Laura Ziepe - The Morning After the Wedding Before

Kim reached across the side of the bed for her Kindle. She would have a nice few hours in bed reading before Holly woke up; this was what holidays were all about.

‘Morning,’ Holly stretched out, yawning loudly an hour and fifteen minutes later.

‘Hey,’ Kim smiled. ‘How was your evening?’

‘I met up with Emma and the others,’ Holly told her. ‘We went to a bar and then onto a club; it was such a good night, Kim. You should have come.’

‘And miss out on the best night sleep I’ve had in years?’ Kim gave a little laugh. ‘No chance. Were there a big group of you?’

‘In the bar there was, but only a small group of us went on to the club. There’s a few people here we know. Danni and Fran from college are out here and do you remember me trying to set you up with someone called Max from the year above us when you were with that guy called Lee who cheated on you?’

‘Vaguely,’ Kim said frowning as she racked her brains. She didn’t have the best memory. She was forever forgetting people’s names and events that happened years ago. She wasn’t even great at remembering to pack important things when she went out, like baby wipes and Willow’s dummy. It was well known that Kim was a bit of a nightmare. Luckily she always had someone else around her that had the particular thing she needed on them. Someone super-organized and on the ball like Holly.

‘Well they’re here too. They’re really nice guys. It was amazing,’ Holly said, shutting her eyes briefly. ‘Honestly Kim. The clubs here are so good. It’s so much fun; you’re going to love it. I had so much to drink; I’m so glad I feel okay today. God knows what time I came back.’

‘Did you have to come back alone?’ Kim asked, feeling guilty she’d left her friend to fend for herself in a foreign place.

Holly bit her lip, trying not to smile. ‘Actually I didn’t. Max and Callum brought me back. They just wanted to check I got home safely, which was nice of them.’

‘What’s that smile for?’ Kim asked her quickly, knowing her friend well enough to know she was hiding something. ‘Which one of them do you like?’ She asked wisely with a smile.

Holly laughed gaily. ‘Is it that obvious?’ There was a pause. ‘I had a little kiss with Max, that’s all.’

‘Oh my goodness. I can’t believe I’ve missed only one night and you’ve already been kissing people!’ Kim clicked her tongue in mock-outrage. It was most unlike Holly to meet people she liked enough to kiss. She’d never really been the kind to kiss in a club, even when they were younger. That was usually Kim’s job. She was the one who kissed people and then woke up the next morning with absolutely no memory of doing it. Holly would have been mortified if it had been her, but Kim couldn’t have cared less. It was only a kiss. It seemed so bizarre that Holly was still single, stealing kisses in nightclubs with someone who was practically a stranger. The thought of doing anything like that seemed like a lifetime ago to Kim. She was married with two children. She only ever kissed Andy, and she was glad about that. It had been fun when she was younger, dating various men and not knowing what was going to happen, but Kim realized she was actually far happier now she was grown up, in a loving relationship with a family of her own. She’d had her fun and hung up her boots. Since becoming a mother she had transformed into the person she’d always swore she didn’t want to be. She used to think being a housewife and taking care of children would be so boring and dull, so nothing stunned her more than when she got pregnant by accident, enjoying every second of being a mother when Mylo was born.

It had been extremely worrying at the start; Mylo had been born prematurely at thirty-three weeks weighing only three pound ten. She remembered staring at this delicate little baby in the incubator, terrified of taking him home in case she did something wrong. Seeing him so vulnerable and fragile made Kim promise herself she would be the best mother she possibly could. She didn’t expect to love taking care of little people and protecting them, catering for their every need, but she discovered it wasn’t boring at all. In fact, she loved it. She needed it. She loved feeling essential, with two tiny little people constantly climbing all over her, lying on her lap and resting their heads on her chest.

She couldn’t believe how quickly Mylo and Willow had already grown; time seemed to be flying past and Kim wanted to relish every moment with her babies. The thought of going out like she used to just didn’t appeal to her any more. She didn’t mind the odd dinner here and there, it was always nice to catch up with people, but generally speaking, she didn’t want to go out and get drunk, feeling ill all the next day. She had a family to look after and it just wasn’t worth it. She had grown up. She was happy with her life now. When they’d first got the invitation to go Vegas, Kim had immediately thought there was no way she was travelling over ten hours away without her family. She knew how happy Holly would be if she went; Holly’s excitement had been obvious the minute she’d seen the invite, but she’d wanted Kim to go too, and Kim just wasn’t sure if she could just up and leave being a mother to two young children. They came first.

Kim thought back to how Andy had come home that evening, Mylo and Willow fast asleep upstairs, Kim just dishing up dinner.

‘Good day at work?’ she’d asked, like she did every day.

Andy was a PE teacher at their local secondary school. Rugby was his thing, and he also did rugby coaching on Sundays. He lived and breathed it, though Kim still didn’t have the foggiest ideas what the rules were.

‘Yeah, it was good thanks. Lily and I were just trying to organize sports day for most of the day. She’s got some great ideas, I’ll give her that.’

Kim’s brow creased. ‘Lily? Remind me who that is?’ she asked. She thought she’d heard something about a Lily the week before, but Mylo had come downstairs saying he wanted a drink and Kim had been distracted.

‘She’s just a new PE teacher at the school,’ Andy had told her vaguely, pouring them both a glass of orange juice.

‘Oh right. What’s she like? Young? Old?’

‘She’s twenty-eight, slim, long dark hair,’ Andy said nonchalantly as he reached for two coasters before placing the drinks on the table.

‘What about your day? Did you see Holly like you planned?’ Andy asked as she sat in front of him, handing over his plate.

‘Yes,’ Kim had replied. ‘We just took the kids to the park, that’s all.’

‘The one near the newsagents? I think Lily lives near there. She was telling me earlier today that they do a great summer fair in that park; perhaps we should check it out? Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask if you fancied a night out soon? Tony and Leah have asked if we wanted to go to their house for dinner. My mum said she’d babysit.’

Tony was Andy’s oldest friend from school. He’d been best man at their wedding and Andy had been his when he’d married Leah. Though Kim knew they hadn’t met up in quite some time, the prospect of spending an evening with them didn’t exactly sound enthralling. Tony and Leah didn’t have any children and Kim knew they would constantly be topping up their wine glasses, convincing them to stay for ‘just one more’. They would most likely end up getting home in the early hours, and with Mylo and Willow being such early risers, Kim couldn’t think of anything worse. She knew Andy would be keen to stay late and it would be Kim appearing like the boring one, battling to get him to leave.

‘I’d rather not if I’m honest,’ Kim told him.

‘Why?’ Andy turned to her, his brow knitted.