Reach for the Stars: A feel good, uplifting romantic comedy

‘Right.’

‘Let me see the photo again.’ Alex took the phone from his brother’s hand and studied it carefully. ‘I’ve got a feeling you’re a dad though.’

‘Same.’

‘Let me know as soon as you get the test result. You don’t need me to tell you to be careful how you handle this. The press getting hold of it could give you a lot of grief. I can think of one or two journalists who’d have a field day with a piece on Nick Wells abandoning a baby at birth and refusing to acknowledge that she’s his!’

‘That’s not how it is.’

‘It doesn’t matter. You know that.’

Nick had to physically hold back from face-palming. His reputation in the press was mud. He’d been making a real effort to change. He was tired of the love-rat image which had followed him around for the last ten years. He hadn’t minded when they were acting in hit TV show Mercy of the Vampires in LA. In fact he’d thrived on it – part of the hype that went with heading up the cast with his brother.

‘If it’s true it’s personal. Not for public consumption.’

‘You may not have a choice. You need to tread carefully. Fran didn’t want anything from you for eleven years? And suddenly now she does?’

Coming back into the apartment Maggie made a beeline for the gift basket. She untied the ribbon, and rustled the cellophane wrapping in a flurry of anticipation revealing soft toys and an array of cute presents. ‘This is gorgeous Nick. Thank you.’

‘I have a confession,’ he said, ‘I had a personal shopper pick stuff out. I don’t know the first thing about babies.’

‘Join the club. Funnily enough not many of us do until we have one of our own.’

Alex threw a look of love towards his wife. ‘In our case two.’

Injured by Fran’s email Nick bit back his emotions and buried his fear.

Chapter Two (#u91d75418-88a5-5e4c-aee4-00b120aed93c)

One month later in Cornwall

What in the world have we here? It’s Sleeping Beauty himself.

Layla set down her paint pots and brushes and stared at the sight of a half-naked hot man asleep on the sofa. He shouldn’t be there, but she wasn’t complaining. The sight of Nick Wells’ broad bare chest, golden-tanned and muscle-sculpted, would brighten up anybody’s morning. And if anybody’s morning needed brightening, it was hers.

She was quite sure she’d never fantasized about the actor – she wasn’t even a fan of vampire dramas. But if she did fantasize about him, which of course, she didn’t, it wouldn’t be about watching him sleep. She bit her lip, looking on dreamily. Because actually he looked beautiful – like a living, breathing statue of an ancient god in a fabulous museum of art.

Ophelia, the stray dog Maggie adopted on that day in November when Alex had come to Porthkara to propose, had trotted good-naturedly in at Layla’s heels. She sat, head tipped to one side, looking disapprovingly at the sleeping male vision. One arm thrown over his head, it obscured half his face. The line of his lips drew her eyes. A shimmer of unexpected, inappropriate and highly inconvenient awareness hit Layla full force. Ophelia switched her focus from Nick to Layla as if she knew.

‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she told her in a whisper. What with everything that was going on in her best friend’s life she’d happily offered to take care of the dog, but Maggie hadn’t mentioned a thing about Nick. What was he doing in Porthkara when Alex was in London anyway?

She checked her mobile phone. No new texts. Hardly surprising given the signal was so patchy.

The landline gave a shrill ring and she dived to pick up quickly before it could do it again and disturb Nick. She glanced over at him. Luckily he was dead to the world.

‘Hello?’ She answered in a barely-there whisper and tiptoed towards the kitchen. Still fast asleep Nick stirred and rolled over on the sofa revealing a horrendous bruise around the eye that had been hidden by his arm before.

Crikey!

Tail wagging Ophelia followed her. Ear to the phone Layla closed the door noiselessly and leant her back against it.

‘Layla? Is that you?’ Maggie’s voice on the phone made her want to cry. ‘I’m so sorry about Joe. You must be devastated. What was he thinking? He must be out of his mind. Are you okay?’

‘I’ve been better.’ Her heart sank. Maggie had seen the photos on Joe’s timeline. She hadn’t talked to her mum yet and the thought of facing Joe’s parents made her ill. But if Maggie had seen the pictures, so had everyone else.

‘Would you like me to come to Porthkara?’

She ached to tell her best friend, ‘Yes, come right away, I need you’ but it wouldn’t be fair and anyway it wouldn’t change anything, she’d have to face Joe’s big reveal on her own.

‘No, it’s okay. Look, there’s something you don’t know. Joe and me, we were finished a while ago. So technically he hasn’t done anything wrong.’

‘Flip Layla. I can’t believe you’ve been keeping something like that to yourself. You two have been through a bad patch, but it’s no excuse for what he’s done.’

‘It’s more than a bad patch. It’s over. I’m just sorry I didn’t tell anyone.’

‘I wish you’d told me. Why didn’t you?’

Layla’s back slid down the door and she sat on the kitchen floor feeling crumpled and unsure. ‘I didn’t know how to. And you had so much great stuff happening I didn’t want to spoil things.’ She closed her eyes fighting back tears, finally admitting, ‘I was in denial. I guess maybe I thought we could fix it. I was waiting for him to come home.’

‘He shouldn’t have gone in the first place. I can’t believe how selfish he’s been. He should have come home months ago. And now this? I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. Are you sure you don’t want me to come down there?’

‘I’ll be fine. Honest. You mustn’t worry. How are the babies?’ Layla changed the subject, holding back from opening up and confessing that she felt like she was living in a bad dream, multi-tasking like a crazy person, and wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole. ‘I’m making a start on their room today.’

‘Beautiful. And exhausting. I’d no idea how full on twins would be.’

‘On the subject of twins … What exactly is Nick doing here?’

‘He’s arrived already? Oh my gosh. Is that why we’re whispering? I was about to give you the heads up. He’s broken up with his girlfriend. I said he could stay at the cottage. That’s alright with you, isn’t it? He’s promised not to get under your feet.’

‘Maggie, have you forgotten how small this place is? Of course he’s under my feet!’ With her free hand she picked at a spot of dried-on paint on the knee of her dungarees. ‘Right now he’s sprawled out in the living room. But more to the point, the bed’s in bits, the place reeks of paint, and there’s no hot water. Dad’s promised to take a look when he gets a moment. But I haven’t seen him for three days. It seems we get along best when we avoid each other.’

‘You poor love. I’m sorry. You could use some moral support. If I’d realized you were having a tough time too I’d have put Nick off. But he’s nice. Really. And anyway you two already know each other a little bit.’ Silence from Layla. ‘The wedding? Give him a chance. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be good for each other.’

Ophelia sat next to her on the kitchen tiles, her little warm body leaning into Layla’s side. She automatically stroked her head and tousled the fur behind her ears. ‘The thing is with all my other commitments the decorating isn’t going as fast as I’d like. The place is in a mess. What am I supposed to do with him?’

‘Now there’s a question.’ Maggie’s cheeky laugh resounded in her ears. ‘You’ll think of something. He won’t be there long. Just until his face heals.’

She clutched the phone tightly. ‘About that …’ A baby crying cut her short. ‘Who’s that?’

‘Phoebe.’ A second high-pitched cry echoed the first. ‘And there goes Horatio. Listen, I’ll have to hang up. Sorry.’

‘It’s okay. You’ve got your hands full.’

‘Let me know how things go. And if I can help with the Joe situation in any way you just have to say. Could you get away for a few days? We could try and find a corner for you here.’

‘I’ll survive. But thanks. Hug the babies for me.’

‘Take care of yourself.’