Mrs R (Mrs R & Mr V #1) (59 page)

Rachel stiffened, ready to jump between them if necessary but
Joe caught her eye and she sensed that he had made some kind of peace with the
situation; if only because he didn’t want to upset her.

“Rachel has told me all about you Luc.” Luc twisted his head
around in Rachel’s direction. He raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded.

“I know what you did for her and whilst I cannot stand to think
of it, I understand it.”

“You do?” both Rachel and Luc asked in unison looking stunned.
It was the last thing they had expected hear from Joe.

“I do. But I don’t want to talk about it again. Ever. Do I make
myself clear? And believe me boy, it will be a long time before we are
friends.”

Rachel walked over to Joe and kissed him on the cheek. “I love
you” she whispered in his ear, then left the two of them alone returning to her
guests before anyone came looking for them. It was still a secret and would
remain that way.

Luc being Luc just couldn’t let it drop though. “I know it’s
hard for you Joe being reminded of her past but she’s worth it. Rachel is very special.”

Joe’s eyes darkened and he took a step toward Luc who was now
backed up flat up against the fridge.

“What part of ‘not talking about it’ did you not understand?”
he jabbed a finger into Luc’s shoulder to reinforce the point.

“Shit! And what part of not laying your hands on me again, did
you not understand?” Luc stepped forward and Joe gazed at the young man in
front of him in wonder. He could have Luc on the floor out cold in seconds
without breaking a sweat but it seemed the boy was fearless and Joe kind of
respected him for that. He took a step back out of Luc’s space and sighed. In a
less threatening tone he spoke directly to him.

“I won’t apologise – you just need to acknowledge there
are boundaries you can no longer cross. You’re still in love with her, I can
see that, but she’s mine Luc. You need to move on.”

Luc faltered. Joe was dead right; he was still in love with
Rachel and up until he saw that ring on her finger, he still had a little bit
of hope she would come back to him. Now it hit him hard that was never going to
happen. Joe could see the realisation in Luc’s face the moment it dawned on
him. The boy sagged back against the fridge momentarily poleaxed.

“Joe…I’m sorry mate. I...” Luc stammered out a half apology and
Joe finally started to feel sorry for him. In that instant, all the animosity
and jealousy just flowed away.

Placing a big hand gently on Luc’s shoulder in what he hoped
was a sympathetic gesture, Joe said, “Listen; the twins make it so we are going
to be around each other for many years to come. I need to trust you Luc; Rachel
would never have gotten so close to you if you weren’t all the things she said
you are. If you want to be my friend, don’t ever break that trust and you and I
will get along just fine. You might even find me useful to know.” Joe clapped
Luc on the cheek and walked away feeling pretty confident he’d gotten things
under control enough to move forward. He could see Luc was a good guy; he just
needed to move on from Rachel and Joe would be happy.

Luc meanwhile, realised he was exceedingly lucky to have been
given an opportunity to continue to be part of this family and even had a
reason to suspect it would be to his benefit. Joe had the good grace to put in
the effort to get past his affair with Rachel, and he finally understood why
they called Joe Mason ‘mighty’.

The twins and their mother returned to the kitchen. Jess looked
a bit startled to find Luc staring at the fridge. “You ok Lulu?” she asked him.

Luc’s head jerked up and he ran a hand through his fringe
brushing it off his face. “Oh yeah. I’m cool Jess. Just came for some water.”
He grabbed a bottle from the fridge; popped a kiss on both his friends’ cheeks
and went to join the others inside.

Lucy shook her head. “That boy – I swear he’s nuts.
Anyway, Mummy, Jess and I want to tell you how happy we are for you and you
shouldn’t worry about Daddy and how we feel about it. We only want you to have
everything you deserve and Joe is too divine – honestly!” The three of
them hugged and had a little cry and then the twins urged Rachel back in to
join her guests.

**********

Luc plonked himself down at one end of the dining room table as
Joe sat down at the head. Rachel slipped in to the seat beside him confident
the twins were more than capable in the kitchen having forced their mother to
socialise and have some fun. Joe leaned back in his chair and ran a hand though
his hair then proceeded to fiddle with his beard until he caught Rachel staring
at him looking worried. Grinning broadly he gave her a reassuring kiss leaving
her panting and wishing they were alone.

