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Love Josh, Christina, Jamie and Grace xx
P.S. Since you’ve been working with “soccer” players, Jamie has developed a new hobby.
I scrolled down and let out a squeal. The first photo showed Jamie playing on his swing in the garden of their new house, wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Cody Rivera on the front.
I chuckled to myself at Jamie’s attire. A new hobby indeed!
The next photo showed Grace pushing a tiny, brightly coloured pram. She was so beautif
ul with her dark curly hair and cheeky smile. The final picture was of Jamie, with Grace sitting on his lap on the grass.
I spotted a link to a webpage underneath the photos which took me to a video clip. When I pressed play, my hand shot up to my mouth as Jamie’s face filled my computer screen.
“Hi Auntie Leah,” he said, bouncing up and down on his chair. “I miss you very much and I wish you could come to our new house soon. My new bedroom has pictures of your football team in it! Mummy says you live too far away though and you won’t be able to come to my birthday party in two weeks but that’s okay because I’m going to ask her if she can send you a piece of birthday cake. I have to go now, Mummy told me not to talk too long! I love you!”
There was a brief pause as he turned the webcam off, then the screen went blank.
Although the message from my nephew made me smile, a lump rose in my throat. Seeing how much the kids had grown made me ache. We really hadn’t taken full advantage of video calls and I promised myself we’d change that as soon as they were settled in the new house.
“What was that?” Radleigh asked, and I quickly wiped my eyes.
“It … it was a message from my nephew, and some photos.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, taking a ragged breath. “I’m just being pathetic.”
“Can I have a look?”
I nodded and carried my laptop over to his bed, placing it in front of him before sitting down beside him.
“That’s Jamie,” I said, my finger lightly brushing my nephew’s photographed cheek. “He’ll be eight in two weeks, and this is Grace, she’s only sixteen months. They’re my brother’s children.”
“Cute kids.”
“Yeah, I really miss them.”
I stared at the photo, wishing more than anything that I could scoop them out of my screen and hold them close to me.
“She looks like you,” Radleigh said, pointing to Grace.
“Everyone says that. Whenever I took her out, people thought she was mine.”
Radleigh smiled. “I bet you loved it.”
“I think I’m a bit old for playing Mummies and Daddies now.”
I closed my laptop again so I wouldn’t spend too long brooding, and wiped away the last of my tears. Radleigh rested his hand over mine, startling me. I pulled away as if his touch scalded me. I was so used to him being inappropriate, I’d brushed him off without thinking.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t -” he began.
“I know. I’m sorry. I guess I’m over-emotional today.”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I went back to the other bed, feeling like a complete idiot. Really, it was no surprise that I was defensive after all the times he’d tried to touch me, or drag me into an embrace but it didn’t stop me trying to figure out a way to polite go back to my own room.
“You’re not gonna leave now, are you?” McCoy asked.
