“Jared, darling!”
I look around, forcing a polite smile onto my face as a lady steps out of the crowd and rushes over to us, her arms outstretched for a hug. I immediately guess this is his mother, Deborah. She’s in her early fifties, I would approximate, and her hair is the exact shade of Jared’s, but her eyes are blue. She’s dressed impeccably in a gorgeous midnight-blue dress that I would hazard was very expensive. She engulfs Jared in a hug, and her eyes meet mine over his shoulder.
Her smile widens as she pulls back and turns to me. “And you must be Amy!”
I smile and extend my hand for a shake, but instead of taking it, she pulls me into a tight hug, awkwardly trapping my hand between us. My eyes widen in shock as I cop an accidental feel of her breasts.
“It’s so lovely to meet you, dear. Jared hardly ever brings anyone home for us to meet. I think he’s secretly ashamed of us.” She pulls back and winks at me as she holds me at arm’s length, obviously looking me over.
I feel my face flood with heat under the intense scrutiny.
“Oh, you look adorable. That skirt is to die for! You must tell me where you got it from,” she continues. I look down at it and open my mouth to answer, but she loops her arm through mine and turns, pulling me forward. “Kenneth! Look, Jared brought his girlfriend!” She waves a hand at me, grinning excitedly as Jared’s dad looks over at us. “This is Amy. Isn’t she gorgeous?”
“Mum, take it easy, okay? You’re traumatising her,” Jared says, but I can hear the amusement in his tone. He raises one eyebrow at me. “Five minutes was a bit of an overestimate.”
I chuckle and silently wonder what he’s told her about me.
In the space of ten minutes, I’m introduced to everyone from grandads to next-door neighbours to family friends. The whole time, Deborah’s arm is securely looped through mine as she parades me around the party, explaining who everyone is. Jared trails along behind us, glass of mocktail in his hand the same shade as my deadly cocktail I’m reservedly sipping on.
We’ve been there almost an hour when Carys, Jared’s six-year-old niece, grumbles, “Grandma, when’s Theo going to arrive?”
“I don’t know, dear.” Deborah shrugs and checks her watch before looking at Jared. “You should have brought him along with you. At this rate, he’ll turn up just as the candles are blown out on the cake.”
Jared shrugs. “He was working on some project. Said he’d be here once he finished it. You know what he’s like when he’s on a deadline. I haven’t seen him for a couple of days. I’ve been at Amy’s.”
I smile at that and watch as Carys groans loudly and kicks her feet in impatience. When the song changes to Chubby Checker’s “The Twist,” I can’t resist bopping along to the beat and grin over at her, knowing exactly how to alleviate her boredom. When I hold out my hands to her, her face lights up as she eagerly slips her hands into mine, and we both start doing the twist right in the middle of the garden. Within seconds, Deborah and a few of the other guests have joined in, and we’re all twisting the night away. Jared watches from the sidelines, not joining in, but regarding me with a proud smile that I feel all the way down to my toes.
Mid-dance of the next song, Emily, Jared’s older sister, walks back into the garden, sneakily popping a sausage roll into her mouth. “Theo’s just pulled up in a taxi.”
Carys lets out a delighted squeal and turns on her heel, abandoning the dancing as she shouts, “Funcle Theo!” and pelts into the house to see him.
I laugh at her excitement, and Deborah smiles.
“Funcle as in fun uncle,” she explains.
“Something I’m not, apparently,” Jared chimes in, rolling his eyes, but there’s a smile at the corner of his mouth, so I know he’s not taken offence to it.
Over the music, I can hear Carys talking inside the house, their voices growing louder as they approach. “Jared brought a girlfriend! Just wait until you meet her,” I hear Carys gush. “She’s like a pretty doll. I like her! I think she’s going to be an aunticorn.”
“What’s an aunticorn?” Theo asks.
“Like a normal aunt crossed with a unicorn. So, like a regular aunt but better, basically,” Carys explains.
“Basically,” Theo repeats, laughing. “Come on then, squirt. Now that I’m here, the party can start.”
I chuckle and turn towards the patio doors, smiling in anticipation. I’m excited to meet his brother; we’ve never actually met because he wasn’t home the one time I was at their apartment. I wait a few seconds, and then Carys comes skipping out, beaming ecstatically.
My eyes flick up, and behind her, out steps … Jared.
Except Jared is standing next to me and holding my hand. I frown, looking between the two of them, and then my mouth pops open in shock as it suddenly hits me.
“Holy crap. You’re twins!” I cry excitedly.
They’re the spitting image of each other, a perfect double, identical. Except that Jared is all pressed edges and immaculate neatness, and Theo is in ripped jeans, a Little Shop of Horrors T-shirt, and has ink stains all over his fingers.
“Did I not tell you that?” Jared asks, looking down at me quizzically.
I shake my head and continue to look between the two of them in awe. “No! When we spoke about family before, you just said you had a brother and a sister. No one mentioned anything about twins.”
Deborah clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes. “You know why? Just in case you were wanting a baby, he didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag about twins running in the family in case it scared you away. Would have frightened me away for sure,” she jokes, winking at me.
Jared groans next to me. “Mum, seriously? Why are you like this?”
I chuckle and slip my arm around his waist, loving how I fit just right under his arm.
Theo is all smiles as he steps into the garden and greets his uncle and godfather, who are chatting by the door, offering big hugs and warm welcomes. When his eyes scan the crowd and he sees us all grouped together, his grin widens, and his eyes twinkle.
He marches over and pulls his mum and dad into a bear hug before kissing his sister on the cheek.
“Oh, finally, he graces us with his presence,” Deborah teases.
Theo shrugs. “Better late than never, am I right?” He shoots her a smug smile before hugging his dad again. “Happy birthday, you old git.”
I chuckle and stand back a little, not wanting to intrude, but Jared wraps his arm around me and pulls me forward again, smiling down at me.
His arm squeezes my waist as he gestures towards me. “Theo, this is Amy. The girl I’ve been telling you about.” Jared nods to his brother.
I beam a smile at him, hoping to God I get his approval, too, because, so far, I seem to have won over the rest of them. Theo’s gaze lands on me. I see his eyes tighten, and his easy grin falters for a second. His mouth pops open and then closed again as he comically looks from me to Jared and back again. He clears his throat and nods, a thin-lipped smile gracing his lips now.
“Actually, we’ve kind of already met. Amy is the conductor on the train I get on to London twice a month, though I didn’t know her name until you just said it.”