Shattered Hearts

Chapter 35

"I can't wait to show Daniel off to everyone," Darlene said to John as he drove them to the church for their baby's christening. "And to show everyone we're back on track." She couldn't help feeling smug after her conversation with Dale, glad that things weren't so promising for Rosalind.

John's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "I thought the point was to welcome Daniel into the kingdom of god or something."

She laughed slightly too long. "It is and it's also a chance to show off our family to all those people who doubted we'd make it."

"Who cares what anyone else thinks?"

"I do," she said pushing her bottom lip out. "And I want Rosalind especially to know it."

"Give it a rest," he said wearily. "Can't we have one day where we don't talk about her."

"That's easy for you to say," she said scowling. "You brought her into our marriage and I've had to suffer the consequences so if I want to talk about her I will."

He remained silent as he pulled into the parking lot, stopping the car near the entrance to the church. "Darlene, I don't want to fight with you today, and not in front of the kids." He glanced at Junior sat in the back seat. "But don't kid yourself that I haven't suffered as well."

She snorted. "How? How have you suffered?"

"I nearly lost you and Junior, and I'd have lost Daniel as well. I lost Ro..." He broke off. "I nearly lost everything."

"You were going to say you lost Ros," she said feeling like she might actually vomit.

"No I wasn't," he said rapidly. "I wasn't thinking, I didn't think we'd be having this conversation today."

"But you are upset about Rosalind," she said forcing herself to speak quietly.

"No, of course not," he whispered back. "I'm sorry we're no longer friends, all of us I mean. That's the only way in which I miss her, miss them, Ros and Dale."

Yeah right, he was never friends with Dale.

"Come on," he said speaking normally again. "We should go inside, everyone will be waiting."

~~~

Darlene looked around the crowded hall, where they were having the reception, trying to pick out Charlotte. They'd barely spoken the past few weeks as she'd been preoccupied planning the christening, or rather the party afterwards, and Charlotte had been moving into her apartment. She'd tried calling but they always seemed to miss each other. As she scanned the room her eyes fell on Louis, sat next to some redhead, possibly a cousin of Johnny's. She grimaced as the redhead suddenly laughed uproariously, throwing her hair over her shoulder. Talk about attention-seeking.

"Who's that woman sat next to Louis?" she asked John, interrupting his conversation with his dad.

"My cousin Jessie." He followed her eyes. "I asked her to keep him company so he wouldn't spend the day moping over Charlotte."

"You are so insensitive," she said holding her head in her hands. "How do you think Lottie's gonna feel watching him spend the afternoon chatting up another woman?"

"Frankly, he looks bored," John said leaning closer to her. "And besides, she dumped him, she can't expect him to wait around forever."

"Yeah, I guess she can't." She stood up, brushing her dress down, pleased to be back into figure-hugging clothes. "I'm going to go and say hello, I'll be back in a minute." Ignoring John's protests she walked over to the table where Louis was sat and stood in front of him.