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“No thanks,” I say, “not while I’m looking after Leia.”
Alex exchanges a glance with Henry and they both smile—don’t know what that’s about.
“She looks content,” Tyson says.
I straighten her onesie. “Yeah. It’s good in one way, and also sad that she doesn’t know about her mum.”
As one, the guys all sigh.
“How’s James?” I ask.
“Okay,” Alex replies. “We’ve been talking about when we first met Maddie.”
“Ah, that’s good.”
“And about Leia,” Henry states.
“Oh? Has he decided what he’s going to do?”
“Not yet,” Alex says. “We were discussing whether duty and guilt should play a part in the decision.”
James comes back out and hands me Leia’s white blanket, sitting next to me again. I tuck the blanket under and around her, and settle back, curling my toes over the edge of the table. I see him glance at my scarlet toenails, but he doesn’t say anything.
“What do you think?” Alex asks me.
“It’s not my place to say,” I reply awkwardly.
“It’s archaic to have a group of men deciding a girl’s fate,” Alex says. “And Leia doesn’t have any other women around to speak up for her.”
I glance at James. He’s staring into his whisky glass, swirling the liquid over the ice. He doesn’t look at me.
These guys are all wealthy, smart, sophisticated, and powerful in their own way. I’m a childcare assistant and beautician—hardly in their league. I’ve never had staff, board meetings, or international Zoom calls. I didn’t know Maddie either.
But Alex is right. Leia doesn’t have a woman to speak up for her. I’m sure they’ll also ask Gaby and Juliette’s opinion. But I’m the only girl here right now, and she’s currently in my care.
I look down at Leia—at her big turquoise eyes framed by dark lashes, her button nose, her rosebud lips, her soft cheeks. Her tiny hands, with their miniature nails. She stares back at me, her eyes full of trust.
“I have a large, extended whanau,” I say, referring to my family, conscious of them all listening to me. “If a parent were to pass away, a child would be cared for by the rest of us. Everyone would flock together to help. We would never give a baby away.” I glance at James. His face is expressionless.
“But this is a very different situation,” I continue softly. “You’re affluent, and if you brought Leia up, she’d want for nothing, which is great. But you’re a single guy. You’ve admitted you don’t want kids, and if you were to keep her, the majority of Leia’s care would be done by a succession of nannies. We care for our charges, but it’s not the same as being brought up by loving parents.”
He looks up at me then. I meet his gaze openly.
“I don’t think you should keep her out of duty or guilt,” I continue. “You could still be Leia’s guardian, keep in touch with her, be the kind of uncle who takes her to the cinema on her birthday and tells her about her mum, if you wanted to play a part in her life. But there’s no shame in admitting you’d prefer someone else to care for her day-to-day.”
He meets my eyes then. His lips curve up, just a little. “Thank you,” he murmurs.
Nobody says anything for a moment. Leia sucks contentedly at the teat, her eyes closing.
“Do you remember at my wedding,” Henry says, “you dared Maddie to do a dance with you that you used to do as kids?”
James rolls his eyes. “I knew you were going to bring that up.”
“What dance?” I ask, amused.
“It was like the one that Ross and Monica do in Friends,” Alex says.
I giggle.
