Seaside Manor Bed and Breakfast - Lilly Mirren Page 0,88

Andrew Flannigan walked through the front door her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t known he’d come. He was there alone, thank goodness. If he’d brought his girlfriend and caused a scene at Rupert’s funeral, she wasn’t sure she could ever forgive him.

He caught her eye and headed straight for her. Took her hand and held it gently. “Di, I’m so sorry for your loss. Rupert was a good man and we’ll all miss him.”

She nodded, her heart in her throat. Ben stood beside her, oblivious to who Andrew was to him. “Thank you, Andrew. I’m so glad you could make it. Rupert had hoped he would see you…” Her voice broke and she inhaled a sharp breath. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “I wish I’d come to see him… but we can’t change the past unfortunately. If we could…” He shook his head. “Anyway, it’s good to see you.”

He turned to walk away, but Diana caught him by the arm. “Andy, wait…”

“Yes?”

“Can I speak to you outside for a moment please?”

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“Please come with us, Ben.”

Ben swallowed a mouthful of pie, set his plate on the table. “Uh, sure.”

She strode for the back door and stood with her hands on the back of a wrought iron chair, waiting for her thoughts to clear. How would she say it? How to break the news? She could wait for another day, but it would be strange for her to pass up this opportunity for Ben to know his father.

She spun to face them. “Andy, I want you to know that I appreciate you and value you. The reason I’m talking to you today is because I care about you and think it’s best for you to know the truth.”

His eyes narrowed. “Um… okay.”

“You’re my friend…”

“And you’re mine,” he replied, cocking his head to one side.

“Andy… this is Ben.”

Andrew turned towards Ben in surprise, shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ben.”

Ben nodded.

“Ben is your son.”

Both men gaped at the same time. Andrew’s face paled, and Ben’s eyes widened.

“What? What do you mean?” asked Andrew, his gaze flitting between her and Ben.

“The affair we had as teenagers…”

Andrew’s face turned from pale to sheet white. “Yes.”

“I was pregnant. I didn’t tell you at the time because my parents wouldn’t let me tell anyone. I went away that summer… I don’t know if you remember.”

“Of course, I remember… I tried to call you over and over, but your parents wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone.”

Diana hadn’t known that. A lump rose in her throat. “I didn’t realise… anyway, they sent me away to have the baby, Ben, and I gave him up for adoption. He came to see me a few weeks ago.”

Her breath caught in her throat as Andrew looked Ben up and down. How would he react? She had no idea. It wasn’t ideal to make the introductions at a funeral, but she was finished with secrets. She’d kept this one from everyone for so long, including Rupert, she wanted to spit it out and never keep another secret for the rest of her life.

When Andrew opened his arms and Ben embraced him, she swallowed hard to hold back the tears and left them alone to get acquainted. Inside the house, she found Cindy watching through the window by the back door. She met Diana’s gaze with tears glistening in her eyes.

“You told him.”

Diana nodded. “I couldn’t keep it a secret any longer.”

Cindy threw her arms around Diana and held her close. “I understand. It was brave of you. And for all Andy’s flaws, he’s a loving father. I’m sure he and Ben will have a good relationship.”

“I hope so. Only, I wish Rupert had been here to see it…” Tears clogged her throat. “He would’ve loved it — he was a sucker for a happy ending.”

Cindy chuckled, looping an arm through Diana’s to walk with her towards the living room. “Yes, for sure, he would’ve loved it.”

Chapter 35

Rebecca

“So, what’s your last name again?” asked Franklin. “Your real last name?”

“De Vries,” replied Rebecca with a shy smile. “Rebecca De Vries.”

“At least you kept your first name the same,” he retorted with a sniff. “I don’t think I could refer to you as anything other than Bec. It would be too weird.”

“Do you mean, besides Proby?”

He laughed. “Yeah, well besides that.”

“Thanks for doing this,” said Rebecca. “You know, filling out all of the paperwork for me.”

She held her bandaged hand in the air.

He shook his head. “Well, it’s not like we had much of