She looked at him again, into those piercing blue eyes – eyes that were now mirrored not only in the face of their beautiful boy, Ethan, but also in the face of the son Michael never knew he had. The man India was now very much involved with.
‘Yes, Michael. You were.’
He walked over to her, stopping right in front of her and she didn’t move, she couldn’t. Something made her stay exactly where she was, staring up into those eyes as he reached out and gently stroked her cheek, smiling that smile, but this time it didn’t fill her with dread or make her think there was something sinister beneath the exterior.
‘I can’t say it doesn’t hurt me to think of you with him, because I’d be lying. But then, you know as well as I do that seeing you with anyone hurts me. It always will, I can’t ever stop that. And yes, when I saw you with Dominic it got me right where it always gets me, right here.’ He stabbed at his chest with his fist, still staring right into her eyes, making it impossible for her to look anywhere else. ‘And when I found out who he was, what he was doing…’
India finally looked away, although she didn’t move from where she was standing, but just bringing up the subject of what Dominic had done made her feel uncomfortable. She didn’t want reminding; they were starting again, starting over. They were putting all of that behind them.
‘India, baby, look at me, honey. Come on, look at me.’
She looked back up at him, confusion taking over. Why was he suddenly so calm? So nice?
‘Finding out who Dominic was, that hurt more than anything else, India. That really fucking hurt. But what I did…’
‘Forget it,’ she sighed, breaking the stare and stepping away from him, taking her phone out of her pocket and checking a message that had just arrived. From Dominic. It simply asked, are u ok?
India smiled, punching out a quick reply and Michael watched her, taking in every tiny change in her expression.
‘Dominic?’ Michael asked, catching her eye as she slid her phone back into her pocket.
She looked back up at him. ‘How do you really feel about him being your son? I mean, this has to be really weird for you, finding out about Dominic after thirty-six years. It’s enough to freak anyone out, but you seem so calm. Too calm, almost.’
He just shrugged, folding his arms again. ‘You know me, honey. I’ve coped with many things in my life, this is just something else sent along to try me.’
She watched him for a few seconds. Was he displaying signs of defensive behaviour? Was the folding of the arms a signal that this was something he didn’t really want to talk about? Or was it a sign of something completely different? Was it a sign that he didn’t want to talk about it because he was dealing with it in a way only Michael could? A way that still left room for people to be hurt even more than they already were.
India had no proof either way, of course, but just knowing what Michael was capable of was enough to make her step back slightly. It was enough to put any growing trust she might have been building towards him right back in the box.
‘There’s nothing more to it than that, India,’ Michael said, as if reading her mind. He needed to keep her on side; he couldn’t risk alienating her any more. ‘I’m dealing with it, okay? And maybe, one day, when he’s ready, we’ll talk about things. Sort something out.’
‘Sort something out? What’s that supposed to mean?’ India asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at him, wishing he’d take the cap off when he was talking to her because it felt slightly odd not being able to fully see his eyes. Or maybe that was his intention. If she couldn’t see his eyes then she wouldn’t be able to read him.
‘I’m not saying we’re ever going to have a close father/son relationship but, one day, well… maybe one day we can salvage something from this mess.’
She continued to stare at him. ‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘Because I want you to know that I’m okay with it. With you and Dominic.’
‘I don’t need your permission, Michael.’
‘No, I know that. I know. That isn’t what I meant.’
India was starting to get bored now and she sighed, running her fingers through her