He'll come through
Chapter 17 - Village Life

Chapter 17

“Lilah!” she turned to the sound of Maria’s voice and caught the hurtling child in her arms.

“You having a good day?” Her hair had several decorated plaits and her face was painted as a very feminine tiger, so there was no doubt she’d been busy. Sitting next to Lilah she proceeded in telling her all about the horse rides, the balloon sword she’d had but had burst in a mock fight with some of the other village children. Lilah nodded appropriately and laughed at her antics.

“So I’m going in the tug-of-war with the other girls in a bit too!” She finished.

“Sounds like a very busy day!”

Maria nodded before promising to be good and disappearing off into the chaos. Lilah smiled, kids these days had such a restricted life always being where they should be, that Maria was embracing the day and the unlimited freedom. Lilah remembered that every school holiday had been filled with days like this, running around through forest, over hill, with little regard for her own safety.

“Penny for your thoughts!” The voice grated through her as she looked to see Quinn striding towards her grinning, as she scowled he only grinned more, “I have to confirm that your Mrs Munroe is a pussy cat. LOVELY lady!”

Lilah ‘pftted’ at him and turned to look away. She felt him sit beside her, and when he took the beer bottle from her hand and took a drink she flipped. In a tone that left no question of her anger, but an a hushed volume so as not to draw attention, she snarled, “everyone here might think you are the dogs bollocks, but I don’t! You can ingratiate yourself into this town, my family, but it’ll make no difference on me. I will not change how I feel, do you hear me?”

The casual smile, the knowing eyes only inflamed her further, “you make out that I’m faking, what to get you into bed?” He laughed then, “I already told you, when it happens it’ll be what you want, how I act in this town has no bearings on that.” He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “and I AM the charmer that everyone loves Blondie, this is not an act!” He stood up, “time for cricket!” Blowing her a kiss, he strode across the green and out of view. Leaving Lilah once again in a confusion of desire, anger and frustration...how the hell was she going to survive the weekend. Then a thought flashed through her head, what if he didn’t leave after the weekend, he might stay for a week, or two. She’d never hold out that long!

When Freddy woke, shouting for food, Lilah took him somewhere quiet and fed him, as usual he fed hungrily then fell back asleep, the darling that he was. So settling him once again into the pram, she made for the green; the cricket match was just about to start. Searching the crowd she saw her mother craning to see where she was, and waving Lilah cut through the crowds grateful to see the two deckchairs set up in a slightly sheltered part of the green.

“Have I missed much?” she asked after securing Freddy in the shade and flopping down into the empty deck chair.

Her mother shook her head, “we won the toss, and are bowling. Your father is keen to open the bowling, despite his dodgy knee and his arthritic shoulder. He’ll moan for weeks, but I suppose that’s a man for you!” As Lilah made herself comfortable, her mother handed her a beer, “I got a few in from Alfie, so we haven’t got to get up for a while!”

They watched the team, all dressed in mismatched whites, spread out into their fielding positions, her father Tony controlling from the middle. This was more important than anything else that the summer brought to these men, and Lilah could barely believe that Quinn was so engrossed in it all.

Her mother cringed as her father winced after bowling the first ball, and so it went on. The team from Ravensfield, the nearest village quickly had the upper hand, battering her father and Tom Barton a local farmer’s best efforts all over the green, there were a few catches on the boundary, but on the whole, the team seemed demoralised. At that point ‘super’ Quinn stepped up and took over the attack.

Lilah and her mother had been silent since the start of the game, but now her mother turned to speak to her, “so how has Quinn taken to Freddy?”

Lilah froze, not knowing how to proceed with this conversation. She’d never revealed the identity of Freddy’s father, and no one had ever asked, and now that Quinn was here receiving a hero’s welcome it all seemed a little ridiculous.

She floundered for words and her mother placed a hand on her arm, “I always guessed it was him, for someone who rescued you, you just never said enough about him. You despised Gavin after all he’d done, and you’d not mentioned anyone else, so two and two...” Her mother smiled, “and then when he walked in with your Dad this morning....I mean they are the spitting image of each other, him and Freddy.”

Lilah felt tears welling and wasn’t sure why, maybe because her mother always seemed to know so much, understand so much about her, yet she’d spent most of her late teens and early twenties running away from her. She sighed, “I honestly didn’t realise that I was pregnant, and after all that happened, it ended so badly, I couldn’t think about him....it was all so painful. I didn’t tell him about Freddy, yesterday when I saw him at the station. I was too stunned, surprised, you know? I didn’t think I’d ever see him again. Then he came to the house, saw him.” She looked up at her mother earnestly, “I really didn’t think I’d ever see him again, that’s the only reason that I didn’t tell you about him. That and the fact that he broke my heart.”

