AUTHORS NOTE: This is quite a short chapter compared to most of the others in the story. It was at this point my story got stuck with writer's block for about four years as I wasn't sure what direction to take next. In the end I decided to go with just a bit of filler to try and get the story moving again and bring a conclusion to the Dominic Stanton bit and it seemed to work. It was also at this point I realised that I needed to start to bring the story to an end as most of the main aspects of it were now dealt with, with both Gideon and Eva clearly now having a 'new life'. So, after this chapter there are just six more and then the epilogue before the story comes to an end. I have been totally overwhelmed by the response it has received and would just like to say a massive thank you once again to everyone who is still reading it and dealt with the British colloquialisms and to all those of you who as a result have learnt a number of new ways how to insult people – you're welcome!
CHAPTER 44
Saturday afternoon…
(EVA)
"Mummy look!" Maisie squeals with delight as I look to see what she is pointing at.
We had been at Trentham Monkey Forest for about 10 minutes and Maisie had nearly exploded at seeing the monkeys just walking around in front of her. I have to say this really is a lovely place and needless to say, I have never been here before but Gideon thought Maisie would like it and decided to bring us. It is basically a sanctuary for the endangered Barbary Macaque Monkeys and they live and roam freely in the woodland park. Gideon had assured me that the site that you walk through where the monkeys live isn't that big so wouldn't be too much of a problem for Maisie to walk around. So far though I can see us being here for some considerable time as Maisie is totally in her element watching the monkeys. I have taken a few photographs on my phone as I was also enthralled by the sight of them moving around freely. Gideon has brought his camera and has taken some quite impressive photographs of them as well.
I think of Kyle and wonder if he would like it here. He prefers buildings but what's not to like about monkeys just wandering around? I smile at the joy on Maisie's face as she takes everything in.
"DADDY LOOK!" Maisie squeals again as she reaches for Gideon's hand and pulls him towards a monkey who is sitting just in front of us.
"This is the best place in the world" Maisie says firmly as we finally continue walking a bit further.
After a fabulous afternoon and the obligatory trip to a gift shop where Gideon buys her, her own stuffed Barbary Macaque toy we make our way back to the car to drive home. Maisie is now completely exhausted. The walk around the woodland reserve wasn't that far but the levels of excitement she has been emitting all the while we were there have now taken their toll and she has simply crashed. I look up at Gideon as he carries her gently to the car. She is sound asleep in his arms clutching her toy monkey.
"Thank you so much for today" I say after Gideon has carefully strapped Maisie in and climbed into the car beside me.
His response is to simply turn and smile at me.
"I mean it, places like this were always well beyond my budget. The best Maisie got was a trip to feed the ducks at the park" I say sadly.
Gideon reaches for me and squeezes my hand. "Hey don't belittle what you have done, you are an exemplary mother. You should be so proud of yourself at how you have raised that little girl, there are plenty of parents out there who wouldn't even bother to take their kids to the local park to feed the ducks, you gave her your time and love and believe me when I say that is all a child needs".
I look up at him and realise he is talking from experience here and I squeeze his hand gently, and I feel the need to explain what I meant.
"But just seeing her today, how happy she was… she was seeing stuff which other kids were taking for granted and…" but I stop as Gideon butts in.
"Eva stop it, and stop comparing. If those kids were taking such a wonderful place for granted then to begin with that isn't your problem. Plus, it is down to their parents to teach them the value of places like this. Maisie is the one who matters to us and she enjoyed herself immensely so I consider today to be an unparalleled success. I wanted to see how she reacted, seeing the monkeys as I was thinking about taking her to Twycross Zoo. That's not too far away, but we would need a full day for that one as it's a proper zoo" he says.
I nod, I have heard of Twycross. It is a proper zoo with all kinds of animals. All ones on the endangered list and they have a number of breeding programmes there.
"But that is miles away" I say.
Gideon shakes his head, "No it's not, it's only over in Leicestershire and that's about an hour's drive away, and it's quite a big place so as I say it would be a full day out, but I'm sure Maisie would love it there" he says.
I smile at that, "She would, she loves animals".
"How about we get her a pet?" Gideon asks warily. I stare at him and shake my head.
"No, not yet. I'm not against the idea, but not yet. There has been so much change in her life so quickly. She has dealt with you coming into her life and becoming her dad, moving house and me marrying you it's all been one thing after another. She will have the new baby to contend with as well. I don't want to totally overload her" I say, although I have to admit the idea of a pet is appealing.
Gideon nods thoughtfully, "It was just a thought" he says.
I reach for his hand and squeeze it, "No, it was a lovely idea but just not yet" I say.
