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‘Here, take one on my camera,’ Emma offered, knowing her phone took great images, perfect for Instagram. She could do with updating her stories on Instagram; so many of her followers were keen to see her Vegas trip. They loved the photos she posted of her and Charlie. She was often seeing people write things under her images like #couplegoals. They really did think that she had the most perfect relationship.
Charlie was more than happy to oblige and he stood next to her, placing his hand protectively on her lower back and gripping her just a little too tightly as they smiled into the lens. ‘That dress is actually a bit low, don’t you think?’ he muttered quietly. ‘You look like you’re flashing to everyone.’
As usual, Emma pushed the comment aside and focused on the photo they were taking, knowing how happy she and Charlie would look together. Her followers would swoon, believing that Emma was really lucky in love and was about to marry her dream man.
That was the thing about social media: it was all one big, fat lie.
Chapter 4 (#ulink_dadac695-edf2-50ec-b841-3f2e631d8898)
Holly (#ulink_dadac695-edf2-50ec-b841-3f2e631d8898)
Holly sipped her white wine, passing back Emma her gin and tonic after she’d taken her photo with Charlie.
‘Let me introduce you to the people you don’t know,’ Emma said kindly, tapping two women on the shoulder who were standing next to them. ‘This is Jenny and Stephanie who I used to work with.’
Holly smiled hello at them as Emma pointed at a group of four people by the bar. ‘The one in pink is my cousin, Gill, her husband, Doug, and I think you’ve met my friend Michelle and her boyfriend Peter at my thirtieth birthday drinks, didn’t you? I’m not sure if I told you that my parents won’t be coming?’ she smiled, but her eyes were shiny.
‘Oh no. Why not?’ Holly wondered. She felt sorry for her friend getting married without her parents there to watch, but she couldn’t say she was that surprised. Emma’s father was a stern man and her mother had always seemed cold and unaffectionate.
‘Dad’s arthritis is playing up badly, my mum told me; it would have been a bit much for them to fly all the way out here.’
It was a lame excuse and they both knew it. Holly remembered Emma complaining once that her parents had a different excuse every time Emma mentioned them returning to the UK to visit her. Arthritis was one of the usual excuses, but Emma often pointed out that her dad was always posting photos of himself playing golf with his friends on Facebook, so it couldn’t have been that bad.
‘That’s a shame, but like I said, anything you need help with, just ask. You’re right; I think I do recognize a few people here,’ Holly nodded, happy to see some more familiar faces.
‘Danni and Fran should be here soon,’ Emma explained as two men walked over and kissed her hello. Holly didn’t see them properly at first. ‘Do you remember Callum and Max from college too? Max is also a personal trainer and we’ve become great friends. Charlie works with him and Callum is their boss; he owns the gym they work at.’
Holly had to look twice at them before it actually dawned on her who these two were. They had been in the year above them at college and Holly hadn’t seen either of them since they left all those years ago. Max immediately caught her eye with his fierce smile, light brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin. He looked like he had impressive biceps underneath his tight fitted black shirt and she could only imagine his athletic body underneath. He was absolutely gorgeous and she instantly felt self-conscious in a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Callum was extremely attractive too, but with bright green eyes with fair hair, he wasn’t her usual type. Holly had always gone for tall, dark and handsome. They certainly hadn’t been as striking when they’d been at college as they were now. They’d both grown up. They were men now instead of lanky teenagers.
‘Hi,’ Max smiled, revealing immaculate teeth, ‘I think I remember you. Holly, right?’ he asked her confidently. ‘I vaguely recall you trying to set me up with your friend Kim once,’ he gave a light laugh, ‘but it never happened.’
‘Ah yes, I think I remember,’ Holly said amicably. It was coming back to her now. It must have been one of the few times she’d ever spoken to Max. Kim had been going out with some idiot, Lee, who had been cheating on her. Holly had been in their local club and when she’d bumped into Max and they started chatting, she told him she was going to set him up with Kim. Kim hadn’t been there and it had just been an idea to attempt to separate her from Lee. It hadn’t happened though, because the next time Holly had spoken to Kim, she had told her she wasn’t interested in anyone else. She wanted to give Lee another chance. Their rocky relationship lasted about another six months after that and Max had been forgotten about.
‘Long time ago,’ Max noted. ‘Can I get you another drink?’ he offered, touching her shoulder lightly.
