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Heather.
To say I’m nervous when we pull up outside Heather’s is an understatement.
I’m shitting myself.
I get out of the car and walk up the path, Tilly beside me. I thought bringing her along might soften the blow, but now I’m thinking it was a bad idea. There’s no way this is going to end well.
Tilly steps forward and knocks on the door. I remind her the marriage is a surprise and not to tell Gran. The last thing I want is Tilly blurting it out making it look like I’m hiding something.
The door swings open and Heather stands there, a surprised expression on her face. She smiles, holding the door open wider, allowing us to squeeze past.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you girls,” she says warmly. Her friendliness makes me feel worse. This is the best things have been between us in years and I’m about to ruin it all.
“Can I speak with you?” I ask, sending Tilly into the living room to watch TV. Heather nods, her eyes bright. I follow her into the kitchen and sit down, a knot forming in my stomach. She’s making such an effort.
“What is it?” she presses, reaching across the table for my hand. I jump slightly, stunned by her show of affection.
“I have something I wanted to tell you in person.” I take a deep breath. Wow this is hard. “I want to be honest with you, and I want you to hear this from me. Max asked me to marry him. I’ve said yes.”
I brace myself for her anger, but it never comes.
“I’m happy for you, Kiara, I really am. I know I’ve been difficult these last few years, and I apologize for that. I wish I’d handled things differently.”
“He was your son,” I say, my voice soft. “You only ever wanted what was best for him. No mother wants to let go of her child. As a mother, you’ll never give up hope, no matter how little there is.”
“But I wasn’t fair to you,” she whispers, tears clouding her eyes. “I never considered what you were going through. I expected too much and gave too little in return. I ruined any chance we had at having a good relationship.”
“No you didn’t,” I assure her. “We have Tilly, and she’ll keep us connected forever. I meant it when I said I want you to be in her life as much as you like. I want her to have a good relationship with you and Jim.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me,” she weeps, a smile breaking through her tears. “For what it’s worth, I was so happy when Aiden bought you home. He’d finally found a girl worthy of him.”
Tears stream down her cheeks as she leans forward to embrace me.
“There’s something else, Kiara,” Heather says. Wiping away her tears, she smiles and walks over to the kitchen cabinet. I wait as she retrieves something and brings it back to the table. She s
lides it over to me. Confused, I take the envelope and hold it in front of me. “Open it,” she encourages me.
I tear along the top and pull out a sheet of paper. It’s a statement. I look at Heather quizzically, no idea what it is I’m holding.
“Jim and I set up a trust account for Tilly. You can access it for anything she needs until she turns eighteen, and then the money is all hers. It’s what’s left of Aiden’s insurance settlement.”
“Oh, Heather,” I breathe, overwhelmed with emotion. I never expected this. All I ever wanted was for Tilly to be looked after, and now she will be. “This is amazing. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You don’t need to. It’s hers. She should have it. Aiden would want that.”
“I’ll never stop loving him, Heather,” I whisper to her. “He holds a place in my heart, and that will never change. He gave me the best thing I could ever ask for—a beautiful, amazing daughter and seven wonderful years.”
For Tilly, I’ll be indebted to him forever.
THE END