I'm feeling quite tired as we make our way home and I close my eyes and listen to the music playing in the car. The next thing I realise Gideon is shaking me.
"Angel… we're home and it appears we have visitors" he says.
I open my eyes and see a strange car parked in our driveway, I look at Gideon in surprise, "Who the hell is that?" I ask as I stare at the car.
Gideon shakes his head, but before he can say anything it appears our visitor has seen us arrive and is climbing out of his car. I gasp as I see the unmistakeable form of Dominic Stanton.
"What the fuck?" I mutter and then I glance into the back of the car and thankfully note that Maisie is still fast asleep.
"I'll get Maisie and take her inside; you deal with him" Gideon says with a grin.
I feel a wicked grin pull at my lips, "My pleasure" I mutter.
I step out of the car and almost immediately Stanton walks towards us and he is glaring at me viciously. Gideon leans into the back of the car and pulls Maisie into his arms, but she doesn't even stir. Stanton looks at her and steps closer but I quickly step in between Gideon and Stanton.
"Hey, back off right now" I hiss at him. "She doesn't know you; she is sleeping and if you wake her you will scare her. So just back off" I say.
Stanton glares at me but he does do as I ask and takes a step back. Gideon strides past him towards the house without even acknowledging him. I go to follow him and Stanton reaches for me and grabs my arm.
"You were supposed to come to Bristol today to meet me" he states.
I feel a brief surge of panic but I resist the urge to smack him in the mouth which was my previous reaction when someone grabbed my arm and tried to restrain me. But I yank my arm from his grip and turn to face him with my hands on my hips.
"Well here's the thing, you may recall the last time we met it was all a bit of a car crash because you were a complete tosser. So, I didn't feel very inclined to see you again and I ignored your demands. Oh, and a word of advice, you are a clever man so I would assume you should know that it's customary to ask people to meet not tell them. Not only that but a normal person would've got the hint from last time. My brother told you straight and I said something along the lines of 'I don't particularly want you in my life or my daughter's life,' and even if you didn't get the hint with that my parting words of 'I want fuck all to do with you' along with the fact I blocked you from contacting me again should've made it more than clear to you that you'd blown it. But no, you are so arrogant and narcissistic you still wrote to me, not asking me but demanding another meeting and you had the nerve to blame me for how the last meeting went, even though it was you who behaved like a fucking twat".
Stanton makes an indignant noise but I ignore him and continue. "So, sorry to have to tell you this but you've had a wasted journey because there is no way on earth you are stepping foot into my house, and if you don't move your car and yourself from my driveway I will call the police and have you physically removed".
Stanton stares at me as if he can't believe what he is hearing.
"You wouldn't dare" he hisses after a moment.
I grin at him, "Want to bet on that?" I say as I reach for my phone. I look up at him defiantly, "You should know one thing - I fucking dare because you don't scare or intimidate me Mr Stanton. It takes a lot to intimidate me, as I've been bullied by far worse people than you! Now are you going quietly or do I have to call the police?" I say as I wave my phone at him.
"Answer me one question, why did you contact me in the first place?" he asks.
I cock my head to one side and shrug dismissively, "I was just curious, I'd learnt the truth about my parentage and I was simply curious, nothing more. I knew that you knew about me but you didn't know about Kyle and I wondered what kind of person my biological father's dad was. I also thought you had the right to know about Kyle – even though you didn't really give a shit. You answered that fully for me within seconds of meeting you. You were rude, obnoxious and arrogant. You were convinced we wanted something from you which couldn't be further from the truth. You were never bothered about us so I am just returning the favour… but you don't like that do you? Because you like to be the one in charge, you like to be the one calling the shots and its fucking killing you that I have taken that control away by being the one to walk away from you, for seeing you for what you really are".
I stop and look at him carefully, he is clearly livid with everything I am saying but I also see fear in his eyes. That is the real reason he is here, he wants to know what I am going to do, he thinks I am going to cause trouble somehow.
I grin at him, "But what's really pissing you off is you are scared, that lack of control you have is eating away at you along with the fact you know that I know what a worthless selfish piece of shit my biological father was and so you are scared wondering what I am going to do with that information. As you have sanctified him and airbrushed out the less savoury aspects of his character, like the fact he liked young girls and he couldn't keep it in his pants! You see you have been foul to a whole section of your own family. Not really a clever move when that section also knows all the dirty little secrets and part of that section just so happens to be my step father. So, you are also wondering what dad has said to me. What else dad has told me about your blue-eyed boy and because even you must know you have pissed me off with your attitude you are now wondering what I am going to do with that information, considering you have behaved so badly towards me… and Kyle".