Holly felt a fluttery feeling in her stomach. She had forgotten what it felt like. It both scared and enthralled her. This was a man she was interested in getting to know a bit more. This was a man she was attracted to. This rarely ever happened. Apart from when she’d first met Rob, Holly couldn’t think of the last time she’d actually fancied someone. ‘Yes please. A white wine please,’ she requested timidly, ‘if that’s okay.’
‘My pleasure,’ Max grinned, before turning to Callum to take his order. It was at this point that Holly glanced at Max’s ring finger. It was bare, much to her delight. No news of a wife to disappoint her. That didn’t rule him out of being in a relationship of course. She decided to get some information about Max from Callum. He was clearly the quieter, more laid-back of the two, but he had a friendly, warm face.
‘So, are you both here with your girlfriends?’ Holly enquired in a nonchalant tone.
‘No, we’re both single,’ Callum replied. ‘We’ve both recently split with partners,’ he told her. He looked up at her inquisitively. ‘What about yourself?’
‘Also single,’ Holly told him, flicking her hair behind her shoulders. ‘I split with my boyfriend about eight months ago. We have two children though.’
‘Boys or girls?’ Callum asked, looking genuinely interested.
‘One of each,’ Holly replied, glancing over to Max who was just being served their drinks. She wondered if the fact she had children would put Max off. After all, it wasn’t just her now. Then again, perhaps he was a father too?
‘I have a five-year-old girl called Eva,’ Callum told her, smiling with pride.
‘Oh really? I’m hoping the tantrums stop by five?’ Holly laughed.
‘I hate to disappoint you,’ Callum said, a light laugh escaping his lips, ‘but no, not yet. In fact, I think they get worse. But maybe that’s just Eva.’
‘Does Max have children too?’ Holly asked, her brow furrowing.
Callum looked at Holly as though the thought amused him. ‘No, not Max. Max doesn’t have any children yet.’
Holly didn’t know whether this was a good or bad thing. She was glad Max was single, but perhaps he wouldn’t consider someone with children if he didn’t have any of his own? Holly came as a package. It was always going to be her plus two. Would it be hard to find someone willing to take on the three of them? Lottie was a handful at times and Jacob was still only a baby. Why was Holly even thinking about this when it had never bothered her before that men may be put off by extra baggage? She was perfectly fine on her own and had actually sworn to herself she didn’t ever want to rely on a man again, but she was starting to question whether she really did want to be single forever. Would she be lonely in years to come? Just seeing how happy Rob and Nikki were was making her question things. Her mother was always telling her that one day her children would grow up. One day they wouldn’t need her to clean their faces and brush their hair. They would know exactly what they wanted to wear. They wouldn’t want their mother to drive them places. What was she going to do then? Perhaps Holly had believed she was okay all alone because she’d never met anyone else she actually liked and had feelings for?
‘One white wine.’ Max shot Holly a devastating smile as he handed her the drink. ‘The barman was so slow, I actually ordered us all two drinks each,’ he explained, heading back over to get the other three.
‘Thanks.’ Holly’s lips turned upwards as he walked back.
‘So, where we off to next?’ Max asked, gazing round the bar.
‘There’s a club here in the hotel, I think; Charlie mentioned we were going there earlier. I’m certainly up for it; I’ve heard Vegas clubs are amazing.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Max replied enthusiastically, licking his drink from his lips. His brown eyes met Holly’s and her insides turned to jelly. He was just so sexy. She couldn’t believe she hardly knew him and he was having such an effect on her. Holly made her way to the ladies’ after twenty minutes of chatting to Max and Callum and bumped into Emma again.
‘Having fun?’ Emma asked curiously, looking as though she knew Holly’s secret. She was smirking as she asked the question.
‘He’s gorgeous.’ Holly couldn’t help herself.
‘Which one? They both are!’ Emma giggled. ‘Slightly improved since college, haven’t they?’
‘Yes, they really have. They’re both good looking but I was talking about Max though. What’s the deal with him?’ Holly asked as she washed her hands.
‘He’s just split up with his ex-girlfriend, Carmen,’ Emma revealed, applying some lipstick in the mirror. ‘He was with her about five months; I never knew him to have a girlfriend before that, and I’ve known him ever since I started going to the gym about two years ago. He gets tons of attention from women, not surprisingly. I think he’s a bit of a charmer, to be honest.’