Rose Dawson thought her own heart would break at the sight of her daughter’s bottom lop quivering in despair, she’d known instantly that Freddy’s father was someone that Delilah loved, dearly, and she’d been truthful when she said she’d guessed it was Quinn, but the second he’d walked into her kitchen with Tony her husband clucking around him, she had been immediately filled with anxiety, and as she sat here holding her daughters hands as she fought the onslaught of tears, she knew that this had been her fear, that it’d cause her daughter pain. She only hoped that Lilah finally found happiness at the end of this. She deserved it.

“What will be, will be Dee-Lilah, you know that’s my motto. You're a beautiful and intelligent woman, and he is an idiot if he doesn’t see that.”

Lilah nodded, “thanks Mum, but what about Freddy? He deserves Quinn."

She’d never seen her mother so charged and so angry as she pulled her around to face her, “you are more than a mother Dee-Lilah, and don’t ever settle for less. Me and your father have struggled over the years to survive financially, but I always knew he loved me, for me, and that he was doing his best for me. That love is something everyone deserves. So don’t you dare even think about settling for second best! You hear me young lady?”

Lilah nodded again, smiling at her mother, this sudden burst of passion and defensiveness was both uncharacteristic and pleasing, “thanks Mum, I’m not about to dive into anything, I’m compartmentalising my feelings!”

Her mother shook her head gently, “firstly you are too honest and open to be able to do that, if you love him, you love him and that’s it. Secondly, it’s too early to say this with authority, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the way he is. I think he cares for you a lot more than you give him and yourself credit for.”

Laughing, Lilah drained her beer and placed the empty bottle at her feet, “he has more baggage than Heathrow airport Mum, and now I’ve got Freddy I haven’t got time to allow him to deal with that, I’ve got other priorities. He has to know that too!”

Her mother copied her in draining her drink and then took Lilah’s hands again, “true, but that doesn’t mean you can cut off your nose just to spite your face. Don’t become a victim Dee-Lilah, let him prove himself; give him that chance though, for YOUR sake, not for Freddy. Ok?”

Smiling a watery smile, Lilah sighed, “When did you get so wise Mum?”

“Always been this wise, you’ve just not always wanted to listen....teenagers don’t!”

A hail of applause halted their conversation, and hands still linked, they turned back to the match to see Ravensfield’s star player head hung walking back to the pavilion, the whole of the team gathered around the successful bowler, as the crowd parted, there grinning, eyes seeking her out, was Quinn.

Lilah smiled, he looked genuinely happy, and she tried her best to heed her mother’s words, and anyway this village winning would make for a good party that evening. His bowling prowess continued and several more good balls saw several more hung heads wandering back to the pavilion. By now everyone in the village was poised watching the game intently.

At the end of the innings, Alfie from the pub ran on to the green with bottles of water and oranges cut into segments. The two teams flocked around him and drank greedily. Rose took that opportunity to refill their drinks and headed off to the pub. Freddy started to wake, so Lilah moved the chairs into the shade then lifted him out onto her knee.

“See,” she whispered into his ear, “there’s Daddy over there. He’s showing them all how to play cricket. That’s good, isn’t it?” Kissing his cheek she looked back up just in time to see Quinn jogging towards them across the green.

Dropping into the empty seat her mother had left he sighed, “I’m not batting until sixth, so I thought I’d come and spend some time with you two.”

As Quinn took Freddy from her she sighed, the moment the baby was awake he turns up, it hardly did her fragile ego any good! Leaning back in her chair she offered, “You were a little modest about your cricket skills!”

He laughed lifting Freddy up and blowing a raspberry, much to his son’s amusement, before answering her, “I honestly haven’t played since I was in school! I was thirty last month that means it was almost fifteen years since I last held a bat!” Turning to give her a dazzling smile he offered, “I think my audience has helped!”

“Well the village sure likes you! And Freddy seems keen!”

He smiled again, “it’s his mother’s response I’m interested in!”

She shook her head, “my knowledge of cricket is poor I’m afraid, thought I’m pleased you got a few wickets. If we win the atmosphere tonight will be awesome!”

His face dropped slightly, and Lilah took perverse pleasure in seeing his bubble burst, “well I’d better get back to it!”

As he stood he spotted Rose next to him, drinks in hand, “well played Quinn! Don’t give Tony your phone number; he’ll be calling you every five minutes whenever there’s a game!”

Quinn grinned, “You never know, I just might turn up!”

Kissing Freddy’s head, he handed him back to Lilah, then jogged back to join his team.

