I fall against her back, my arms winding under her chest to hold her up as we both struggle for air.
She turns her head, leaning against her fists where she still clutches the pole. “Thank you.”
I kiss her, smiling against her lips. “That’s my good girl.”
36
“Callie has different parents than you, right, West?” Aurora asks from the back seat as the three of us drive to Westley’s parents’ house for Sunday breakfast.
“That’s right. We share a biological dad, but I don’t know him. I was adopted as a baby. The people you’ll meet today are who I call Mum and Dad.”
My hand, where it rests over his thigh, squeezes gently. The way Westley sees family brings such comfort to my skewed version; it’s almost as if I’m trying to hold onto that feeling and claim a little for myself. It’s also reminding me to stop freaking out about what they might think of me. If Westley is a product of their love and compassion, they sound like good people.
“Do you have any other siblings?” Aurora continues.
“You know Callie, obviously. We also share a brother, Caspian. Those two have the same mum.”
“Wow. You have a big family.”
Westley laces his fingers through mine as he smiles. “I do. I’m very lucky.”
My only want in life has been keeping Aurora safe. I’m not sure if I know how to want things for myself. If I won the lotto tomorrow, what would I do with it? If there were no limits to what I could do, no risk of being found, what would I want?
Something solid settles inside me as I realise I wouldn’t change anything about our life right now.
I look into the back seat again. Aurora looks out the window, but when she senses my attention, turns to me with a beaming smile.I did it.I gave her what I never had. Safety. A real home. Happiness.
“Here we are,” Westley says as his ute pulls into the driveway of an old red brick home.
That confidence I had a moment ago shatters as sick tension swirls in my stomach, nausea crawling up my throat. I’ve never been worried about making a good impression before, not on a level this personal.
Double gates are wide open, with a gravel drive that leads down to a large shed at the end, and a small grassed area to the right is bordered with tall flowers.
Westley brings his car to a stop and hops out while Aurora and I wait in our seats.
“Don’t forget to use your manners,” I say. “And don’t talk with your mouth full. And even if you don’t like the food, just pretend you do.”
“Mum, I wasn’t raised in a barn. I know how to interact with people.” She leans forward, poking her head over my chair as I stare into my reflection in the mirror, double-checking my lipstick. “Are you nervous?”
“No!” That’s a big fat lie.
Both our doors open, and Westley stands proudly between them with a hand on each handle, like he was made to open doors. Veins ripple over his thick forearms, looking so good, it’s powerful enough to steal my thoughts for a blissful moment.
“Mum’s nervous.”
I slap the window visor closed as I whip my head around, gaping at Aurora as she steps out of the car.
“Aurora!”
Westley closes Aurora’s door once she’s out, then leans into me, where I’m still frozen to my seat. His warm palm grips the side of my neck, firm but gentle.
“Don’t be nervous,” he says, calm and sweet.
I close my eyes, inhaling through my nose. “I wish Callie could’ve come. Her baby bump would have been my buffer.”
She was meant to come with us, but Liv’s babysitter fell through, and she needed someone to watch Daisy for a few hours.
“You don’t need a buffer.” Westley’s thumb strokes along my jaw. “You have nothing to worry about.”
