Speak Now

I

When I left London almost five years ago, I made a vow to come back only when it was absolutely necessary. When each of my brothers was born, I came back. When it was their or Sera's birthday, I came back. Dad and Charlotte usually came to me for their birthdays, saying that it was nice to have a break from their four under four but I would make a special effort to come back for Christmas and Easter. Other than that, the only time I was here was for work. 

I hated London. It used to be the city that I loved most in the world, where I had everything I could ever want or ever need. It was where I got to know Dad more, where I became part of Charlotte's family, where I had my own family, something that I hadn't had in... ever, I suppose. Now, I couldn't bear to be here anymore after what happened; It wasn't home and that destroyed me.

Sitting quietly in the back seat of the darkened out car that had picked James and me up from the airport, I watched as the city passed me by, shuffling nervously in my chair as we neared my father's house. He and Charlotte still lived opposite The Regent's Park and the little mews house at the rear of their property was still my base whenever James and I were in town. It was the perfect hideaway for James since it was located down a private road, away from public scrutiny and certainly away from the paparazzi who just loved to shove their cameras in James' face. It granted him the privacy he needed while also being close enough to my family that I got my fill of my brothers and sister. 

The chauffeur signalled the turn onto Hanover Terrace and continued down onto Hanover Terrace Mews, coming to a stop halfway down the lane, right outside the door to the mews house. Pushing James' shoulder, I wake him up and tell him that we've arrived, watching as his eyes glisten at the news. I stifle my laugh about how excited he is to be here, knowing that he's probably just as excited, if not more, to see my family than I am. 

We gather our luggage and go inside the house, taking the cases and bags to our respective bedrooms. I tell James to shower quickly and change so we could go and see my family and true to form, he's ready and out the door before I'm even out of the shower. After I pull on my carefully chosen outfit of a denim skirt, a thin t-shirt that once belonged to James, and a red hoody underneath a blazer, I force my feet into a pair of white sneakers and grab my bag, leaving the house via the rear entrance that leads out into the garden of Dad and Charlotte's house. Running down the paved pathway, I skip down the steps and enter the kitchen on the lower ground level, sneaking up on Charlotte so that I could wrap my arms around her shoulders from behind. 

"Boo!" 

She yells out in fright, dropping the spoon into the pan on the stove before spinning and swatting my arm. "I'm too young to have a heart attack, you hellion!" Charlotte's shouting obviously alerted everyone else to my presence and soon enough, footsteps were echoing down the stairs. Before they rushed into the kitchen, Charlotte pulled me into a warm hug and whispered, "I am so glad you're back, darling. I have missed you so much."

"Martha!" Dad's voice bellowed as he rushed forward and picked me up off the ground. Despite being twenty-three, I was always going to be his little girl, even though he had a little-er girl in Sera. When Dad put me down, I was swarmed upon by my younger siblings, each fighting with the others to wrap their arms around my ankles. The only one who didn't seem all that bothered about my presence was Joseph, who hung back and stared at me. I blew him a kiss and watched as the cutest smile stretched across his face. His shyness was just too adorable. Dad stepped forward and wrangled his kids away from me, having a tougher time with the twins than he did with Sera. "Owen and Levi, I swear if you don't let go, you're going into time out."