How Many Chances (26 page)

“I promise,” she smiled up at him. “From now on I will.”

“When you get back from London,” Cole said looking down into her eyes. “We can start fresh. You and me against the world. I love you Ally.”

“I love you too.” she said and leaned up and met his lips with hers.
If only he knew how true his statement was. Once she was back from London, they would have a fresh start and Ally would make sure there would be no more mistakes.

“I have a couple of things to get together
before I leave for the airport,” she said getting up from her stool.

“I will drop you off,” he said and smiled.

“I won’t be long,” she turned and walked out of the kitchen.

“Is she okay,” Rosie asked, appearing back into the kitchen.

“She will be,” Cole replied. “Think it’s time Sid and I had a little chat. He needs to know it’s time to back off for once and for all.”

An hour later Cole kissed Ally goodbye before she climbed out of the car.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you
to wait?” Cole said taking hold of her hand.

“
I’m quite sure,” she replied with a smile. “I am going to have a wander around the shops in duty free. I need some new makeup.”

“If you are sure,” he replied
with a pout. He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.

“I am very sure,” she giggled as she leaned in and kissed Cole. “I will call you tonight.”

She climbed out of the car and turned back and waved as Liam closed the door. Cole then watched as she disappeared through the doors of Dublin Airport.

“Liam, sligh
t change of plans this morning” Cole said as Liam pulled the car away from the set down area in front of departures. “I want to go to Parson’s Garage.”

“Yes Sir,” Liam said, his eyes meeting a very determined Coles in the rear view mirror.

Thirty minutes later they were pulling into the car park of Parson’s Garage. He took a moment before he climbed out of the car.

He wasn’t afraid of Sid, far from it. But he knew he was one of Ally’s closest friends. And he knew she was going to freak out when she heard he spoke to Sid, so he wanted to handle this properly.
He needed to remain as calm as possible.

He climbed out of the car and headed into the reception area. The pretty girl who had been on the desk the first time he came to the garage looking
for Ally was behind the desk once again.

He smiled as he remembered back to t
he day he came to find her. The girl was busy chatting on the phone when he arrived. She had smiled up at him and held up her finger indicating she would be just one minute.

Then he heard her mention Ally’s name and he couldn’t help but listen to the one sided conversation. She was taking a message down to give to Ally. Then she read it back to whoever she was talking to, to make sure she had it right.

It was a change of venue for a planned night out Ally was having with whoever was at the other end of the line. That was how he had known where she would be that night. His grinned widened as he remembered how that night had ended.

“Can I help you
sir,” the girl’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. Then recognising him she added “If you are looking for Ally, I am afraid she doesn’t work here anymore.”

“Actually,” Cole said giving her one of his charming smiles. “I was hoping to speak to Sid.”

“Sid is out on a call at the moment,” she replied in a cheerful voice.

“Damn,” Cole groaned.
He had assumed he would be here.

“He should be back soon, if you w
ant to wait?” She quickly added and smiled once again.

“Cole,” Gus
’s voice came from behind Cole. He turned around to him and was taken back to see this shell of a man standing in front of him. “It’s everything okay? Is Ally alright?”

The panic in Gus’s voice was very evident.

“She is fine,” Cole replied as the sympathy for this man consumed him.  “How are you?”

Gus didn’t reply other than give Cole a shrug.

“Would you like a coffee while you wait?” the girl behind the reception desk chirped from behind Cole. He couldn’t remember her name.

“Emma,” Gus called out. “Can you get both myself and Mr Thomas a coffee and bring it into my office.
Then turned back to Cole he asked. “Can we talk?”

“Sure,” Cole said
following Gus into his office and closing the door behind them. He took the seat in front of Gus’s desk as Gus took his seat or the far side of it.

“So,” Gus said as he clasped his hands together and rested them on the desk. “How is she really?”

“Honestly,” Cole sighed. “She isn’t good. She won’t talk about it. She won’t talk about anything. She has gone to London for a couple of days to my Mom to look for a wedding dress.  I am hoping the break will do her some good. But I am worried about her. I won’t lie.”

“I am so sorry I did this to her,” Gus replied sadly. “You have to believe
me, it was never my intention. When Rachel told me she was pregnant. I wanted to do the right thing. But I was married and I did love Laura too. But Rachel was the love of my life. She was terrified of Fitzmaurice. He was rich and powerful and incredibly spiteful. She said if he found out he would have destroyed both our lives and just to make a point, would have destroyed her father too, simply because she adored Pops and he knew how best to hurt her.”

“I have had some dealing with him,” Cole growled as he remember
ed the cruel and callous way he told Ally the truth about her father. “So I know exactly the kind of man Sean Fitzmaurice is.”

“
Rachel pleaded with me to keep it a secret,” Gus continued. “I really didn’t want to, but she promised I could be part of the baby’s life. However, the first time I saw Ally, it nearly killed me. I want to tell everyone she was mine, including Laura. But Rachel begged me and I love her so much I stupidly agreed. Plus I was afraid if I didn’t, she would stop me from seeing Ally”

“Why didn’t you tell her when her
Mom died and he had walked away?” Cole asked.

“Ally took her mother’s death very badly,” Gus explained.
“Pop was up the wall over her. But I got drunk one night and went to talk to him man to man. I told him everything and he beat the crap out of me. Back then Pops wasn’t someone you messed around with. But still I guess I deserved it. Then he sat down and cried. He begged me not to tell her. He said it would destroy her. Guess he was right because look at her now. Cole I am not proud of what I have done to her.”

“She is just angry,” Cole sighed, hoping he was right. “She will come around. She has a new family she could be part of eventually.
I know that is something she has always wanted.”