‘Yes, I can imagine,’ Holly replied, brushing her hair. ‘He’s so lovely though.’
‘He likes you too,’ Emma smiled widely, giving Holly a reassuring smile.
Holly felt a slight colour coming to her cheeks. She felt so silly and childish. Clubbing. Having a little crush. Finding out he liked her back from her friend. She was reminded of her past when this kind of thing was a regular occurrence. It had been so normal back then. ‘What? How do you know?’
‘I just asked where you’d gone and they told me. Then they both said they thought you were really nice and Max gave a cheeky laugh saying he hoped you weren’t long as he was hoping to get to know you even better.’
Holly’s tummy did another somersault. ‘He just said that?’ She adopted a tone of surprise.
‘Yep,’ Emma grinned. ‘I think you could have yourself a little summer romance here in Vegas.’
Holly couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. ‘We’ll see,’ she said, as they left the ladies’ room.
Thirty minutes later, Holly was entering the dark nightclub, following behind Emma. A small group of them had decided to go on, including Max and Callum, while a few of the others had decided to call it a night. The nightclub was absolutely huge, the music was blaring and there were tables full with gigantic bottles of champagne and vodka. Half-clothed waitresses were parading round with trays of shots. It felt crazy to Holly that she was actually here. Once again, she was taken back to the time before she’d had children when she used to go out with Kim. This environment had been her life at one point (not that the local clubs at home were even a fraction as good) and Holly remembered sometimes actually getting a little bored with it. Some nights she didn’t always want to go to a club; it was the thing they did every weekend and it could sometimes get a little dull seeing the same faces and going to exactly the same places. Holly couldn’t imagine ever finding Vegas dull. She was having the time of her life so far, enjoying every single second. She was going to make the most of her little trip, of that she was certain. She was in no rush to get back to the hotel room and go to sleep; all previous thoughts of being jet-lagged and tired had completely disappeared now she was out enjoying herself.
Max took her hand, pulling her backwards as Callum and Emma walked ahead, following a pretty waitress to their table.
‘What’s up?’ Holly asked, confused.
Max didn’t say anything, he just smirked amusedly before pulling her closer towards him, his hands around her waist.
Holly’s heart raced as she gazed into his blazing eyes and without thinking, she leaned in for a kiss.
‘I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you,’ he told her with a wicked grin, before walking ahead assertively still holding her hand.
Holly caught her breath as she followed him, unable to believe what had just happened. Kissing Max had felt like the most natural thing to do and her stomach bubbled with anticipation. Max was rugged, confident and intriguing, exactly the type of man she found attractive.
Holly was hooked.
Chapter 5 (#ulink_75a0f657-c955-5c32-9caa-cf607bbad339)
Kim (#ulink_75a0f657-c955-5c32-9caa-cf607bbad339)
Kim woke up and immediately sat up in a panic. Why weren’t the children awake yet? It took her a few seconds to realize everything was okay. She wasn’t at home. There were no children here. She was in Vegas, with Holly lying in the bed beside her.
She took a deep breath, stretching out in bed as she noticed the time on the clock by the television. She’d slept for over thirteen hours, only waking once in the night to notice that Holly wasn’t yet back. Thirteen hours of pure, uninterrupted peace; she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to do that. One of her children always woke her. If not in the middle of the night, then at the crack of dawn. They were such early risers and Kim found it difficult to think of the last time she’d slept past seven o’clock. Seven was late for her nowadays. If one of the kids woke and she saw seven anything on her clock she felt like it was an achievement, that she was winning at life and she would give herself a pat on the back in triumph.
Kim glanced over at Holly’s bed, pleased to see her friend was now sleeping soundly. She hadn’t heard Holly come in, but she knew it must have been very late because when Kim had woken at three, Holly still wasn’t back. She honestly didn’t know how Holly did it. Kim had been really looking forward to their summer trip away, but she had to admit she planned on relaxing as much as possible. She needed to relax a lot more than she needed to party. She completely understood that Holly was single and probably more interested in going out drinking than nice dinners and shows; luckily there were other people Holly could go out with if Kim felt like having a chilled one.
Kim reached across the side of the bed for her Kindle. She would have a nice few hours in bed reading before Holly woke up; this was what holidays were all about.
