later they were no longer the high powered business couple from London, her in her bright fabrics, sun burnt nose, he with his tan and shorts...they were happy holiday makers, and a couple in love.

But as they disembarked in Chiang Mai, Dylan could sense the tension in Matilda.           

“It’s fine, you’ll see.” He took her hand and squeezed her fingers. “This is the worst thing we’ll ever have to deal with, ok?”

She wished she could share his optimism, but she didn’t. But then her father was stood in front of her beaming, the worry lines that had seemed to occupy his face gone for the moment.

                “Matilda.” As he pulled her into his arms, his lips found her forehead and he kissed her there, “I never thought I’d see you here. You look so well!” He held her at arms’ length for a moment, then his eyes flitted to behind her. She waited for the animosity, the anger but there was none. Instead he grinned.

Turning she saw Dylan smile and offer a handshake, but Jimmy Davies was having none of that, instead, he grinned then pulled his ex son in law into a bear hug, “I should want to kill you, but I haven’t seen her look so well since you left. You’re good for her...”

Dylan sighed, “I promised you Jimmy, I won’t hurt her again.”

Her father nodded, “good, I’ll take you at your word...or else.” But there was humour in his eyes as holding Matilda’s hand in a way he hadn’t since she was a kid he led her out into the hot humid day in the mountainous City.

A taxi waited, and as they piled in, her father sat proudly pointing out the sights as they meandered through the busy streets.

Dylan had booked them into a high end chain hotel, it was, her father told her, about fifteen minutes from his house. And the plan was that they’d have dinner together in the hotel, the following day, her father was planning to barbeque for them both, as well as her brother Gareth and Suni his partner. It was a more laid back chance for her to see the house, where her father was going to spend most of his life, and her brother and Dylan to meet face to face.

                “I’ll wait in the bar.” Her father announced as they entered the hotel reception. “I’ll reserve a table for an hour?”

She nodded, “brilliant. We’ll just dump our bags...”

Smiling he gave her a kiss on the cheek, “I’m on the case, the food here is amazing. Take as long as you need. I’m in no rush.”

The room they had was amazing, luxurious and huge; the view was across the city. She stood staring out when she felt Dylan approach and stand behind her, arms encircling her.

                “You ok?” His chin rested on the top of her head and he took in the same view as her.

She sighed, “yes. Just seems a little surreal on times, I mean my father lives here...and now you’re here...”

Smiling he turned Matilda in his embrace, “go shower, freshen up...I need to talk to your Dad, ok?”

                “NO...” She made to protest, but he silenced her with a kiss.

                “It’s a man thing,” he breathed against her lips once he’d ended his devour of them. “I have to speak to him; I have to make this right, when you’re not around.”

As she shook her head, scared of what could happen, he chuckled, “I thought you trusted me.”

                “I do...”

                “And you trust your Dad. We’re two mature men, having a frank discussion about a woman we both love. Ok?”

She gave a reluctant nod, then watched as he left the room.

Dylan, despite his declarations, was nervous. He’d thought of Jimmy Davies as almost a father in the five years he’d been part of Matilda’s life, and he had no idea what the older man truly thought of him. But he also knew he couldn’t hide behind that.

Entering the bar his eyes darted around until he spotted him talking to another man in the corner, making for the bar, he ordered a whisky, it may only be lunch time, but for the first time in a long time he wanted a little Dutch courage. That’s because this is the first thing you’ve TRULY cared about since you let Matilda walk away. He hated the brutality of that revelation, but he also knew his subconscious was right, he needed this to work, it wasn’t a gamble, it wasn’t a risk, it HAD to work out. There was no room for failure.

He downed the shot of Irish whisky, before ordering a bottle of red wine, something he knew his ex father in law favoured. As he made for a table in the corner of the room, he spotted the older man moving to join him.

                “That was a man whose brother was in school with me, believe it or not,” he gestured at the man he’d been talking to. “It’s a small world, isn’t it?”

