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She couldn’t help thinking Grace was an afterthought. Becca was almost sure the older woman loved the twins, but she couldn’t seem to let herself show it and the twins were aware of a subtle barrier.
‘Exactly. It was important work and we didn’t want him to have to leave it and come home, though we wanted to see him very much.’
Gabby’s sigh broke the tension. Becca had been aware of her hovering in the hallway. Maybe listening to the discussion would help her too.
Wandering into the room she went to the cupboard for a glass and poured herself some water, plonking herself down at the table. ‘Dan’s gone to bed.’
Becca waited while the girl took a long drink. ‘Do you have any questions?’
Gabby eyed her narrowly. ‘Were you and Morgan in love?’
‘I loved him very much.’
The quick frown told her Gabby registered the omission of Morgan’s feelings. ‘Why didn’t you get married?’
‘It wasn’t the right thing to do. We were both too young to get married. He was nineteen and at university. I was sixteen.’
‘I worked it out myself from your birth dates. The same age as Kaylee was when she got pregnant with Craig.’
Surprised Gabby had known about Kaylee, she sat silent.
Gabby rolled her eyes. ‘We aren’t stupid, Mum. We do sex ed at school. I remember her going to school as big as a house. It wasn’t that long ago. Everyone was talking about who the father was but no-one knew. I figured it must have been the same for you.’
‘Didn’t you want to talk about it?’
‘Why? It’s totally icky thinking about mums doing that stuff. I do know I’m going to wait until I’m at least thirty before I have kids.’
Becca stared at her daughter. ‘Why?’
‘Because it’s not fair having to look after kids when everyone else your age is out having fun. I’m going to study and travel and make heaps of money before I think about boys.’
‘I don’t regret it.’
The girl’s face softened. ‘We know. You’ve been the best mum and the best role model.’ She screwed up her nose. ‘Except for the teen pregnancy bit. It’s more like a … a cautionary tale?’
Becca couldn’t help laughing. Here was her twelve-year-old daughter talking life lessons. ‘Why do you think I’m a role model? Except for the obvious.’
Edward twisted in her lap. ‘You didn’t let your mistakes stop you from doing your best. You studied hard and have a good job and we have everything we need.’
From laughter to tears in a moment. He was only reflecting back what she’d been saying to them for years. She hadn’t expected them to apply it to her. She hugged him tight and he squirmed. ‘Muuuum.’
She only held him tighter, beckoning Gabby to join them. When she had both of them in her arms, she squeezed hard and kissed them both on the forehead. ‘You are the best thing that happened in my life. The best. Don’t ever think I regret a single thing about having you.’
Gabby returned the hug. ‘Well duh. Of course we know.’
They smiled at each other through happy tears. Despite the uncertainty of Morgan’s homecoming, a new confidence surged through her. They would get through this, whatever happened.
***
‘Make it work.’
Morgan stared at the poster of the human skeleton on the wall beside the door. He felt a strong kinship with it, though his body was starting to fill out. The muscle tone would take longer, a concentrated effort. He’d signed up at the local gym to have an assessment done and a program worked out to ensure he didn’t overdo it.
In the meantime, he was mulling over the meeting with Toby Mallings. The solicitor had been helpful but he’d stressed the best outcome would be if they sorted the key areas between themselves before trying to wrap it up in a legal agreement. It would save money for a start. It would also save tying themselves up in the social security system. Something Becca had been determined not to do. But she’d have had experience of the system, unlike his own family who’d always been financially secure.
It hadn’t been what he expected. Becca had seemed daunted by the ramifications of the decisions made twelve years ago. Toby had been amazingly patient with their questions. It was odd seeing solemn old Toby in business mode. Older than himself by a couple of years, Morgan remembered him as a stodgy boy with heavy-framed glasses, often the target of ill-natured jokes. They’d all grown up, something that occasionally startled Morgan when he met someone who had stayed in his mind as a teenager through the long years away.
When the solicitor had fixed both of them with his steely-eyed gaze from behind his frameless glasses and told them to ‘make it work’, Morgan experienced a new respect for the boy he’d remembered from long ago.
