BooksBarbecue
Back With or Without You Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Chapter one
  2. Chapter two
  3. Chapter three
  4. Chapter four
  5. Chapter five
  6. Chapter six
  7. Chapter seven
  8. Chapter eight
  9. Chapter nine
  10. Chapter ten
  11. Chapter eleven
  12. Chapter twelve
  13. Chapter thirteen
  14. Chapter fourteen
  15. Chapter fifteen
  16. Chapter sixteen
  17. Chapter seventeen
  18. Chapter eighteen
  19. Chapter nineteen
  20. Chapter twenty
  21. Chapter twenty-one
  22. Chapter twenty-two
  23. Chapter twenty-three
  24. Chapter twenty-four
  25. Chapter twenty-five
  26. Chapter twenty-six
  27. Chapter twenty-seven
  28. Chapter twenty-eight
  29. Chapter twenty-nine
  30. Chapter thirty
  31. Chapter thirty-one
  32. Chapter thirty-two
  33. Chapter thirty-three
  34. Chapter thirty-four
  35. Chapter thirty-five
  36. Chapter thirty-six
  37. Chapter thirty-seven
  38. Chapter thirty-eight
  39. Chapter thirty-nine
  40. Chapter forty
  41. Chapter forty-one
  42. Chapter forty-two
  43. Chapter forty-three
  44. Chapter forty-four
  45. Chapter forty-five
  46. Chapter forty-six
  47. Chapter forty-seven
  48. Chapter forty-eight
  49. Chapter forty-nine
  50. Chapter fifty
  51. Chapter fifty-one
  52. Chapter fifty-two
  53. Chapter fifty-three
  54. Chapter fifty-four
  55. Chapter fifty-five
  56. Chapter fifty-six
  57. Chapter fifty-seven
  58. Chapter fifty-eight
  59. Chapter fifty-nine
  60. Chapter sixty
  61. Chapter sixty-one
  62. Chapter sixty-two
  63. Chapter sixty-three
  64. Chapter sixty-four
  65. Chapter sixty-five
  66. Chapter sixty-six
  67. Chapter sixty-seven
  68. Chapter sixty-eight
  69. Chapter sixty-nine
  70. Chapter seventy
  71. Chapter seventy-one
  72. Chapter seventy-two
  73. Chapter seventy-three
  74. Chapter seventy-four
  75. Chapter seventy-five
  76. Chapter seventy-six
  77. Chapter seventy-seven
  78. Chapter seventy-eight
  79. Chapter seventy-nine
  80. Chapter eighty
  81. Chapter eighty-one
  82. Chapter eighty-two
  83. Chapter eighty-three
  84. Chapter eighty-four

The street was deserted—no sign of shattered lives lurking behind the Georgian frontages—and he clomped to the car and threw his holdall in the boot. He rested his head on the steering wheel before pulling himself together and easing the car out into the road. He just wanted to be out of here—back at home. And, if he could manufacture some sort of miracle—back with Lyssa.

Chapter fifty-two

Chapter fifty-two

Edie noticed Pip’s eyes widen with alarm as she approached. He stood up to greet her, clutching at the white-starched napkin on his lap.

‘Hi,’ she said, trying to overcome her shyness with a stab of bravado.

‘Hi,’ Pip said, still looking stunned.

‘This is nice.’ Her eyes took in the room. The trendy décor, the trendy food, the trendy people and the lack of accompanying not very trendy babies.

Pip scratched his chin. ‘And who’s this little fellow?’ A shadow crossed his eyes. ‘It is a fellow?’

No one had ever mistaken Archie with his fat, ruddy cheeks and his shock of blond hair for a girl before. Clearly Pip wasn’t experienced in the realms of childcare.

‘This is Archie,’ Edie said, praying that her son might have a sudden change of personality and behave for once.

‘Truck!’ Archie said and threw his big red one on the floor to emphasise the fact.

‘Yes,’ Pip said, bending to pick it up. ‘I couldn’t have put it better myself.’

Edie struggled to pull out her chair and Pip rushed to her side. ‘Where are you going to put it…him?’

‘I don’t know,’ Edie said, searching the room. ‘Do they have any baby chairs?’

‘Baby chairs…’ Pip looked as if this was an alien concept to him. ‘I thought this was your local haunt?’

‘No,’ Edie said. ‘I’ve never been here before in my life.’ She didn’t like to tell him that anywhere she went these days had to have chicken nuggets on the menu.