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

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‘Good. We’ve seen a place we really like, but we want to take another look round before we make an offer.’

‘I bet you’ll be sad to part with your place in Cornwall.’

‘She won’t have to,’ Alex pointed out. ‘We’re keeping it as a holiday home.’

‘You know my friend Layla?’

Layla! That was her name. ‘Sure.’

‘I’ve asked her to revamp the cottage for us, redecorate the whole place.’

‘That’s what she does?’

‘Sort of. Amongst other things. She’s very arty. Anyway, it needs an update, and she’s agreed to turn it into a seaside bolt hole for us, somewhere we can escape to when we need to get out of London.’

‘Great,’ he said distractedly, ‘Sounds awesome.’

His gaze roamed the room wondering how to tell Toni about the email. His throat dried. They’d been dating for less than a year. But he’d started to think that this could be it, he could turn his life around with the socialite.

The powdery fresh smell of the babies lingered in his nose. Seeing Alex and Maggie together, he was struck with doubt. It wasn’t possible to visualize a future like this with Toni, even without Fran’s game-changing news. Could a relationship with a European princess ever be halfway normal? When he was in Paris she was in Rome. She’d been in London last weekend but it hadn’t fit with his schedule and this weekend she was with friends in Vienna. Unnerved, every muscle in his jaw tensed, as if he was bracing himself for a slap in the face.

As soon as the casual photos were done, Alex and Maggie took the babies into the spare bedroom-slash-nursery to settle them in their cots for a nap, while the photographer and her assistant packed up their stuff.

‘Bye Nick. Lovely to meet you. Thanks so much for agreeing to be photographed with the twins.’

‘You’re welcome. Good to meet you too.’ Nick shook her hand.

Still chatting excitedly about the babies, her new line of babywear designs, styling A-listers and the TV contract she’d landed on a popular morning show, Maggie accompanied the two women out into the corridor to wait for the elevator.

While she was away Alex grabbed a couple of cold beers from the fridge. ‘How are things in Paris?’

‘Not so good. The studio scenes were okay, but now we’re on location I’m leaning on the stunt guys much too much. We shot a rooftop chase last week. I nearly had a heart attack. I panicked. I hate relying on stuntmen. If it gets out, I’ll be the biggest joke in Hollywood.’

‘What are you afraid of? That’s what stunt doubles are for.’

He felt the reassuring pressure of his brother’s hand on his shoulder but a shiver ran down his spine. ‘I just wish I could chill about it and do my own stunt work. I’m not a natural action hero. I don’t have a head for heights.’

‘What does the production team say?’

‘I didn’t tell them. Because I wasn’t the casting director’s number one choice for the role in the first place. If the executive producers decide to make a sequel and word about my phobia gets around, they might rule me out, hire someone who’s more cut out for the role than me.’

‘That’s not going to happen. There’s no one better than you for the part. You’ll nail it. But not if you suffer in silence. Tell somebody.’

Nick admired his twin brother. He’d looked up to him since they were kids, but Nick had never been good at taking advice. ‘I can’t.’

‘So you’ll do what? Keep quiet and hope for the best? That’s not much of a plan.’

‘You’ll be the first to know if I think of a better one.’ He slugged his beer. ‘Alex?’ He clenched his teeth, uncertain whether to share the news in Fran’s email with his twin. He caught his brother’s eyes and knew by his look that he sensed something was wrong.

‘What? What’s up?’

‘Do you remember Francesca Matthews?’

Alex laughed. ‘Of course I remember. You were crazy about her for all of about five weeks. What about her?’

‘I’ve got a problem. Look.’ He tapped at his phone and handed it to Alex so that he could read the email for himself.

‘Is she for real? Why’s she only telling you about this now?’

‘I know, right?’

A muscle in Alex’s jaw twitched. ‘Have you opened the attachment?’

Nick shook his head, too deeply wounded to admit that he hadn’t had the guts to look at the photo.

‘Do you want me to?’

‘No. Give it here.’ He took back his phone and swiped the screen. ‘Okay here goes.’

The picture of a girl, pretty with fair hair and almond brown eyes opened on his phone. His heart froze and he passed the phone to his brother.

‘I’ve got to admit she’s the spitting image of you.’

‘What do you think I should do?’

‘If I were you I’d demand a DNA test. It might sound harsh, but it’s the best way forward. You’ve got to know for sure if she’s yours. Not just for your sake. For hers!’

‘What about what you just said? She looks like me.’

‘Looks can be deceptive. Take us!’

‘True.’ Nick had to agree. They were fraternal twins, and although they were a similar height and facially their bone structure resembled each other, Alex had dark hair and blue eyes whereas he was fair with brown eyes. ‘What I don’t get is why she kept this from me? Why didn’t she tell me eleven years ago?’

‘Exactly. Just because the girl looks like you doesn’t mean she didn’t get those looks from someone else. Arrange a paternity test. And you should hire a good lawyer to act as an intermediary, give you some legal advice.’

‘I don’t like the sound of that.’

Alex shrugged. ‘You might want to think it over before you do anything.’

Nick looked at the photo again. He had a feeling. He didn’t reckon a DNA test would change the fact that was staring him in the face. And Fran said she needed him to make contact urgently. There wasn’t time to go looking for a legal expert. He could do that later if necessary.

‘Listen. Can you keep this to yourself? Just until I’ve had a chance to find out what it’s all about? Don’t say anything to Mum. There’ll only be fallout and histrionics.’

Alex nodded solemnly. ‘You want me to keep it a secret from Maggie?’

‘I wouldn’t ask you to, normally. But it’s my secret, not yours, and as you pointed out I might not be the dad at all.’

‘Fair enough. There’s no sense in getting everyone excited about the idea of a new family member until you know if it’s true.’

‘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.