“So, he is the lowest of the low, huh?” Lacey’s voice has me spinning round.
I stride over to her and gather her in my arms. “It doesn’t matter. We will fix this.”
“I’m so sorry. I…feel, oh god, I feel so ashamed. I should have never…”
“Shh, don’t finish that sentence. This is not your fault, and you’re not to blame for anything and no one.” I lift her chin so she can look me in the eye. “No one thinks badly of you, okay?” She nods, but her lip trembles, so I kiss it away.
“Lacey, for what it’s worth, sweetheart, this guy has scammed so many people with his lies. It is in no way your fault.” Vik's words are kind and soft, and Lacey smiles back at him.
**********
I check my phone. It’s almost 5 pm, meaning we need to head to my mum's house. When I phoned her and explained what was going on, she said to come over for something to eat and that she had a surprise for Lacey.
“You ready to head inside?” I ask her as I help her out of my truck.
She looks at me with suspicion. “What’s going on?”
I shake my head and feign stupidity. “Not a clue what you’re talking about.”
“Cole Peterson, don’t lie to me…”
We walk through my mum's door, and immediately the delicious smell of cauliflower cheese wafts through the doorway. Lacey follows her nose and heads straight to the kitchen, while I grab my dad in the living room.
“Is everything ready for us to leave after we’ve eaten?”
My dad nods. “Yep, all sorted. Margery has made up the bed and left some fresh towels in the room. The key is where it lives.” He pats my arm as he wanders off towards the kitchen. I check my phone and see Cas has sent me a message with a thumbs up.
Earlier on, when Vik had finished telling us about all the terrible things DBD had done, my blood ran cold at the danger my girls could be in, so I decided that I needed to get them away.
In a few weeks, Lacey's antenatal classes are starting, and she’s asked if I’ll go with her. I said yes, of course, but I want to make sure she gets a good rest. The books call it a babymoon.
There's a knock at the door and my mum shouts through, “Cole, will you get that? I invited a guest.”
A guest?I walk over and open the door. On the other side stands Don with a gift bag in his hands.
He holds out his hand for me to shake, and I grip it. “Hi Cole, your mum and dad invited me round for tea.” He looks so unsure of himself, and in that moment, I see such a resemblance to Lacey.
“Come on in. It’s nice to see you, Mr Fullman.” I nod at the gift bag. “Who’s that for?”
His cheeks tinge. “I wanted to buy something for the baby. But I– well, I understand if it’s not wanted.”
I smile at him. “Lacey will love that, you know how she is with gifts. They’re through there to the kitchen.” I shut the door and show him through.
When Lacey sees her dad, she gets up and rushes over to him. “Hi.” Her smile is wide and relaxed as Don wraps his arms around her.
“I bought the baby a gift. I hope that’s okay.” Again, he seems unsure of himself, and my parents watch on with soft smiles on their faces.
Lacey opens the bag and brings out a plush Baby Roo fromWinnie the Pooh. The small kangaroo is holding a blanket, which the books call a comforter. Tears shine in her eyes as she holds it close, and when she opens them back up, she places a kiss on her dad's cheek. We haven’t spoken about what Don’s involvementis going to look like, but for me, as long as he puts the baby and Lacey first now, that’s all I can ask.
My mum's voice brings me out of my daydream. “Cole, would you mind setting the table for me?”
“Sure, you want to help?” I ask Lacey, and she nods, leaving Don to talk to my dad about work.
“Dad told me that you offered him a place with Peterson Construction, painting and decorating?” She side-eyes me.
“I hope that’s okay. I wanted to offer him the opportunity to help out, while also keeping him around with us, if that’s something you wanted.” I hold my breath, hoping against hope I didn’t misread the signs.
Before I know it, I feel her arms wrap around me. She rests her cheek on my back. “I don’t deserve you, Cole.” I pat her arm and turn around.