I watch as I see the reaction I am looking for on his face and I take a step closer and smile sweetly at him, "Consider it your punishment for being a controlling dickhead not to mention a complete wanker. Your punishment for your needless hostility towards your sister and her family because your dad dared to move on after your mum died and not to mention your appalling behaviour when you met me and Kyle. Your punishment will be that you will never know what I am going to do with the information I have about you and your precious son. I may do nothing whatsoever, but you see if people piss me off then well who knows what I might do?" I grin at him again.
"Let's be clear here Mr Stanton, I told you I wanted fuck all to do with you so you writing to me demanding another meeting and then turning up here has pissed me off greatly, but unlike you I am a reasonable person so if you leave now and never contact me again then I may let it go… just this once".
"I wanted to meet your daughter" he states haughtily.
My eyebrows rise at that, "Well you can bloody want! What part of it aint happening do you not understand? There is no way on earth you are ever meeting my daughter" I say.
"You are playing god with your daughter, she is my great grandchild" he says.
I snort loudly and roll my eyes at that, "Yeah and I'm your grandchild but that fact hasn't bothered you for years!"
He opens his mouth to protest but I hold up my hand, "No, you don't have a leg to fucking stand on, you don't give a shit and never have, so you can't come swanning into our lives just when it suits you. We are not playthings which you can just pick up and put down as you see fit. My daughter doesn't know you. She has no idea who you are. As far as she is concerned Vic is her granddad because as far as she is concerned, he is my dad. She has one set of great grandparents and that's my mum's mum and stepdad. You don't figure in her life. You are irrelevant" I say and I grin as I emphasise the word irrelevant.
I watch as he finally realises that he isn't getting anywhere with this.
"Now, are you going to go or do I have to follow through with my threat and call the police?" I ask.
"I'll leave, but if I go now you will never hear from me again" he states grandly as if that is supposed to upset me.
I just snort loudly again at that, "Can I have that in writing?" I retort and his face drops as he realises I really am not at all interested in him.
"You will regret this" he states coldly and I look at him carefully.
"Are you threatening me?" I ask.
He shakes his head adamantly, "I didn't mean in that way. When I say that you will regret this, I mean that I am a reasonably wealthy man and I could've offered you, your brother and daughter financial security" he says.
I am now feeling quite sickened, and I shake my head, "So now you think you can buy us? We have managed adequately all these years without your financial support". I pause and wave my hand at the house behind me "and as you can see, I am managing quite well without your help. But to be frank, even if I was destitute and living in a cardboard box you would be the last person I would turn to for help as you don't have a compassionate bone in your body".
I wait and I watch as it finally dawns on him that there is nothing he can say or do to change my mind.
"Now for the last time please leave" I say, and with that I turn on my heel and walk away towards the house without looking back.
Once I am inside, I look out of the window to see Stanton's car reversing out of the driveway.
"He's going" I say to Gideon who is now standing at my side.
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me backwards to his chest. "You were amazing. Magnificent! I heard what you said to him. I was waiting to see if you needed me to come and support you but you handled him beautifully". He pulls me backwards and presses himself against me.
"I found it very arousing" he whispers as he thrusts his hips against me and I feel the hardness of him against my back. I turn in his arms and reach down for him and touch him.
"Is Maisie still asleep?" I ask and Gideon nods.
"Well… it would be a shame to waste this" I say.
Gideon's face erupts into a massive smile and he doesn't need any further encouragement. He grasps my hand and leads me to our bedroom.
"We need to make this quick, as we don't know how long we have until Maisie wakes up" I say.
Gideon nods enthusiastically. "I can do quick" he states confidently as he takes a step towards me, which makes a small amused smile twitch at my lips.
"Not something to brag about" I retort sarcastically and I watch as his mouth drops open in shock at that, which makes me giggle and I step towards him and wrap my arms around his waist.
As he touches me lust takes over and within moments our clothes are in a heap on the floor and we are in a tangled mess on the bed losing ourselves in each other.
oooOOOooo
The rest of the day passes without incident and we just about get ourselves sorted out and decent before Maisie awakens from her nap and comes to find us. I am thankful that she remains oblivious to Dominic Stanton and as far as I am concerned it will stay that way.
We are sitting quietly watching the television. Maisie is curled up on Gideon's lap and I am tucked beside him and he has one arm secured around me. I am feeling relaxed and happy. The incident with Stanton is now forgotten and hopefully he has got the message that we want nothing to do with him. As I am thinking this the landline phone rings and after tutting that someone is disturbing our peace and quiet, not to mention the very interesting TV programme which we are watching, I reach over and answer it.
"Hello" I say and wait.
