31. A Summer To Remember (4)

                                    

                                          
Seb stood with a bottle of beer in his hand watching as Libby chased her cousin Sam's kids around the garden.   They were squealing with delight, trying to get away from her.    Seb knew she could have easily caught them if she'd wanted to but she'd let the four and five year olds escape.   
He smiled to himself.  That woman was born to be a mother.   It was such a shame that fate had had other ideas when it had take Brandon from her.   Maybe in the future she would find someone that she could love, someone that could love her back and give her all the children she wanted.  
For some reason he felt a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach as he thought of Libby with another man.  He couldn't bear the thought of another man possessing her, making her his.  
He took a long swig of his beer.  Libby stumbled and fell into a heap on the grass, laughing uncontrollably.   She was so beautiful, even more so when she was laughing.  
His eyes went to her legs.  She was wearing a black playsuit with a green and yellow tropical print on it.  Her legs were so tanned and Seb groaned inwardly as he imagined them wrapped around him.  He hadn't fucked her since they'd been here.  He was getting desperate.   
She hauled herself to her feet, smiling at her cousin who had come to offer her a hand up.   
After a rough start to the week here,  Seb was now glad he'd come.   He and Penny were getting on better and better.  She was an impressive woman.  Seb had learned how she'd studied to become a dentist whilst her mother looked after the girls.  He admired her and how she'd brought up her three girls.   
Sadie was still being a little standoffish with him but she was better than what she'd been to begin with.   He liked her husband Tom, he was really down to earth and easy to get on with.   Emmie, now she was a character.    She said what she thought, even if it offended.  He smiled as he thought about a conversation he'd accidentally overheard between the twins.  Donkey Dick, he felt proud to be nicknamed that. 
"Libby, Libby, catch me!" four year old Hannah called.  Libby took off running after the squealing girl.  Seb felt a lump in his throat.   He'd wanted a family so bad.    Life had fucked him over.   There was no way he was going to let another woman into his heart. 
He turned and headed back inside.  As usual Rosie told him to fuck off as he passed her.   That was one female he hadn't been able to win around.   
He needed a time out so he made his way through to the lounge.  He walked over the wall unit on the far side of the room and began to browse at the framed photographs that crowded its shelves.  
There was the same photo of the four of them that he'd seen back in Libby's lounge.   There was an old school photo of the twins.   They looked about ten. Even though they were identical, even their hairstyle, he knew exactly which one was Libby.   It was that twinkle in her eye.  
There was a photo of Sadie on her wedding day, the twins stood on either side of her in their lilac bridesmaids dresses.  Next was a photo of a newborn Benjamin.   
Seb felt a stab of pain in his heart as he thought about what could have been for him. 
He quickly moved on to another photo.  The three Valentine girls with an elderly lady who he presumed was their Nan.  A photo of a younger Penny on her graduation day.  A photo of Emmie stroking a grey Persian Cat.  Then he froze.  Hiding behind the other photos was a photo of Libby.  He moved a frame out of the way and pulled the photo out.  
Holding it in his hand he stared at it.   She wasn't alone in the photo. A dark haired man was stood behind her, his arms around her, his chin resting on her shoulder.  Her head was turned so she was looking back at him, her eyes full of love.