‘Hiya,’ said Josh. He tried to catch Aysha’s eye, but she was looking at the floor, her face petulant. All these years he’d doubted she was his, and he knew it had hurt her, but he couldn’t seem to help it.

‘Aysha,’ he said softly. She looked up. ‘You OK?’

Aysha nodded, bit her lip. Then she blurted out: ‘I’m sorry, Dad.’

‘Come here,’ he said, and Aysha ran into his arms and started to cry.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she wailed, knowing she’d let him down.

Josh hugged her tight. If he had been here more, not so dazzled by the Stateside money and razzle-dazzle the Greek boys had tempted him with, maybe this situation with Joey Minghella could have been avoided. It was obvious that his family needed him. Not so much Connor, but Aysha obviously did. He was painfully aware that he hadn’t been warm toward her, growing up. Desperate for male affection, she had flung herself at that twat. Was this his fault for being such an absent, uncaring father?

But Claire . . .

He wanted to be in New York with her. He didn’t want to be here. But he had to be. He glanced at Shauna. His wife, who had done such evil to the woman he loved. Quickly he looked away.

‘Don’t cry,’ he told Aysha. ‘It’s not the end of the world.’

‘I’ve let you down. I know I have.’

‘You can say that again,’ muttered Connor.

‘Hey!’ said Josh sharply.

‘Damn it.’ Then Connor relented. ‘All right. There’s nothing we can do about what’s happened.’

‘We’ve got a lot of planning to do,’ said Shauna.

‘What?’ said Josh, pushing Aysha gently away. He could barely stand to look at Shauna, he hated the sound of her voice.

‘The wedding. July or August would be good. Before she starts to show too much.’

Josh looked at Aysha. He clasped her arms in his hands and gazed into her eyes. ‘This what you want?’ he asked.

Aysha nodded, eyes red with tears.

‘Then we do it. Now dry your eyes, this is an occasion to celebrate. You’re going to get married, and you’re going to be happy.’

Trouble was, he didn’t believe it. Any more than he believed he could sort out the mess his life had become.

91

91

Claire looked for Josh the next night, the next, then the one after that. The Greek promoter pals of his, Spiro and Nikos came in, but he wasn’t with them.

She had too much pride to ask the Constantinous about him. She was afraid of the disappointment, the anguish, they would read in her face when she spoke his name. She knew what they’d say, anyway. She was pretty sure he’d gone back to England, back to his family, to his ghastly witch of a wife and the kids he’d given her.