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“Didn’t ye ma sing fer ye?”
She tips her head ta the side, regardin’ me with curiosity, and once again, I’m on the verge of tears.
I shake my head before I explain, “No. She wasn’t around when I was little.”
“Did she go away like my mam?” Aine asks me, and I can tell from the look in her eyes, she understands a lot more than we’ve given her credit fer.
“Aye,” I answer.
Maybe one day I can use my experience ta explain ta her it’s not her fault that her ma left her. Rage surges through me, thinkin’ about Orla, and I have ta breathe deeply ta let go of the fury.
Thankfully, Rebel returns with our ice-creams, and the topic is dropped instantly. We don’t talk about it again, not even when we reach home and I walk Aine ta her bedroom.
I asked Rebel if I could put Aine ta bed tonight, and I have a feelin’ he needed the time alone because he agreed. I’m sure he’s at war with himself over what’s happened with Orla. But it’s not his fault, neither is it Aine’s.
“I’m sorry yer mam went away,” Aine tells me. Her voice is tinged with the sadness I heard earlier when Rebel explained that Orla wasn’t comin’ home anytime soon. “It’s not nice.”
I settle on the mattress beside her. “No. It’s not. But do ye know what I learned as I got older?” She shakes her head, but she’s watchin’ me with rapt attention. I want so much ta make her happy again. I take her small hand in mine and hold it tight. “I learnt that sometimes Mammies and Daddies do things that don’t make sense. But even when they do those things, they still love us.” I don’t know why I’m tellin’ her this, because it’s clear Orla feels nothin’ fer her daughter. Deep down though, I would never want Aine to feel unloved.
“My mammie loves me?” she asks.
“I’ve no doubt that you are a very loved little girl. And you have a new family now, and we’ll always be here fer ye.” That’s a promise I can keep because it’s true.
She ponders this fer a wee while before she nods and smiles. “Okay. Will you sing me a song now?”
I’m not sure it’s entirely over, but fer now, she’s appeased.
SIXTEEN
CALLIA
It was only two weeks ago, I found out I’m goin’ta be a mother. Well, a stepmother. And now, I can’t imagine my life without Aine. She’s bright, funny, and she has the sass of a teenager. I can tell we’re goin’ta have our hands full.
The lawyer Rebel hired has been givin’ him sound advice on how ta proceed ta make everythin’ legal, and we’ve been tryin’ ta get all the paperwork ready fer the custody hearin’. I don’t think we’ll have any pushback from Orla, because she happily walked away from her child and hasn’t tried ta make any contact since. But we’re not takin’ any chances.
“What do ye think?” Rebel asks me as Aine runs around the empty house that’s got a For Sale sign outside.
It seems, since we admitted our feelin’s fer each other, our relationship has been fast forwarded, and now we’re lookin’ at movin’ in together.
But then again, it’s taken seven years.
It’s not really a rush.
“I like it,” I tell him as I run my fingertips over the work surface in the kitchen.
The house comprises of three bedrooms, an open plan kitchen and living area, and two bathrooms—one is attached ta the primary bedroom, and the other is a family bathroom fer Aine and any guests we have stayin’.
I haven’t allowed myself ta consider that the spare bedroom could be fer another baby. Not yet. We’re only just now findin’ our footin’ with one child, so I can’t imagine two.
“So,” Rebel says as he pulls me against him, his arms wrappin’ around my waist. “Do ye think ye can live here with me and Aine and be happy?”
We tiptoed around each other fer a bit after we got together and Aine came into our lives, but things have settled nicely. There’s no longer any fear in Rebel’s eyes when he talks about our future.
And I know there’s no anxiety in my expression when I respond, “Mmm… Well, I suppose I could try ta live with ye both. I mean, Aine is the easy one, but ye’re just a pain in my arse.”
His big, strong hand reaches for my bum, and he squeezes until I squeal.
“Be careful, wee star,” he murmurs in a low, seductive tone that causes my thighs ta squeeze together. “Or I’ll make ye sorry fer what ye said.” The salacious promise has me wantin’ some time alone with my man. But that’ll have ta wait until we get back ta the clubhouse. Right now, we’re goin’ta get caught by Aine if he doesn’t let me go.
