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He puts his arm around her. “It’s amazing,” he says softly. “Thank you.” The last ounce of resentment has vanished from his eyes.
“They’re lovely gifts,” Mum tells me. “Well done.”
One of the babies—Liam, I think, because he’s wearing red—stirs in the cot, waving his tiny fists in the air.
“Can I pick him up?” I ask, and Catie wipes her eyes and nods.
“Of course.”
I lift the baby out and walk beneath the umbrella so he doesn’t have the sun in his eyes.
“Hey, little fella,” I murmur, and he looks up at me with his big blue eyes. He smells sweet, of milk and talcum powder, and when I stroke his cheek with a finger, he grabs it and tries to suck it. I chuckle and look at Saxon, who’s watching me with a smile.
I feel a huge swell of relief. It’s the first step to putting things right with the people I love, and it feels damn good.
I just hope I can do something similar with Craig and Alice.
*
I stay for another hour, drinking my coffee and chatting to my family. Then, just before midday, I get a text from Craig. It saysGot your email. Are you at home today? Say, three p.m.?
Heart racing, I text back,Yep, I’ll be there.
I’ll see you then, he replies.
I blow out a long breath. “I’d better get going,” I say. I don’t tell them about Craig for now, wanting to keep that to myself in case it ends badly.
I’ve told them I’m ringing Penny at one, and they all wish me good luck. We exchange hugs and kisses, and then I head off, feeling a lot better about myself than I did a few hours ago.
I go home, make myself a sandwich, and try to answer a few work emails, although it’s difficult to concentrate. Then, just after one, I take my mobile out onto the deck and make myself comfortable in a chair in the shade.
My mouth’s gone dry, and I have to take a few deep breaths before I can pluck up the courage to call, hoping I’ve given Penny enough time to get settled in her room.
She answers after five rings. “Hello?”
“Hey, Penny,” I say, smiling and hoping she can hear it in my voice. “It’s Kip.”
“Hello, Kip. I’m so glad you got my message. Thank you for calling.”
“No worries—I’m really pleased you rang. How are you?”
“I’m not too bad, all things considered. Thank you for asking. How are you?”
I sigh. “I got drunk last night, then punched my brother and nearly broke his nose. He gave me a black eye.”
“Oh, goodness!”
“Yeah, not too proud of myself at the moment. But anyway, enough about me. How are Alice and Charlie?”
It’s her turn to sigh. “Things aren’t great here. No punching, but a lot of crying. They’ve always been very supportive of each other, and they argue so rarely, so it’s upsetting to see them at loggerheads. I’m guessing Alice has told you what’s going on?”
“She said that Jake proposed to Charlie, and he’s asked her to move to Auckland with him. And Charlie broke up with him.”
“Yes.”
“Alice then broke up with me so Charlie could go to Auckland. But I’m guessing that didn’t go down very well.”
“No. Alice knew Charlie would protest, but she thought she’d eventually cave and agree to the arrangement. Charlie’s very upset though. Both of them feel too guilty about the other one having to sacrifice their relationship. So at the moment, neither of them have what they want.”