Dylan took the poignancy of that comment and nodded, “You never know who you’re going to bump into.”

                “I was worried...when I heard you’d become her boss.”

Dylan paused in his task of filling two glasses, “really? She told you?”

Jimmy nodded, “first thing she’d really told me in years. She’s been...” he paused thinking for a word for a moment, “distant. Empty. You know?”

Dylan wanted to laugh as they perfectly described how his life had been for the past six years too, but this wasn’t about him. SO he gave a nod, then carried on filling their glasses.

                “You remembered then? My love for New World red?”

Dylan swirled the Australian Shiraz around his glass and nodded, “of course. There’s very little that I’ve forgotten about Matilda and her family.”

                “We were like your family.”

Again Dylan nodded, “you were. Far more generous with affection than anyone in my life.”

Jimmy contemplated what that meant for a long moment, “that’s a sad fact.”

                “It’s not an excuse Jimmy, but I wanted to be the best for her...somewhere along the way I lost sight of the real goal, her, and got hung up on being a success.”

                “And in doing so alienated the only person who’d loved you to distraction.”

The cold harsh truth, though it wasn’t delivered maliciously, sent tears to his eyes, and proud, composed Dylan could only nod meekly. “I never meant for things to go as they did...but I was hurt, stubborn...hell Jimmy I was still a kid, too young and too immature to be all that she needed.”

                “Bullshit!” Jimmy shook his head in frustration, “you were exactly what she needed. You worshipped her, in a way that only me and her mother had before that. She had always grown up in an over loving environment...if that’s possible, she found moving out hard. But in you, she found that same security, same love that she had at home. In that she could thrive...achieve anything.”

                “But I let her down.”

The older man nodded, “when she really truly needed you. And I hated you for that. I really did. But the shell that was my daughter...we met for dinner, a couple of weeks after you came back into her world. And she was different. Or rather the same. She had a sparkle in her eye, a bounce in her step. I got Matilda back. As soon as I knew you were on the scene I knew that you had done what no one else could do. You kick started her back into life, and the moment your name left her lips...I knew that you being here couldn’t be a bad thing.”

                “You are far too gracious Jimmy, but then you always were.”

Jimmy laughed, “you think? If I’d seen you four or five years ago you wouldn’t have thought that.”

Dylan laughed, “I deserve all you throw at me...I was stupid, stubborn...”

                “You both were. Maybe I should have just bashed your heads together then, it may have never got this far.”

Dylan sighed, “maybe we both had to lose each other to realise how much we needed each other. I mean if you’d talk me a year ago I’d be sat at a table with you discussing my love of your daughter I’d have laughed out loud. I resented her, I wanted to hurt her like she’d hurt me.”

Jimmy sighed, “that’s a very...well thought out answer.”

                “You make it sound contrived...but to be honest Jimmy, if you refused to share this glass of wine with me, if you hated me, it wouldn’t change how I feel about her, and it wouldn’t change what I want for the future. When the time is right she will become my wife again, not for any reason other than she completes me. I have never stopped loving your daughter, I knew that the moment I saw her again. No one has ever felt this important to me.”

It surprised him to see Jimmy smile, but that’s what he did, “Gareth will kill me for being what he would call soft, but all I want is Matilda to be happy. Not to have to worry about her. The last time was when she was with you. If I’ve got this wrong I won’t be responsible for my actions, but whether it’s right or I’m just old and gullible, I trust you.” HE laughed, “trust you with my little girl. Don’t break her again.”

                “Thanks Jimmy, but there’s more chance of her breaking me, I assure you.”

They shook hands on that, and it was at that moment that Matilda floated into the room, ethereal in her beauty, her hair damp from the shower, plaited over one shoulder, a bright floral beach dress covering her body, her height elevated in a pair of heeled sandals.

If Dylan’s pleas to Jimmy with regard to Matilda weren’t believed, the look on his face as Matilda moved towards them was more than enough to convince him that he was deadly serious. And Jimmy’s heart surged with pleasure.