Page 137 of Time To Learn

“Do you love him?” Her question throws me for a loop and as I feel the blush creep up my neck underneath my turtleneck, I’m relieved she can’t seeit.

Oh, crap.

Feeling cornered, I glance down at her. The way she looks at me, so serious and old beyond her years, makes me sad. My baby is growing up way toofast.

But at the back of my mind, I know she deserves the truth. She always has and she alwayswill.

I hang Thunder’s tack on the peg on the door to his stall and then lead him inside, sliding the door closed behind me, before I take a deep breath. Finding my courage, I turn around, walk the few steps separating us, and crouch down. I don’t want to hide from her, but at the same time, this isn’t exactly the kind of conversation I’d thought we’d have a mere month ago. Heck, I never thought we would before I met Kristian, yet here I am—thirty-three years old and with a boyfriend who’s seven years younger thanme.

Feeling way out of my depth here, I wipe my suddenly sweaty palms on my thighs and muster up the courage I need for this kind of conversation. Nerves dance in my belly as I meet her gaze. She tilts her head to the side, eyes wary yet curious, and I take both her hands in mine and wait until she shuffles closer.

“Sweetie, Kristian and I are just enjoying ourselves.” Crap…I have no clue if she understands what I’m saying, so I wet my lips and try again. “When two grown-ups really like each other, they take the time they need to get to know each other properly. So, while we’re dating, it’s a little early to talk about love. Let’s leave it at that, yeah?” I give her a crooked smile. “But I promise you this—whatever happens between us, you’ll be the first to know about it. Deal?”

Ailith nods slowly, but the usual openness that always stares back at me from her blue eyes is vacant. A sinking feeling settles in my stomach at the shuttered look in her eyes. When she opens her mouth to speak, I smile encouragingly ather.

“I like him,” she whispers. I squeeze her hands gently, somewhat happier that she does. “But I don’t want him to hurtyou.”

Ah, bloodyhell.

I release her hands and cup her small face in my hands. I close the distance between us until the tips of our noses are so close, they almost touch.

“Listen to me,” I whisper fiercely, willing her to understand. “Kristian will never hurt me like your father did, Ailith.” I force the big lump that’s settled in my throat back and blink furiously at the tears that are misting in my eyes. “I promise you that. It’s not in his nature to be cruel. Trust me on this, please?”

She sniffles but nods again.

“I’m so sorry I ever let our lives spin so out of control, sweetie. You know that, don’tyou?”

Another nod. Another twinge in my heart.

“Do you think he likes me, too?” she asksthen.

“Oh, I have no doubt about that,” I smile. “Remember the Disney movie marathon we did a whileback?”

Light is brought back to her eyes at the memory, and I breathe a small sigh of relief when she giggles.

“That was so much fun, Mummy.”

I kiss her nose and nod as I lean back fromher.

“It was epic,” I whisper. “We must do it again sometime.”

“Oh, canwe?”

“We’re the Turley girls, remember? We can do anything and everything we want todo.”

When she flings her arms around me, I topple right on my arse, but I couldn’t careless.

“I love you, Mummy,” she laughs in myear.

I kiss her cheek and hold her even tighter, almost overcome with emotion. I force the tears that’s threatening to spill down on my cheeks away, feeling a little silly. This is not a sad moment—quite the opposite—and there is no room for tears in our lives anymore.

“I love you, too, mi agra,” I whisper. My love. I hold her a while longer in my arms, but when my phone starts ringing, I release her and get up from the ground. I manage to pull it out from the pocket on my fleece sweater and a frown settles between my eyes when it just then stops ringing. I swipe the screen to ring back whoever it was, but when the word Private Number stares up at me, unease runs down my spine. I glance at Ailith who doesn’t seem to have noticed anything about the tenseness I’m feeling.

“Wrong number,” I explain.

It’s not a lie—but I don’t know if it’s the truth, either.

She shrugs, and when I hear Mum’s voice calling from outside, we both turn and walk out from the stables to meet her. My eyes bulge when I watch her running—actually running—towardsus.