Page 22 of All Yours

‘Watch and learn, suckers,’ he yelped.

‘Language, George,’ hissed Fox.

‘Robyn, left hand, green,’ said Reggie with an evil laugh. Fox had started wondering whether he was actually spinning the dial, or if he was just telling them to do the hardest stretch available.

Robyn moved quickly and stretched out beneath him. Their arms and legs were now completely tangled, and his thighs were starting to ache.

‘Dad, left hand, blue.’ Fox considered his options, knowing at once that whichever spot he chose would bring him in full body contact with Red. His stomach dipped as he made his move. Now, she fit beneath him, her back to his front, his face in the back of her neck. He was so near to her that his breathing sounded loud in his own ears, and each breath shifted the baby hairs that had escaped from her scarf. It made him dizzy to be so close to her body.

She whispered, ‘Holding on to me is not going to save you.’

He felt Robyn’s laugh vibrate through her body. He was no longer aware of the game, the mat beneath them, or his next move. All he was conscious of was her body against his. The heat of her. The smell of her.

‘No way,’ he whispered into the nape of her neck. ‘You’re going down . . .’

She turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. Her playful eyes caught his and she flashed him the tiniest hint of a smile before dragging her teeth over her bottom lip. He was lost in that look, thinking of all the things he wanted to do on that mat beneath them.

Reggie laughed wildly and dragged him back to the game. He dreaded what the next call was going to be. Something to cause trouble by the sound of it. By following instructions and placing his left foot to a green, George’s bum was now pointing straight at him, almost touching his cheek.

‘Daddy, left hand, red,’ Reggie said and, luckily, Fox twisted his face very slightly to consider where to move before George let rip with a noisy fart that would have restyled his hair if it had been a direct hit.

‘Pardon me!’ George shouted before dissolving in peals of laughter at the same time as the pyramid crumbled. Robyn turned as she fell, and Fox tumbled, on top of her, his chest pressed to hers.

He lifted his head and she was there. Right there, laughing under him, with her freckled nose, blue eyes and that body under his, writhing. His breath hitched and he was suddenly still. Her laugh faded away as their eyes met and her lips parted. God, she was gorgeous.

‘Daddy, get off!’ Reggie shouted. ‘You’re squashing her.’

Robyn’s eyes flashed with amusement, a delicious smile lighting up her face. He rolled off, just in time. An erection in a game of Twister would be highly inappropriate. Luckily, George farted again and any sexy thoughts immediately vanished.

Chapter Eleven

Robyn

The yoga studio was spacious and bright, all glass with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over neighbouring fields. Rosie, Amber and Isabella were already on their mats for their Tuesday afternoon class as Robyn shot one last anxious glance towards the crèche and then padded barefoot across the gym floor.

‘You made it!’ Rosie said, in a leopard-print leotard that matched her tortoiseshell glasses, flexing on the floor.

‘Come next to me, Robyn.’ Amber pointed to the mat beside her.

‘If you’re going next to her, you have one job,’ Isabella whispered.

‘Nudge her if she snores!’ Rosie said and laughed as Amber poked her tongue in her direction.

‘What can I say?’ Amber said, stretching. ‘Alex keeps me up at night.’ She snorted suddenly. ‘Well, actually I keep him up at night.’

The yoga teacher threw a look in their direction as they burst into raucous laughter. Robyn sank onto the mat, crossing her legs, ready to begin. She felt great. Week two was off to a good start.

After Sunday’s rain and Twister at Fox’s, Monday had dawned bright and dry. She’d woken early to her phone buzzing with Fox’s morning message about the day ahead. She’d been relieved to see that it was shorter than last week, just the name of the dentist for Reggie’s appointment in the afternoon. No directions either, just a PS that said ‘Look it up on Google Maps’, which had made her laugh. Well, at least he was listening.

Willow had woken up after her second night in her cot next door, and Robyn had listened to her cooing contentedly to herself. It was a new feeling, this separation, but it was going well and Willow seemed happy with it, and that was the main thing.

Monday had passed without a hitch. Fox had asked for shepherd’s pie again, which she duly cooked and they duly ate. Tonight he’d requested chicken pie, which they’d had the Tuesday before. He really was a stickler for routine.

Today’s yoga practice was a good one, a challenging flow. She moved through the session fluently, concentrating on her breathing. She loved yoga so much; it was a break from the world, a chance to focus on right then, right there, in that moment. Maybe that actually summed up Robyn’s approach to life. She never wanted to make any big decisions, and was only concerned with what was right in front of her. The one time she’d tried to plan for the future, to commit to the rest of her life with Finn, it had blown up in her face.

Robyn breathed that thought away with the next exhale and refocused on her movements. She managed to keep her thinking on her body until she found herself in downward-facing dog, her bum in the air, her legs stretching. And suddenly, she was back on the Twister mat with Fox. She felt her stomach tug at the memory of Fox covering her body on the mat, and just how good it had felt. Every bit as good as she’d remembered. It was probably a good thing that they’d had to cut the afternoon short because Willow got cranky, otherwise who knew where they would have ended up.

‘Now, it’s time to relax,’ the teacher said in her gentle, rhythmic voice. ‘So if you take the savasana pose . . .’