‘Morning,’ Holly stretched out, yawning loudly an hour and fifteen minutes later.
‘Hey,’ Kim smiled. ‘How was your evening?’
‘I met up with Emma and the others,’ Holly told her. ‘We went to a bar and then onto a club; it was such a good night, Kim. You should have come.’
‘And miss out on the best night sleep I’ve had in years?’ Kim gave a little laugh. ‘No chance. Were there a big group of you?’
‘In the bar there was, but only a small group of us went on to the club. There’s a few people here we know. Danni and Fran from college are out here and do you remember me trying to set you up with someone called Max from the year above us when you were with that guy called Lee who cheated on you?’
‘Vaguely,’ Kim said frowning as she racked her brains. She didn’t have the best memory. She was forever forgetting people’s names and events that happened years ago. She wasn’t even great at remembering to pack important things when she went out, like baby wipes and Willow’s dummy. It was well known that Kim was a bit of a nightmare. Luckily she always had someone else around her that had the particular thing she needed on them. Someone super-organized and on the ball like Holly.
‘Well they’re here too. They’re really nice guys. It was amazing,’ Holly said, shutting her eyes briefly. ‘Honestly Kim. The clubs here are so good. It’s so much fun; you’re going to love it. I had so much to drink; I’m so glad I feel okay today. God knows what time I came back.’
‘Did you have to come back alone?’ Kim asked, feeling guilty she’d left her friend to fend for herself in a foreign place.
Holly bit her lip, trying not to smile. ‘Actually I didn’t. Max and Callum brought me back. They just wanted to check I got home safely, which was nice of them.’
‘What’s that smile for?’ Kim asked her quickly, knowing her friend well enough to know she was hiding something. ‘Which one of them do you like?’ She asked wisely with a smile.
Holly laughed gaily. ‘Is it that obvious?’ There was a pause. ‘I had a little kiss with Max, that’s all.’
‘Oh my goodness. I can’t believe I’ve missed only one night and you’ve already been kissing people!’ Kim clicked her tongue in mock-outrage. It was most unlike Holly to meet people she liked enough to kiss. She’d never really been the kind to kiss in a club, even when they were younger. That was usually Kim’s job. She was the one who kissed people and then woke up the next morning with absolutely no memory of doing it. Holly would have been mortified if it had been her, but Kim couldn’t have cared less. It was only a kiss. It seemed so bizarre that Holly was still single, stealing kisses in nightclubs with someone who was practically a stranger. The thought of doing anything like that seemed like a lifetime ago to Kim. She was married with two children. She only ever kissed Andy, and she was glad about that. It had been fun when she was younger, dating various men and not knowing what was going to happen, but Kim realized she was actually far happier now she was grown up, in a loving relationship with a family of her own. She’d had her fun and hung up her boots. Since becoming a mother she had transformed into the person she’d always swore she didn’t want to be. She used to think being a housewife and taking care of children would be so boring and dull, so nothing stunned her more than when she got pregnant by accident, enjoying every second of being a mother when Mylo was born.
It had been extremely worrying at the start; Mylo had been born prematurely at thirty-three weeks weighing only three pound ten. She remembered staring at this delicate little baby in the incubator, terrified of taking him home in case she did something wrong. Seeing him so vulnerable and fragile made Kim promise herself she would be the best mother she possibly could. She didn’t expect to love taking care of little people and protecting them, catering for their every need, but she discovered it wasn’t boring at all. In fact, she loved it. She needed it. She loved feeling essential, with two tiny little people constantly climbing all over her, lying on her lap and resting their heads on her chest.
She couldn’t believe how quickly Mylo and Willow had already grown; time seemed to be flying past and Kim wanted to relish every moment with her babies. The thought of going out like she used to just didn’t appeal to her any more. She didn’t mind the odd dinner here and there, it was always nice to catch up with people, but generally speaking, she didn’t want to go out and get drunk, feeling ill all the next day. She had a family to look after and it just wasn’t worth it. She had grown up. She was happy with her life now. When they’d first got the invitation to go Vegas, Kim had immediately thought there was no way she was travelling over ten hours away without her family. She knew how happy Holly would be if she went; Holly’s excitement had been obvious the minute she’d seen the invite, but she’d wanted Kim to go too, and Kim just wasn’t sure if she could just up and leave being a mother to two young children. They came first.
