No Matter What (97 page)

***

Michael didn’t need this.
 
He really didn’t need this.
 
What the fuck was
she
doing here?
 
He looked over at
India
, who seemed as stunned as he was.
 
They hadn’t invited her, there was no reason for her to be here yet there she was, sitting at the bar, smiling at them.
 
What shit was going on now?

“Is that Layla Boyd?”
India
asked, holding tightly onto Michael’s hand. “What’s
she
doing here?”

“I don’t know, baby.
 
Leave it to me though, ok?
 
I’ll go speak to her.”
 
He had to get to her before she got to
India
, otherwise the unholy mess they were all in had the possibility of becoming a whole lot worse.

“Maybe she’s the plus-one of one of the other guests,”
India
said.
 
“That’s not beyond the realms of possibility.”

Michael squeezed her hand, his stomach in knots.
 
He needed to get to her fast. Layla Boyd was unpredictable, and he’d had enough of that for one day.
 
There were too many other things going on in his head without him having to deal with this too.

“I’ll find out what’s going on.
 
Don’t worry.”

She looked at him.
 
She wasn’t worried.
 
What was the panic?
 
She didn’t particularly like Layla Boyd but if she was a genuine partner of one of the other guests then what else was there to find out?

She let go of his hand and watched as he walked over to Layla at the bar.

“
India
?”

She turned around to see Kenny, who was holding Ethan.
 
“What are you doing with him?” she asked, taking her son from him.
 
“He’s never going to sleep at this rate.
 
He’s getting passed around like a bloody parcel this afternoon.”

“We need to talk.”

She looked at him.
 
“Now?
 
Here?
 
Would you like to suggest something just a little more inconvenient?”

“This is killing me,
India
.
 
I need to know what’s going on here.
 
I need to know if he’s mine or not.
 
I’ve lived with the uncertainty for far too long.”

“There isn’t exactly much we can do right now, Kenny, is there?”
 
She held her baby against her.
 
The tiny, perfect little man that had no idea of the complete and utter mess being played out around him.
 
“And what the hell are you doing talking to my dad?
 
Did we need
another
complication?
 
He’s going to be on my back morning,
noon
and night now.
 
I can’t believe you did that.”

“I’m sorry.
 
Really, I’m sorry.”
 
He pushed a hand through his dark hair.
 
“I just saw him with Ethan ... the way you’ve got him dressed ... it’s like he was made to be ours,
India
.
 
It all got to me.”

She sighed, wishing her life wasn’t like the far fetched movie script it felt like sometimes.
 
Complicated didn’t even begin to describe it at times.

“Look, Charley’s due down here any minute and Vince is already over by the altar.
 
We haven’t got the time to talk right now, Kenny.
 
But later, ok?
 
Later.
 
I promise.
 
We’ll find some time and we’ll talk.”

He pushed a hand through his hair again and looked over at the bar, where Layla was deep in conversation with Michael.
 
India
followed his gaze.

“Do you know what’s she’s doing here?”
India
asked.
 
“Is she with someone?”

“Yeah,” Kenny sighed, putting his hands in his pockets.
 
“She’s with me.”

India
stared at Kenny until his eyes met hers.
 
“She’s with
you
?
 
You
and Layla Boyd?”

“It’s not what you think,
India
.”

“No.
 
It never is ... Layla Boyd?
 
I didn’t have her down as your type.”

“She isn’t.
 
She’s a necessary distraction, that’s all.
 
That’s as far as it goes. We see each other now and again, it’s nothing serious.”

India
rubbed Ethan’s back as he lay against her shoulder.
 
“You kept that one quiet.
 
I had no idea.
 
Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t particularly want it to be common knowledge.
 
What’re they talking about that’s so important anyway?” Kenny asked.
 
It looked serious, whatever it was.

India
looked over, suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable at the way her husband was talking to the young actress.

“I don’t know.
 
I’ve got no idea what’s going on ...”

She was distracted again, this time by Bobby waving at her frantically from the French windows, thankfully now out of that hideous shirt and dressed more suitably for the occasion.

“Look, I’ve got to go, Kenny.
 
Things are obviously due to get started any minute now.”
 
She looked at him.
 
“But we’ll talk later, ok?
 
I promise.”

***

“What are you doing here?” Michael stood as close to Layla as he could, trying to keep the conversation as calm as he could without drawing attention to them.

“Is that any way to greet me, Michael?”

“Don’t play games, Layla.
 
I’ve had enough of that from you.
 
I told you never to come anywhere near my home, I told you never to go anywhere near my wife and yet here you are.
 
You’re in my home and you’re far too close to my wife and that isn’t making me happy.”

She raised her eyebrows, taking a sip of her champagne.
 
She’d got him rattled.
 
