The Chocolate Lovers’ Wedding Read Online Free PDF Page A

Chantal that she enjoyed it, but the truth of the matter was that she probably hardly ever saw Ted and was on her own in a strange and busy city with a small baby. That was never going to be a bed of roses.
    Still, that was Stacey’s problem now. She’d chosen that situation and there was too much distance between them – emotionally and physically – for Chantal to be able to help her as she’d once tried. She couldn’t quite forgive her – not so much for taking Ted, but for not being straight with her about her feelings for him. It was clear that Stacey also felt guilty about the situation and kept her at arm’s length. Because of it, Stacey would be very much alone.
    Turning to Lana in her high chair, Chantal said, ‘Hey, baby girl. What have you done there? Have you given yourself a new hairdo?’
    Lana had been left to her own devices with a small pot of yoghurt for a few minutes, but it was amazing to see just how much it had contained. She’d barely taken her eyes off her child to read the decree nisi, but now most of the yoghurt was in Lana’s hair, which stood up in clumps. It was also in her ears, up her nose and all over the highchair. She gently took the spoon from her daughter’s chubby fingers before she could do any more damage. Her daughter grinned at her proudly, clearly pleased with her efforts.
    ‘What are we going to do about that, missy?’ Thankfully, it wasn’t very long until her bathtime.
It was tough bringing up a baby alone. Luckily, she and Ted had been well-placed financially, so that was one less thing to worry about. They were in the process of selling the properties they owned and Ted had been very fair in their settlement. It wasn’t often that she heard that from friends. Usually there was a terrible embittered battle over money, but Ted hadn’t indulged in that. Perhaps it was guilt that was motivating him. He had, after all, not just left Chantal but had essentially put his career ahead of seeing his daughter.
Looking at her baby contentedly gurgling and talking nonsense to herself, Chantal wondered whether there’d come a day when Lana would be unhappy about the situation her parents had left her in, due to their inability to get along. All she wanted was for her child to be happy.
Soon, she’d look for a job, but the settlement and a general downsizing in lifestyle meant that she had enough money for it not to be a pressing issue. She’d take her time, enjoy Lana and find something she’d like to do that could work round her daughter. The world of magazines might be too demanding. She’d had to travel a lot with her last job and there was no way she wanted to do that now. Maybe something online would be the answer. Perhaps Autumn’s partner, Miles, who was a website wizard, could give her some ideas.
Plus, at the moment, she seemed to be so tired all the time, and though she’d been trying to lose a few pounds, the weight seemed to be dropping off her. Not that she was complaining about that, but perhaps she needed some vitamins or a herbal tonic to give her a boost. It had been niggling her for a few weeks now.
Jacob came into the room. His hair was still damp from the shower and her stomach flipped. He was a beautiful man from head to toe, inside and out.
‘Feel better?’
He nodded. ‘It’s nice to wash the day away.’ She handed him a glass of wine and he sipped it gratefully. ‘Just what the doctor ordered.’ Then he twined his arm round her waist and nuzzled her neck. It always felt so good to be held by him. Lana and Jacob gave the best cuddles. ‘Speaking of which. How are you feeling today?’
‘Still a bit tired,’ she admitted. ‘I managed to have a nap this afternoon when Lana did.’ It wasn’t often she managed synchronised sleeping with her daughter, but recently she’d become so fatigued that she’d tried to catnap when Lana did, rather than trying to race round to achieve something useful in her day. Achieving something useful, she