Page 55 of Tears of Glass

“Yep.” Her eyes are on Lewis though who folds his arms across his chest.

“Is your dad not here?” I ask.

He shakes his head.

“I’m sorry about the other night, Lewis. I didn’t mean for it to go that way.”

He sends me a smile. “Don’t worry, Faith, he’ll be okay. It’s just a surprise for everyone.” I can’t help notice his skin pale with his words and Tabitha looks like she’s on the verge of tears. This isn’t the time or place though. I turn a little and spot Abi who I gesture over discreetly, nodding my head in Tabitha’s direction. Both Abs and Adam step up and integrate themselves with the others while Gerard takes my elbow and guides me around the pieces of work either made by me, or under my direction.

The flowers are still by far the best although he stops by the Medusa head I made in honour of Elijah’s grandmother. Earthenware and rugged, she’d got a fierceness about her that reminds me of the first time I met her and she asked which of her grandsons I planned to fuck.

I snigger a little and Gerard shoots me a questioning look.

“Nothing. Just remembering something Connie Fairclough said to me,” I explain.

“Did it melt your face off? That woman is as acidic as they come.”

I chuckle and glance about the room, my eyes searching out Elijah.

“You’re different, you know that?”

I settle my attention back on Gerard. “What do you mean?”

“Look at you, an exhibition to celebrate what you’ve achieved.” He nudges my elbow. “So far. And you aren’t panicking being surrounded by strangers. I think this is a good thing, Faith.”

“Yeah?” My heart pounds in my chest, under my swirls of ink I’ve always hidden beneath, but which are now showing my stories to everyone.

“Although obviously I’m gutted I wasn’t the one who created the change.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Married?”

“Separated.”

“Maybe you’ll tell me what happened one day? At the moment I’m convincing myself you are separated because you have a thing for shagging students.”

He rolls his eyes, but we are interrupted by a light touch against the bare skin of my elbow. “It’s time for speeches.” Elijah’s low voice rumbles along my senses.

“Oh God, I don’t have to speak, do I?”

Gerard sniggers and winks at me. “Maybe you haven’t changed that much.”

I poke my tongue out and turn to face Elijah. He is smiling, relaxed and confident. The man who stole my heart. Away from his family he’s a different person, the man I want to know.

So what if I never see his family again. So what if they don’t know about me?

Maybe I’ve changed enough not to be angry and disappointed with what happens around me.

Maybe I have the control. For once.

I lean forward, brushing my lips close to his cheek. “Will you take me home tonight?”

The blues stare at me long and hard, intense and surprised. There’s no mistaking what I mean by home.

He nods and then clasps his hand in mine and leads me towards the area that’s been built into a stage. Frances and Damien are waiting for me there and they both give me a kiss and a hug, but I’m focused on the tall man by my side, strong and powerful. He is all encompassing.

He’s right. This isn’t about seconds. It’s about all the firsts.

Chapter Fifteen