With nervous fingers Martin knocked on the pastel blue door of Sophie's house. He placed his phone in the pocket of his black unzipped coat and hoped he looked well with the bouquet of lilies that he'd just bought from a passing garden centre before the door opened and his sister's radiant face emerged from the threshold, immediately making him smile.
Her belly was still slightly swollen from new maternity but she was wearing a beautiful blue summer dress and her figure was slimming again.
"Martin." She said, smiling at him so much and hugging him immediately.
" 'Ello Soph." He laughed, lifting the flowers over her shoulder and wrapping his other arm around her back.
"Come in, Come in!" She greeted him, thanking him for the flowers and placing them on her marble kitchen counter.
Martin was surprised to see David, Sophie's husband which he completely forgot existed, standing beside one of the barstools of their large open-planned bright kitchen and sitting room area.
"How are you?" Asked Sophie, taking his coat and hanging it on a hook on the wall, "or is that a big question?"
"I'm good, Sophie. I'm good." He told her, catching her eye and seeing her smile beautifully,
"Really?" She Asked, bidding him take a seat on the large orange sofa.
Martin nodded, "How are you? How's the little guy? You're a mum now!" He exclaimed,
"Good. Really, really good! I mean I'm not getting much sleep but it's worth it- sorry, you probably don't want to hear about-"
"No, I do." Martin Interrupted, unable to stop smiling as he looked at the friendliest face from his childhood, his little sister, she was twenty five, he always protected her.
"Do you want to see him?" She asked him, "and honestly, it's fine if you don't."
"Sophie, I'd love to." Martin Replied, standing up.
"He's just upstairs, I think he's asleep. Well at least I've not heard any crying for the last half hour." She said, leading him up the carpeted stairs into a bedroom decorated so delicately with a crib in the centre.
Martin, without even seeing his nephew began to feel tense. Sophie lifted a tiny baby from the small bed and held him in her arms.
"Big Martin, meet little Martin." She greeted, walking over to Martin who stood transfixed,
"God he's beautiful." He breathed, biting his lip before the baby was placed in his arms.
"Hello mate." He whispered, looking down at this tiny delicate child opening his huge blue eyes and cooing.
"He's got Martha's eyes.." said Martin, trying to maintain his smile while his jaw jittered and his eyes watered.
"You okay?" Asked Sophie, placing a hand on Martin's shoulder and stroking her baby's soft face.
Martin nodded, remembering that the last baby he had held was his own precious daughter, seeing her laugh and giggle at him. A tear fell down Martin's cheek as he handed the baby back to his mother.
"Sorry." He said, turning away and wiping his cheeks.
Before he knew it, Sophie had returned her baby to his cot and had wrapped her arms around Martin who, because of this attention, felt even more overwhelmed and covered his mouth, crying, and not even sure why.
"God I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through these last few months." She said, holding him tight.
"Sorry, I told myself not to cry." He laughed, sniffing, "I'm okay, I promise you I am."
"Sit down, what have you been doing?" Asked Sophie, sitting on the sofa beside her baby's crib.
"I've been busy.. yesterday was my first day back in Wales since Emma's funeral." He told her, sitting down beside her.
"Wow- where've you been?" She Questioned, genuinely interested, knowing how much her brother had changed in the last few months.
"It was a band tour- we were in France for about a week then we went on into Italy, did a big gig in Rome then came home yesterday afternoon."
"I didn't know you were in a band?" Said Sophie, surprised.
"Oh no; I'm not, I'm their manager." He explained, "ex-teacher.."
"Have you gone back to work?" She asked him,
"Yep, I'm now the principle of the damn school." He laughed,
"Principle?! God Martin! Since when?" She exclaimed,
"Since about two days ago." He chuckled, "Yeah that was a weird one.."
He noticed that Sophie was looking at his hand which rested on his lap, so he stopped speaking,
"That ring... is it- the same one.. sorry, I'm being stupid-" Sophie began,
"Nope. You're not.. it's a new one." He told her, loving seeing her confused face.
"Am I making unreasonable assumptions in my head right now?" Asked Sophie, seeing him smile.
"Nope." He repeated, smirking.
"W-Wait... What? When? Who? W-what?!" She Exclaimed, sitting up.
"It was a bit spontaneous.. I'll admit.. I knew her from college, we met again and just... clicked." He said,
"Okay you're gonna have to give me a bit more information that that!" She told him, still not convinced.
"Her name is Zoë. I met her on my graduation night and then.. because of how mum and dad were with me and Emma, had to pretend she never existed... and then I met her again almost a month ago and we went on the trip together.. now we live together." He elaborated,
"How old is she?"
"Thirty."
"Maiden name?"
"Flynn."
"How much does she know about you?"
"Nearly everything."
"How much do you know about her?"
"Nearly everything."
"Do you love her?"
"Yes."
Martin looked sincerely into Sophie's eyes.
"Really- forget about all the shock, you've been through so much. This is genuine love?"
"Sophie I've not had much experience with romance in my life but I've never felt this way about anyone else before, ever. All I know is that if she wasn't in my life right now I'd have killed myself three weeks ago." He told her, honestly.
"Have you got a picture?" She asked him.
"Yeah I'm sure I do." He replied, taking out his phone and scrolling through his pictures till he found one of her sitting in the driver's seat of the van, she looked stunning. He couldn't remember taking this photo and concluded that it wasn't him, but, after seeing a few following selfies, it was Ollie. There was then the photo of both of them on their 'wedding day', Cloda had taken this picture, they were sitting on the bridge, Martin had one arm around her neck and she had an arm around his waist, leaning against him. They were both laughing, so it seemed, just because of the whole surreality of it all.
"She's beautiful." Said Sophie, seeing the photos before looking up at Martin's face, "bet you've had more bedroom action in the last week than you've have in the rest of your life!"
"Sophie! You're supposed to be my innocent little sister!" Martin Complained, chuckling, before murmuring, "but you're not wrong.."
"Just be careful you don't get her pregnant just yet!" Laughed Sophie,
"Yeah... about that..." he scoffed, biting his lip.
"What?" She gasped,
"She's pregnant with triplets... I know.. I'm not the biological dad, but he's not in the picture at all, so I guess I'm just gonna have to be a dad again."
Sophie couldn't stop smiling at him, she shook her head, "I can't believe I'm saying this but.. I'm happy for you. I'm really happy for you."
"Vice-Versa." Said Martin, placing a hand on her shoulder, glad that he wasn't solely known as the man who lost his family, but as a man that is surrounded by his family, and loves them completely.