Family Portrait (Fam Series #1)

Chapter 109 - Ascot Vale, Victoria

Adeline -

'Ed?'

I ask this out in the darkness as the redhead hesitates and stops, resting his hand on my thigh. I can hear him breathing, I can hear the panic.

'Ed, are you okay?' I ask again.

'I'm sorry Adeline. I can't do this. Not to Ashleigh' Ed says, sounding like he's almost gonna cry, as he suddenly gets up and moves to the edge of the bed.

'We got this far I guess' I say, as I continue laying on the bed, looking up at the dark ceiling.

I watch as Ed suddenly climbs across me and grabs his phone, checking the time, the lock screen displaying a photo of him and Ashleigh Templeton.

'I want to, Adeline. I don't know what's stopping me. Maybe it's the fact that she's your lifelong best friend and I'm her ex boyfriend, but we shouldn't be doing this' he says, as he looks down at my bare stomach. Well, bare everything. But mainly my stomach. I'm hoping.

'We don't have to' I say, wondering what even drove us to get here in the first place.

'When are Lewis and Caitlin getting back?' Ed asks, as he looks back down at the floorboards of the modern townhouse in South Yarra.

'Probably around 3, but possibly later depending on how much they've drunk' I say, feeling a pang of guilt hitting my chest as I think about what I'm doing. I never needed to stay here tonight, I had my own house with Templeton, Charlie and the kids. But when Ed and I met up to talk...one thing led to another and Lewis and Caitlin's townhouse was the only place I could think of with some sort of privacy, regarding the fact that they'd gone out for a birthday tonight anyway.

'You know what? Fuck Ashleigh. Why should I stop living my life and feeling bad for enjoying things just because it might upset her? God knows how many guys she got it on with while she was with me. And now that we're done...I deserve to enjoy life myself' Ed says, as he switches his phone off and crawls over, putting his hand on my thigh again.

'I'm sorry, Ed' I say helplessly, as I lie here on my back, trying to think about the consequences Charlie and Ashleigh may pull later, as well as Lewis Young and Caitlin De Klijn. They're not going to be impressed at best.

'Don't be. So...let's get this over and done with' Ed says, as he suddenly starts kissing me again, and makes his way in.

...

Previous Day:

'Charlie?' I ask.

'Surprise, I'm back' he says, not making eye contact with me as he stands in the doorway.

'Uh...Ashleigh's here' I say, quickly making up an excuse as I look back into the house. Ashleigh looks up at me, confused, the 'who is it?' look sprawled across her bare face.

'Good for her' Charlie says, as he pushes past me and enters the house without my permission.

'Did you want me to go all Frankston North on his ass?' Ashleigh asks me, as she points up at my husband. I glare at her as I follow Charlie, folding my arms.

'Charlie, I don't recall saying you could come in' I say.

He turns around and looks at me, scowling, like he's surprised that I had the nerve to say that.

'I am paying this house off, Adeline, and I picked it. If anything - I don't recall saying you could stay after what happened in Portarlington' he says.

'That was YOUR fault and had nothing to do with me. I wasn't even there. You could have seriously hurt Brigan' I say angrily.

'I'm staying, Adeline. I don't care what you do but I live here and the house is under my name, not yours. I'm not going to be leaving again because this is my house, and again, not yours. Why don't you go and move into Kew East? I hear it's a rather expensive area, and I mean Abbotsford and Richmond already aren't rich enough for your tastes' he says.