“Laura and the girls are very angry with me,” Gus said sadly. “But they are angrier
at the fact that I never stepped up and told Ally the truth sooner. They all love her so much. They are heartbroken to think of the years they have lost and that she is so hurt and alone right now. So I am really public enemy number one.”

Before Cole could reply there was a knock on the door. Emma came in carrying the coffees and was followed closely by Sid.

“Here you go gentlemen,” Emma said happily before she turned to Cole. “I told Sid you were looking for him.”

Cole looked up at Sid
and he could see fear written very clearly across his face.

“Thank you,” he said turning back to Emma. The
n turning to Gus he asked. “Could I possible speak to Sid in private for a few moments?”

“Certainly,” Gus said as he stood up and took his
coffee with him.

“Oh, and Gus,” Cole said as Gus stopped at the door
and turned back to him. “I will talk to Ally for you.”

“Thank you,” he said with a sad smile before he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Cole turned to Sid and looked a deep breath.

“So,” Sid said looking Cole straight in the eye. He had no idea why he was here but he was ready for whatever he had to say. Sid knew he shouldn’t blame Cole for what Ally was doing, he didn’t know about the baby so it wasn’t really his fault. But he was angry with him that he was so caught up in his own hurt and pain, he couldn’t see she was hurt too. And that he had driven her to do something, Sid knew
, she would regret for the rest of her life. “You wanted to see me.”

“I want you to back off and leave Ally alone,” Cole said getting straight to the point. “She has been through enough recently and she doesn’t need you hassling her about Gus.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sid asked totally confused by what Cole had said to him.

“She told me about you pestering her to hear Gus out,” Cole explained. “That’s why she was upset last night. I knew something wasn’t right between you t
wo. She finally admitted it this morning.”

“And she told you that,” Sid said feeling the anger bubble inside h
im. Ally was hurting and this asshole couldn’t see what was going on right in front of his face. He wanted to slap him in the face with his own stupidity. But he had promised Ally so he bit his tongue. “Fine, I will back off.”

He turned and headed towards the door
without saying another word.

“That’s not the truth
, is it,” Cole said standing up and turning to Sid as the realisation suddenly hit him. “That’s not the reason she is upset.”

“Cole,” Sid said
, turning back to Cole and taking a deep breath. “I think you are a good guy. And I have no doubt you love Ally. But she is my friend. Don’t come here and expect me to ease your conscience.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Cole snapped. “Are you saying it’s my fault Ally is upset?”

“Look, this is none of my business,” Sid replied and sighed. “All you need to know is she adores you and she would do anything to make you happy. Even if it means breaking her own heart.”

“
Are you in love with her?” Cole asked as he clenched his fists. “Is that it?”

“Oh for the love of God,” Sid laughed. “You really haven’t a fucking clue. That girl it tearing herself to pieces and you can’t see it. Look go back to your perfect little life. She will come back from London and you
r world will be perfect once again. But she won’t be.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Cole demanded.

“Go home Cole,” Sid said and turned back to the door but Cole was
not going to take no for an answer.

“NO!” Cole shouted grabbing hold of Sid
, slamming him to the door and pinning him to it with his arm across his throat. “Spit it out, whatever the fuck you are talking about. Enough of the sly remarks. Have the balls to say what you really think.”

“SHE IS PREGNANT!” Sid shouted back into Coles face. “She is carrying your baby. But she thinks you don’t want it. And she
is so scared of losing you she has gone to London to get rid of it. But you are too fucking stupid and rapid up in your own world to see what you have done to her.”

Cole was stunned he just held Sid against the door and stared into his face as his mind raced.
Sid regretted his cutting remark. And the look on Coles face said it all, he really had no idea.

“Look, s
he found out last week she was pregnant,” Sid continued a little less forcefully. “But you had said you didn’t want kids. She tried to tell you. Believe me she tried. But she loves you so much. She was afraid you would walk away. Or worse still, stand by her and end up hating her and the baby.”

“But I love her,”
Cole said as he released Sid. He could feel the blood drain from his body as the realization of what Sid told him, hit him. He slumped into the chair and buried his face in his hands as he tried to get his head straight. “I would never hate her.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Sid admitted
and sighed. He actually felt sorry for Cole. The look of devastation was more than pitiful.

“Why would she think I would even want her to do this,” Cole said looking up at Sid.

“She isn’t thinking straight,” Sid replied as he ran his hands through his hair. “She is scared, she really scared. She has spent her life being the child no one wants. She doesn’t want that for her baby. But this is killing her. She is falling to pieces. And if she does this, she will never forgive herself.”

“My baby,” Cole said as the words sunk in. “Ally is carrying my baby.”

“Yes,” Sid confirmed. “Cole she loves you more than anything else in this word but she is so scared she is going to lose you.”

“I did this to her,” he said as it finally hit him what he had done. “Oh god what have I done. I have pushed her into doing this
without even knowing I was doing it. If she goes through with this she will never forgive me.”

He buried his face in his hand as he fought hard to hold back the tears. It all made perfect sense now. She was sick because she was pregnant. She was so upset
after what happened with her father and then Ben. It never occurred to Cole, that she might be pregnant. She must have felt so lost and alone. Then the thought occurred to him.

“Oh god.” Cole said looking up at Sid. “She is on her way to London now. She is going today
, to get rid of the baby. Our baby.”

“
Believe me Cole, I tried to talk her out of it,” Sid explained. “When she told me yesterday I begged her not to do this. But she has convinced herself this is her only option. But I know she really doesn’t want this. That much is clear. It is written all over her face. If she does this. She will never get over it.”

“I need to stop her,” Cole said p
ulling his phone from his pocket. He pressed Ally’s name on the speed dial. It rang a couple of times before it answered.

“Hello” the voice at the far end answered.

“Ally, sweetheart, It’s me,” Cole said relieved she obviously hadn’t boarded the plane.