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Her gaze comes back to me then. I wait for a spiteful comment, but to my surprise she says, “She’s lovely, Alex. You seem very taken with her.”
“I am.”
“How long have you been dating?”
“Not long, but she’s been coming to Kia Kaha since March.”
“Is it serious?” I just lift an eyebrow, and her lips quirk up. “She’s a lucky girl.”
I shrug. “Gaby wouldn’t say so.”
“Gaby adores you, and you know it. I wish I could have met Missie’s son.”
“He’s a good kid.”
“He’ll be very lucky to have you as a stepfather.”
My eyebrows rise. It’s the first time I’ve thought of it like that.
“You’ve been lucky,” she says softly, “to have Sherry, and Mae and Neal.”
“I didn’t think you liked any of them,” I say wryly.
“I’m jealous of them, Alex. They got to be with you, watch you grow into a man. I know it was all my fault. And I love my job. But that doesn’t mean I’m not sad at what I did, and what I missed out on. Everyone has someone. Except me.” Her eyes fill with tears.
“Hey.” I get up, go over and sit beside her, and put my arm around her. She stiffens for a moment, then curls up on the seat and leans against me.
“It wasn’t all your fault,” I tell her. “We are who we are. I know what your job means to you, and I understand it better now I have my own business. It’s hard to fight ambition and drive. You’ve had a successful career, and you still managed to bring up three kids.”
“He hurt her, Alex.” Her voice is little more than a whisper. “He hurt my little girl, and it’s my fault.”
“No, it’s not. I talked to Missie about it, and she said it wasn’t your fault, or mine, or Belle’s or Dad’s—the only person who was at fault is Tom, and I think she’s right. You were a victim too. You mustn’t forget that.”
She starts to cry. I dig out the serviette I’d stuffed in my pocket and hand it to her. “Come on,” I scold gently, “the mother of the bride is only allowed to cry for happy reasons.”
“Sherry is the real mother of the bride.” Normally that would be a spiteful comment. She’s always been jealous of Sherry, and the two have got by with an uneasy alliance because of us kids. I like Sherry because she makes Dad happy, and she’s been good to the two girls, but privately I’m much fonder of the relaxed and open-hearted Mae, who took pity on the lad who was so mixed up and angry, and gave me both the support and freedom I needed as I entered adulthood. My feelings toward Sherry have also cooled somewhat since I found out she had an affair with Dad behind Kait’s back, although I’ve made sure not to let it show.
“No, she’s not,” I tell Kait now. “That role is yours and yours alone. Belle doesn’t blame you for what happened, Mum. It’s been ten years, and Damon’s helping her to move on.”
She looks up at me then with watery eyes. “That’s the first time you’ve called me Mum for years.”
“Well, maybe we’re all making steps forward.”
She rests her head on my shoulder. “Thank you.”
I kiss the top of her head. “You’re the famous Kaitlyn Cross. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And hey, you never know, there might be some eligible young bachelor here you can snap up. Just please don’t let it be one of my mates.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Missie
After Alex follows Kait, there’s an awkward silence at the table. I take out my phone and send a chatty text to Finn, wondering whether I should excuse myself, as the others clearly want to talk about what just happened, but don’t want to do it in front of me.
Then Mae says, “Would you like me to give you a tour of the gardens?”
“That would be lovely,” I reply. I wasn’t joking when I said I know nothing about plants, but I’m guessing she wants to get me away from here.
We rise, and I follow her to the end of the terrace, where we begin walking slowly down the path through the beautiful gardens.
