Chapter 33

JADE

In stark contrast to his brother Mark’s reaction, the rest of Kevin’s family couldn’t have been more welcoming to their surprise visitor from the other side of the world.

When Kevin’s parents Dan and Susan returned from a trip to town to buy supplies, neither could contain their joy at finding the pale, British girl with the fiery red hair and feisty personality they’d heard so much about sitting in their lounge. Instantly they recognised her from the photographs Kevin had shown them, and once they’d gotten over the initial surprise, they bombarded her with questions about herself and insisted that she stay the night at least.

‘How long are you in Australia for, love?’ Dan asked. They had just sat down to supper in the dining room.

‘We have a guest house out back with an en suite, so you won’t have to share with these filthy buggers,’ joked Susan, glancing at her sons. While she spoke to and about them in the same manner as she had probably always done, Jade sensed that beyond her jovial facade lay a deep sadness.

‘Thank you. I’m not sure how long I’m staying,’ Jade replied, and she genuinely wasn’t. The fairy-tale romance between her and Kevin wasn’t playing out how she’d imagined, and the easiest thing to do would be to beat a hasty retreat at the first opportunity. But each time she looked at Kevin, the besotted expression on his face said what his words had not. He desperately wanted her to stay. ‘A week or so probably, if that’s OK?’

Dan served up plates full of cold meats, potatoes and salad, while Mark helped to bring the dishes to the dining table. Kevin was the only member of the family who didn’t tuck in. Instead, he picked at a small portion on his plate. ‘I struggle to keep my food down,’ he told

her later. ‘The cancer’s in my digestive system so food doesn’t sit properly.’

Jade had yet to come to terms with hearing the C-word and struggled to associate it with Kevin. She had to stop herself from recoiling when it was mentioned, even though the rest of the family didn’t bat an eyelid and continued as normal. She understood they’d had a much longer adjustment period to come to terms with it than she had.

‘It’s because of you that we’ve had him for longer than the doctors first thought,’ Susan told Jade as they were drying the dishes.

‘How so?’

‘After we were told it was … terminal, he did like many people do and sank into a depression. Well, who can blame him?’

‘I’d be as angry as hell.’

‘He was at first, too. He thought he had his whole life ahead of him only to be told it’s not going to last as long as he’d assumed …’ She paused and turned her head away from Jade, as if she had suddenly just relived the moment the awful news had been delivered all over again. She cleared her throat and continued.

‘It was pretty bad, Jade. None of us knew how to react or how to help him. Then, at the darkest time of his life, he discovered he had a DNA Match, and it didn’t matter that she lived in a different country or that he’d probably never meet her face to face. Just knowing you were out there and being in communication with one another was a reason for him to continue.’

‘I had no idea about any of this—’

‘And he should have told you. I told him you deserved to know, but he didn’t know how to bring it up. For him, you were a welcome distraction from it. When you and he were texting or talking, he’d forget about what was happening to his body. He became a different person … He was my little boy again.’ Susan clasped Jade’s hand firmly. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you for being my boy’s friend and thank you for coming to see him.’

‘I’m glad I came.’ Jade smiled. It had been a long and extraordinary day, and as it caught up on her, she suddenly wanted to cry. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to – she hated people thinking she was weak – so she swallowed hard and kept the tears

down. She meant it, she thought, she was pleased she had met Kevin and already she felt close to him.

But there was just one problem – she knew that on meeting her Match, she wasn’t in love with him.