Skye releases a low cry, which I presume means she needs attention from her mum. Maya gently takes her from my arms as she holds the back of her head and pulls her into her shoulder.
I watch as Maya bounces her gently before placing her down on the bed. “No, little miss,” Maya says in a cute voice. “No more crying today. The neighbours have heard it all.”
Maya gently tickles her sides softly as Skye’s face twists, and she releases a soft noise that’s almost like a giggle. It winds me because the sound of what I assume is joy is priceless. I can’t look away even if I wanted to.
“Yeah, I know,” Maya laughs along with her. “You love to make mummy stressed. But that’s okay because I love you so much.”
My hand presses over my mouth and jaw as I study the pair of them and how gut-wrenchingly adorable they are. How could I have missed out on this?
Maya pulls her back into her arms before turning to me, and I have to place my hand on the wall to stabilise myself. “Do you wanna talk more in the living room? I can put her on her baby mat.”
I manage a nod, but I’m barely breathing.
We head back into the living room before she places her down on the mat with shapes and objects dangling from above. Maya sits down on the sofa, tucks her legs into her side, and looks up at me.
“Do you want to sit down?
“I think I need to.”
The second I sit beside her, I’m filled with relief because I don’t know how much longer I would have been able to supportmy weight. I swallow to try and dampen my throat, but it’s no use, it feels like razor blades.
“How was the birth?”
Maya wraps her arms around her knees. “Yeah, it was fine. Everything went smoothly, which was good.”
“And how were you?”
She shrugs as if it’s the last thing she’s been thinking of, and it bruises my chest. “Fine. No rest for the wicked when you have a baby.”
I should have been looking after her. God, I feel rotten.
“Will you let me see her more often?”
Maya’s eyes glass over for a second as she flicks them between mine. “I don’t want you to walk into her life, see her get attached, and watch you walk out of it again.”
“I wouldn’t dare walk away from you again,” I murmur beneath a broken breath.
Maya’s eyes strain as she adjusts herself, clearly not believing my words. I’ve never felt this much weight on my shoulders.Guilt.When I hear Maya sniffle, I want nothing more than to reach over and comfort her, but I can’t. I don’t have any right to do that after I literally broke her heart to pieces.
“I can’t stop you,” she whispers. “But I don’t know if I’ll survive it if you hurt me again and bring our daughter down with me, too.”
My stomach clenches, nausea creeping up my throat. “I’m never going to hurt you again.” I shuffle an inch forward, but keep my hands to myself, regardless of the fact I want to cradle her face and let her see how sincere I am. “I’m never going to be that person again, and I know you don’t trust me, but I want to prove it to you. And I’m not going to stop until you realise that I am serious about this, regardless of what I said, regardless of how stupid and selfish I was being. I want this, I want to be present in her life, Iwantto be an active parent.”
Maya’s lips part as she locks her eyes on mine. “Then prove it.”
CHAPTER 13
MAYA BROOKE
PRESENT - 23RD OCTOBER 2025
Finn’s eyes fall on Skye as she kicks her legs and watches the dial above her move. His eyes haven’t stopped watering, and I resist the urge to rub my chest at the ache that starts to grow.
The boy who told me he didn’t want us is completely different from the man before me now. Even if I don’t want to believe it, it’s obvious in his eyes how much this is affecting him. He wants to make a difference for our baby, but it wasn’t enough to fight for me.
That thought lingers in the back of my mind, and I attempt to push it away because this isn’t about me anymore. It’s about our little girl, who we brought into this world, and how we’re going to make sure she has the best life possible.
“When you told me you were pregnant that night…” he trails off. “How many months had it already been?”