Lilah couldn’t meet her mother’s eyes, she embroiled herself in both her son and the game, before a throat clearing cough forced her to look up. Her mother was holding out a beer bottle in her direction with a questioning look on her face. Lilah took the drink and tipped her head back taking several mouthfuls. Still her mother was staring at her.

“What?” she knew she was being defensive, but that’s how she felt. He was lording it around her life as though he was some sort of movie star, and she was almost as annoyed with everyone else as she was with him. But she knew that her mother despised the way in which she’d brushed him off, hurt his feelings. Her mother was all about love and kindness, and Lilah knew she’d just behaved despicably in her eyes.

“You know ‘what’ Dee-Lilah!” She tutted to herself then added, “You know how men are, they need a kick to get them into gear, not scorn and deliberate nastiness.”

Lilah turned to her mother, “Mum, I’m not pandering to a man like that! You know me, stubborn and angry I’ll lash out! He owes me, and he seems to think I’m the one who should be chasing him...yet he’s shown absolutely no interest in a future with me, and to be honest after what one night with him caused in the past, I’m in no rush for a repeat of a casual relationship!”

Her mother nodded, observing her daughter from a distance, so sad to see such a carefree girl become a cynical woman, but seeing how hard things had been and still looked like being. She deserved happiness and not heartbreak, she just hoped that the ice she was building around herself wouldn’t spoil any chance she had at real happiness.

The cricket match was tense, and with only a few overs to go, there was very little in it. Everyone groaned as John Turner the school PE teacher was caught on the boundary, but there was a round of cheers when Quinn stepped onto the green. He really struck a formidable figure and Lilah was once again torn between her desire for him and her anger at him, as he swung his bat in warm up, he glanced over at her and gave a nervous smile, and again she saw that suspicion of doubt in himself and it gave her optimism. She gave a half smile back then crossed her fingers.

He hit several balls off the green knocking up a much needed thirty runs, and instead of the close finish and possible defeat they’d all feared, and despite him being caught out cheaply, they cruised home with balls to spare, eighteen year old Rory Barton, the son of the farmer who’d bowled well, hit a six to finish it off. The celebration was wild with Rory being carried across the green to the pub on the shoulders of the rest of the team, but Lilah knew that Quinn, as he predicted, was the difference.

She strolled over to the pub with her mother, and her father rushed to meet them, tipping her mother back into an old fashioned embrace to kiss her, “we did it Rose!” Then standing up he turned to Lilah, “or rather he did it!”

Following her father’s pointing hand, she excused herself and leaving Freddy with his grandparents, she wove her way through the crowds to Quinn. He was stood, one foot raised to a bench, a beaming smile across his face as he accepted praise and congratulations from lots of people. As she drew close she bit back the jolt of jealousy to see two girls she recognised as being a few years younger than her in school trying desperately to drape themselves over his arm as he accepted a pint of bitter from Alfie the landlord.

This was exactly what she didn’t want to see. But from somewhere came that optimism again.

“Hey Champ!” she offered bravely, and was rewarded by him dropping his leg and turning towards her, and the smile that broke across his face was priceless.

“Blondie!” The excitement was genuine, and later he’d blame the adrenaline for the way he pulled her into his arms, thrusting his lips impulsively onto hers. Lilah’s gasp was lost in his overwhelming lips. Lips she hadn’t touched since the night Freddy was conceived. Her legs weakened and despite her resolve when she wobbled, she reached for his chest, gripping his t-shirt to steady herself. Pulling apart, he looked down at her, desire coursing through his veins, his eyes searching hers.

Lilah gulped desperate for her dry throat to ease to allow her to talk, break the ice. Instead Quinn dropped his head, resting his lips on top of her head, just holding her close. It was more intimate than the kiss than anything that had passed between them, and all the time she was aware of the two women who’d been flirting with him stood behind them staring. She loved him with every ounce of her being, and the last twenty four hours she’d seen signs that he felt the same way. He was still running from her, still fighting it, but if he was going to walk away she suddenly realised that she’d rather have tried and lost him than hidden in fear if her own pain. So she had to act. On her terms!

Rubbing her back, Quinn finally spoke, “I’ve wanted to do that for SO long!”

Leaning back she looked up at him, “I can tell.” She wriggled her hips against his obvious hardness and smiled. Then with all the strength and willpower she could muster, she pushed away from Quinn, “and contrary to your belief, it is YOU who’ll be begging me for more!” Walking away, she turned to toss, “I’ll see you at the fancy dress party!” over her shoulder before rushing back to Freddy and her parents her heart pounding and legs shaking. Not quite believing she’d said what she had!