"Eva, are you ok?" My gran's anxious voice sets me on edge and I sit up a little straighter.
"I'm fine Gran, why what's up?" I ask.
"Dominic Stanton showed up unannounced here a while ago. He was looking for Vic, and he got the wrong house. He had a rant about you because you won't let him meet Maisie and because you refused to meet him again".
I listen and then tell gran the whole story. Explaining how all this came about.
"Well, Vic and your mum came over and Vic told him straight that none of us had any interest in him or his side of the family. As far as he was concerned you and Kyle were his kids. He pointed out to him that throwing his weight about and demanding wouldn't get him anywhere – especially with you, and that nobody was interested in him or anything he had to say".
"I bet that went down well" I say wryly and I hear gran laugh.
"To be fair, it did. Vic was reasonable and he basically told him that if he just left us alone we would leave him alone. That you had only contacted him in the first place out of curiosity after discovering the truth and that we wanted nothing from him. He finally seemed to accept that and he left. Vic has been dealing with him for years though and knows how to handle him. He said the way to deal with him is let him think he has won. He is so narcissistic that he cannot and will not accept it when someone else gets one over on him… which you did".
"But he's gone now?" I ask wanting clarification that he isn't going to show up on my doorstep again.
"No, he's gone. Vic assured him that if he just left us alone all the dirty secrets surrounding Richard would stay secret and we wouldn't cause any issues. He did say something quite interesting though. He seems desperate to meet Maisie and Vic asked why he was so curious about her and he said he had missed out on you; he had no idea about Kyle so she was his last chance to get to know his son's family".
I snort loudly at that, "I'm twenty years old gran, he has done fuck all for 20 years. Now he suddenly gets a conscience!" I say.
"That's pretty much what Vic said to him, but he said he is facing his own mortality now, whatever that means so I don't know if he is ill or something and wants to make peace with everyone before he meets his maker" Gran says quietly.
I shake my head, "Well as far as I'm concerned it is too little too late. Plus, he can't come waltzing into people's lives who he has ignored for years just because it now suits him to do so" I say.
"Yep, and Vic pretty much said that to him too. But he has gone now and I don't think he will be back any time soon. I think he has now got the message" she says.
"Good, thanks for letting me know gran" I say, "Oh and gran…" I add.
"Yes?" she replies.
"If he does come sniffing around again, will you let me know?" I ask.
"Of course, I will love" she replies, "I'll let you go, are you all coming for Sunday dinner tomorrow?" she asks a moment later and I grin.
"Is the pope a catholic?" I retort and gran laughs loudly at that.
"Alright love, I'll see you all tomorrow" she says.
"Bye gran" I say and I hang up the phone and turn to Gideon.
"It appears Dominic Stanton didn't go straight home after he left here. He went to gran's looking for dad. Dad has told him now as well; he said what I told him but in a slightly more diplomatic way and I think he has got the message now and we won't hear from him again" I say.
"Good" Gideon states simply.
"I just wish I'd never written to him in the first place" I say with a sigh, as I realise I've brought all this on myself when I wrote that letter to Stanton.
Gideon shrugs, "You had just been told your biological father was someone different to who you had always thought it was, you were also told he was dead and the only connection to him was his own father. It is natural that you would reach out as you had unanswered questions. Just remember that Stanton has known about you for far longer than you have known about him. So, if he really wanted a relationship with you he has had 20 years to form one but he didn't, the only thing I can think of is he is regretting not doing so and so he now thinks he is going to get a second chance with Maisie. But what he fails to realise is that his actions have alienated you against him".
I nod as I think about all that, but I don't say anything.
"I think I'm going to put Maisie to bed now" Gideon says after a few moments silence.
I turn and watch him as he expertly manoeuvres Maisie into his arms and stands up with her. She is out for the count and doesn't even stir and I stand up and follow him upstairs to her bedroom and help him settle her into the bed.
That done Gideon holds out his hand to me, I don't hesitate and with a smile I place my hand in his.
"You have your driving theory test shortly don't you?" Gideon asks randomly, almost as if the thought had just popped into his head.
I nod, "I do next week some time, I can't remember what day… I think it's Tuesday" I say. "Why?" I ask warily.
Gideon smiles, "No reason, it just came to me and I wanted to confirm when it is" he says.
"My driving instructor thinks I'm ready for my practical test as well so hopefully by the end of this month I should be driving" I say. The very idea of it is still slightly mind blowing for me and I know I would never have been able to do such a thing had it not been for Gideon.
Gideon grins at me, "I'll alert the media to put out a public service warning!" he says.
My mouth drops open at that and Gideon just laughs and pulls me into his arms once more.