Kim thought back to how Andy had come home that evening, Mylo and Willow fast asleep upstairs, Kim just dishing up dinner.
‘Good day at work?’ she’d asked, like she did every day.
Andy was a PE teacher at their local secondary school. Rugby was his thing, and he also did rugby coaching on Sundays. He lived and breathed it, though Kim still didn’t have the foggiest ideas what the rules were.
‘Yeah, it was good thanks. Lily and I were just trying to organize sports day for most of the day. She’s got some great ideas, I’ll give her that.’
Kim’s brow creased. ‘Lily? Remind me who that is?’ she asked. She thought she’d heard something about a Lily the week before, but Mylo had come downstairs saying he wanted a drink and Kim had been distracted.
‘She’s just a new PE teacher at the school,’ Andy had told her vaguely, pouring them both a glass of orange juice.
‘Oh right. What’s she like? Young? Old?’
‘She’s twenty-eight, slim, long dark hair,’ Andy said nonchalantly as he reached for two coasters before placing the drinks on the table.
‘What about your day? Did you see Holly like you planned?’ Andy asked as she sat in front of him, handing over his plate.
‘Yes,’ Kim had replied. ‘We just took the kids to the park, that’s all.’
‘The one near the newsagents? I think Lily lives near there. She was telling me earlier today that they do a great summer fair in that park; perhaps we should check it out? Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask if you fancied a night out soon? Tony and Leah have asked if we wanted to go to their house for dinner. My mum said she’d babysit.’
Tony was Andy’s oldest friend from school. He’d been best man at their wedding and Andy had been his when he’d married Leah. Though Kim knew they hadn’t met up in quite some time, the prospect of spending an evening with them didn’t exactly sound enthralling. Tony and Leah didn’t have any children and Kim knew they would constantly be topping up their wine glasses, convincing them to stay for ‘just one more’. They would most likely end up getting home in the early hours, and with Mylo and Willow being such early risers, Kim couldn’t think of anything worse. She knew Andy would be keen to stay late and it would be Kim appearing like the boring one, battling to get him to leave.
‘I’d rather not if I’m honest,’ Kim told him.
‘Why?’ Andy turned to her, his brow knitted.
Kim sighed reluctantly. ‘It will end up a late one, Andy. I don’t want to feel rough the next day when we have such young kids. Maybe another time, eh?’
He sighed heavily and nodded, looking disappointed, knowing there was no point in pushing things further. When Kim made her mind up, she rarely changed it.
Kim was keen to change the subject. ‘We’ve been invited to Emma Langford’s wedding in Vegas. Shame it’s so far away or we could have gone, but there’s no way we could ask either of our mums to have the kids for so long, is there? I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them either. I know Holly is really eager to go though.’
‘Why don’t you just go, Kim?’ Andy suggested, running his hand through his beard, which needed a trim. ‘Go and have fun with Holly. Just because we have kids doesn’t mean we have to miss out on everything, does it? One of our mums can have the kids for a few days when I’m working and then I’ll take care of them over the weekend. Come on, treat yourself. Once upon a time you would have jumped at the chance of going to Vegas.’
Kim shook her head, not feeling entirely comfortable with the idea. Kim was their mother. As much as Andy was a great father, he didn’t do things like Kim did. He didn’t know that Kim had to pretend to sprinkle sugar on Mylo’s cornflakes to keep him happy in the morning or the way Willow had to be rocked to sleep if she woke up in the night. ‘Yes, but things are different now, aren’t they? I have responsibilities. No, honestly. Thanks Andy, but I don’t think I should be leaving them.’
Andy shrugged with an unreadable expression before sitting at the dinner table and gazing out into the garden. ‘I’m going to mow the lawn after dinner,’ he said.
Half an hour later Kim was watching him roam up and down the lawn with a determined look on his face. Andy saw their garden as a serious business. He was often asking her opinions on the flowerbeds or if she liked the lines he’d made in the grass.
She’d always thought of Andy as her rugged bear: he was tall at six foot two, and being a rugby player, he was solid and brawny, but with kind, gentle features.
Andy’s phone vibrated, which he’d left on the table and Kim picked it up, about to pass it to him before she noticed it was a message from Lily.
Hey hot stuff. What you up to?