“Really – is that necessary at the table?” Karen teased
any remaining tension was broken as laugher and conversation flowed freely. The
twins started to heap the table with more and more food until there was no
space left and everyone tucked into Rachel’s deliciously prepared Christmas
meal. She wasn’t all that traditional but there was turkey and potatoes and a
variety of different dishes to go with and everyone seemed happy to stuff their
faces. Rachel was off the scale euphoric. She wondered briefly about the
occasional strange looks that passed between Joe and Luc but the more everyone
drank the more relaxed the atmosphere became.

“Baby – you’ve done so well. This is all fantastic.” Joe
murmured into her neck; the bristles on his chin tickled her skin just as he
knew she loved. “Can we escape for a bit though; I’m so hard for you.”

Rachel giggled which caught Luc’s attention. From his seat at
the end of the table he watched as Joe lavished
 
affection on the woman they both loved,
but this time Luc was mesmerised by the image of them together. He could see
they were deeply connected and he had been foolish to think that at his age he
would have been enough for a woman like Rachel. It was time to grow up, and
move on from being heart broken over what he knew he could never have. Luc
nodded at Joe; raised his glass of wine and drank a silent toast to their
happiness.
 

**********

“That’s the last of them gone.” Rachel called out to Joe having
put the twins in a cab with Luc. It felt a bit odd that they were all going
back to Joe’s apartment, but both men were adamant that they would not be
sleeping under the same roof tonight. Rachel was dying to know what they had
discussed after their little confrontation in the kitchen earlier, but she
would have to wait until Joe was ready to tell her. She was just grateful they
seemed to be getting on better as part of her acknowledged she didn’t want Luc
out of her life for good.

“C’mon, Joe – let’s get this cleared away and then we
need to go to bed. There should be enough time to pack tomorrow, as the
flight’s not till late. Joe?” There was no response so Rachel went on the hunt
for her man finding him sprawled out on the sofa in the den snoring his head
off. She chuckled to herself, “typical bloke after all Joe Mason” and set about
loading the dishwasher and clearing the table. When everything was neat and
tidy she went to wake him up and drag him up to bed.

“Hey Sleepy Joe – take me to bed my gorgeous fiancé.” She
tugged on his hand and he reluctantly heaved himself off the couch.

“Best fucking day ever Mrs Mason to be” he drawled hauling her
into his arms and carrying her effortlessly up the stairs to their bed.

Kissing him full on the mouth Rachel replied “Best fucking
life
ever, Mr Mason.”

Hugging his woman close to his chest he agreed. “It will be
sweetheart; it will be.”

THE
END

Acknowledgements

Thanks go to our beloved family for putting
up with too many overheard inappropriate conversations. Especially our kids who
have had to suffer through their middle aged mothers giggling and groaning over
the telephone to each other for hours.

Since we started this amazing journey, our
husbands have been nothing but supportive and indulgent and we’re not ashamed
to say there’s a little bit of Nate, Luc and Joe in both of them. Ahem!

To our fabulous friends who read the story
first and had the good grace not to be too shocked! K, K, S – you know
who you are…. We love that you loved Mrs R and your feedback was invaluable.

Jessie Courts is our pen name. More than
anything she has given us the freedom to share our words with you. In real life
we are two best friends who have been together for 30 years setting the world
to rights and sharing our deepest secrets and desires. It’s the type of
friendship where we finish each other’s sentences and know exactly what we’re
thinking with just one look! Perfect writing partnership material we remarked
one day and that’s all it took for Rachel, Luc and Joe to come spilling out of
our imaginations and in to print.

Thanks must also go to the amazing authors
who have inspired us. Our Kindles are literally bursting with fantastic books
we just can’t get enough of.

And lastly of course to you; the reader; the
person who we’ve done this all for.

Thanks for buying Mrs R – we hope you
enjoyed it – let us know….

Find us on Facebook – Jessie Courts or
email us at
[email protected]

Coming
soon…..

MR V

What’s in
store for Luc? The boy man god is sent to New York on a work assignment and
while he is there finds distraction in the arms of a beautiful blonde.

Back in England, Luc attends Rachel and Joe’s
wedding reception where he is shocked to discover his all American girl is
there too…and she’s moved to London. They pick up where they left off and
embark on a passionate and intense relationship…. but who is she really and
will her true identity destroy any hope Luc ever had for his own happy ever
after?