This was working out just the way she’d planned.
 
So far.

“I didn’t hear you showing any concern for your wife when you were having sex with me, Mr Walsh.”

He grabbed her arm then quickly let go, realising people may be watching.
 
“That was a mistake, Layla.
 
A huge and regrettable mistake.
 
I was drunk, it was stupid and I was missing my wife.”

“Do you think
India
would understand those excuses, Michael?
 
Would she understand that you took me to bed just because you’d had one drink too many and missed her a little bit?
 
Would she really understand that?”

“Don’t push me, Layla.
 
It was once, that’s all.
 
And I gave you what you wanted in return, didn’t I?
 
I got you the contacts you needed.
 
I got you the screen tests, which is more than your father has ever managed to do because, quite honestly sweetheart, you don’t have a quarter of the talent my wife has.
 
But all of that was supposed to mean that you kept that over made-up mouth of yours shut and you don’t appear to be doing that.”

“The contacts are made now, Michael.
 
I don’t need you anymore.”

“So why are you here?”

She just smiled.
 
He wanted her out of there.
 
He wanted her out of there now, but how could he have her removed without drawing attention?
 
And whoever she was with would surely realise she was missing.

“Who are you here with, Layla?”

She reached out with her foot and touched his knee, still smiling, but Michael stepped backwards.
 
“I’m with Kenny Ross.”

Michael hadn’t expected that one.
 
Kenny Ross?
 
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her again.
 
He had a bad feeling about all of this.
 
A really bad feeling.

“What are you playing at, Layla?”

“Is life perfect for you right now, Michael?
 
With your perfect English wife and your perfect baby boy ...”

He moved his face closer to hers.
 
“Don’t you dare bring my son into this. Don’t you dare.
 
And if I catch you anywhere near
India
then I’m warning you Layla ...”

She looked right into his eyes.
 
“What?
 
What are you going to do, Michael?”

He didn’t even want to look at her anymore.
 
He was tired and he had too much on his mind already to deal with this right now.

“I’m watching you, Layla.
 
Just remember that.
 
I’m watching you.”

He turned and walked away, pushing a hand through his hair, and Layla took another satisfied sip of champagne, smiling a satisfied smile.
 
Part one was complete.
 
Just time for a short intermission before part two got underway.
 

***

The wedding blessing went like a dream.
 
Charley looked stunning in a long, ivory dress and Vince was as handsome as he’d always been.
 
Neither Michael nor
India
had ever seen either of them look so happy.
 
It was like a fairytale ending to the nightmare that had gone before for Charley, and
India
had felt tears running down her face as she’d watched her friend up there, looking like the princess she deserved to be.
 
She’d wanted Charley to have a dream day and it seemed that she’d had just that, thankfully unaware of all the complicated crap going on behind the scenes.

After the wedding dinner Vince and Charley left to go on their long awaited honeymoon.
 
They hadn’t had the time to have one after their Vegas wedding but now they were off for a three week cruise around the
Caribbean
.
 
But even though the guests of honour had gone, the party continued.

As it got dark the fairy lights strung around the place lit up the gardens, outdoor patio heaters set up in various areas around the grounds were switched on and professional DJ’s got to work in the marquees that had been erected and set up as outdoor clubs.
 
People were set to party well on into the night.
 

Kenny and
India
were by the bar in one of the marquees, watching as Bobby did his best John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever’ impression and it was all
India
could do not to crack up laughing.
 
She’d had a couple of glasses of champagne and they’d gone straight to her head.
 
Under normal circumstances they wouldn’t have done a thing but since being pregnant and not drinking at all, and then only having the odd one since Ethan’s birth, it didn’t take much to make her feel a little light headed.

“Is he for real?” Kenny asked, even though he had a bit of a soft spot for
India
’s P.A.
 
Bobby was very hard to dislike.

“He’s trying to impress Miguel,”
India
said, indicating towards the bar where the handsome, young Puerto Rican bartender was watching Bobby intently.

“Oh, I see.
 
That explains the moves then.”

“Well, that and the copious amounts of Miguel’s special cocktails he’s been throwing down his neck all night.”

“I’ve been keeping well away from them,” Kenny smiled.
 
“I’ve seen less lethal hand grenades.”

India
couldn’t help giggling.
 
She’d really needed those couple of drinks to just try and relax her.
 
Infact, as she caught sight of her father watching her from across the room she felt like grabbing another one.
 
She’d deliberately been avoiding him for most of the evening because the last thing she needed was another lecture, although she knew she’d be getting one tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that until this whole mess was sorted out.
 
But tonight she just wanted to forget.
 
She wanted to party.
 
It had been a long day, a long and tiring day, but she really just wanted to party.
 
If she could find the energy.