Chapter 24
As they settled around the cramped dining table, Matt's sister greeted Colette with a warm smile and a light kiss on the cheek. "Hello, Colette," she said, her voice soft and welcoming. Colette returned the smile, though her heart wasn’t in it.
Matt’s brothers followed suit, offering their customary kisses on the cheeks before moving on to chat with their brother. Colette watched them, noting the similarities they all shared—those almond-shaped eyes, dark hair, and that familiar crooked smile that had once made her heart flutter. She couldn’t help but wonder, as she had so many times before, if their children would have looked like that too. The thought now brought an ache to her chest, a bittersweet reminder of what could have been.
As the room filled with voices, everyone joined in to sing "Happy Birthday" to little Danny. The boy, now fully decked out in his Superman suit and cape, beamed with excitement as he blew out the candles on his homemade cake. Laughter and cheers erupted around him, but Colette’s gaze drifted to a woman across the room, one of Danny’s friends’ mothers. The woman seemed particularly interested in Matt, batting her eyelashes and sneaking glances at him whenever she could.
Evie, Matt’s sister, sidled up to Colette with a playful nudge. “Aren’t you going to protect your territory? Mama’s hormones over there are in overdrive,” she whispered, nodding subtly toward the woman who was trying her best to cozy up to Matt. He, however, seemed completely uninterested, his attention elsewhere.
Colette knew Evie was joking, and she was supposed to laugh it off, maybe even throw back a witty remark. But something inside her snapped, a bitter wave of frustration rising to the surface. “Good luck to her then,” Colette muttered, unable to mask the sarcasm in her voice. “She’ll have Iris Layson to duel with if she wants his attention.”
Evie’s smile faltered, her brows knitting together in concern. “Is everything alright between you and Matt?” she asked, her tone more serious now.
Colette straightened up, realizing too late that she’d let her guard slip. Panic bubbled up in her chest as she forced a smile, trying to appear nonchalant. “Of course,” she lied, shrugging as if it were nothing. But she could feel Evie’s eyes on her, probing, searching for the truth as Colette turned away, desperate to escape the conversation.
As evening settled in, the chaotic energy of Danny's birthday party gradually dissipated. The guests had trickled out, leaving behind the remnants of cake crumbs and torn wrapping paper. Danny, exhausted from playing with his new toys—including the shiny new bike Matt had given him—finally succumbed to a nap. But not before extracting a promise from his older brother that he’d be there when he woke up to teach him how to ride it.
Inside the house, the atmosphere was quieter, but a strange tension lingered in the air. Colette, Evie, and Roxy busied themselves with cleaning up the mess left in the living room, while the men were outside, folding up tables and chairs in the garden. Colette noticed that Roxy and Evie exchanged strange glances every time they thought she wasn’t looking. Their eyes would flit to her, then to each other, as if silently conspiring about something. Whenever she caught them, they quickly averted their gaze, pretending nothing was amiss.
It was unnerving, and as the moments dragged on, Colette’s patience wore thin. When she walked into the kitchen to put away some dirty plates and found the mother-daughter duo whispering in hushed tones, their expressions tense, she’d had enough. They stopped talking the instant she entered, guilt written all over their faces.
“Alright, that’s enough!” Colette snapped, setting the plates down with a clatter that echoed her frustration. “Just tell me what’s going on. What is this all about?”
Roxy and Evie exchanged one last glance before Roxy finally spoke, her voice hesitant. “We were just wondering…if something was wrong between you and Matt,” she admitted, worry etched across her features.
Colette pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Evie. “Look, if this is about the comment I made about Iris, then—”
“It’s not just that,” Evie interrupted, stepping forward. “Well, not entirely. It’s more about how you’ve both been acting since you got here. I know my brother, and I know how he is when you’re around. He’s always touching your hand, your arm, kissing you every chance he gets. And those looks you share across the room—believe me, we’ve all noticed them.”
Colette’s heart skipped a beat, her anger momentarily fading as Evie continued.
“Today, though, you couldn’t be farther away from him if you tried. I haven’t seen you two together once since morning, not even when that woman was blatantly flirting with him,” Evie said, her voice tinged with confusion.
Colette’s mind raced. She hadn’t realized just how closely Matt’s family had been watching them, cataloging every touch, every glance. But as Evie’s words sank in, Colette felt a sting of sadness. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how one sees this, Evie had never observed them together in a public venue like that of St. Antony’s Gala, or she would have known how her brother actually treats her in public.
The room fell silent, the air heavy with unspoken truths. Colette took a deep breath, unsure of what to say, the weight of their scrutiny pressing down on her.
As the tension in the room thickened, Evie suddenly blurted out, "Colette, you’re not pregnant, are you?" Her voice was a mix of shock and concern, her eyes wide as she searched Colette’s face for any sign of confirmation. "You’ve been looking a bit off since you arrived, and you didn’t drink any wine at lunch. Is that why Matt’s upset with you? Because you’re pregnant?" The words tumbled out of her like she’d just unlocked the answer to a riddle that had been gnawing at her all day.
Colette’s heart sank at the assumption, a wave of sadness washing over her. The idea of having a baby had been a dream she had nurtured for so long, a dream that had gradually withered away under the weight of Matt’s steadfast refusal. She was touched that Evie had noticed, but the reality was far more painful. With a slow shake of her head, Colette replied, "No, I’m not pregnant. Matt doesn’t want kids."
For years, she had clung to the hope that Matt’s reluctance was just a temporary phase, that eventually, he would come around. She would always add a hopeful "yet" to the end of that sentence, convincing herself that one day he would change his mind. But now, she knew better. The "yet" was gone, replaced by a grim acceptance. "He never wanted kids. Period." She spoke the words with a finality that left no room for doubt, her voice carrying the weight of countless unfulfilled dreams.
Evie’s face fell, her initial excitement replaced by a deep sadness. "That’s our fault, I suppose," she murmured, her gaze dropping to the floor.
Colette looked at her, puzzled. "How is Matt not wanting kids your fault? He’s just—"
But Evie interrupted, shaking her head. "No, it is our fault. Mine, Damon’s, and Archie’s. Matt practically raised us when he was still just a kid himself. He had to step into a role he wasn’t ready for, taking on the responsibility of three younger siblings when he should have been living his own life. I think that’s why he doesn’t want a baby now—he’s already done the whole parenting thing, and it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience."
Evie’s voice was soft, tinged with a maturity and regret that belied her age. She stared out the window, lost in thought, while Roxy, standing beside her, looked stricken, her hands twisting together as if she could wring the guilt from her own heart. The weight of her son’s lost childhood hung heavily on her shoulders, and the realization that it might be the reason he refused to have children of his own now seemed almost too much for her to bear.