Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Harley broke into a smile. Quite a few of her teeth had come in. Millie’s wee cheeks were red from teething. She seemed worse at night with it, so I’d ordered a soother online, one that I could cool in the fridge before she chewed on it.
“Bah!” Harley dashed toward me, arms flailing, and I hurried to pick her up. She’d already grown since I’d seen her last.
“Hey, Scooter.” I’d called her Scooter as a joke at first to annoy Lewis, but it just kind of stuck. And it suited her now that she was toddling all over the place. I cuddled Harley against me, taking her over to Eilidh who held Millie. “Have you met Millie?”
“Aye.”
I froze, my head whipping around to gape at my niece. “Did … did you just say aye?”
“It’s one of her handful of words.” Callie stepped up to us, stroking a hand down her daughter’s back. “She can say mum, dad, no, and aye.”
I’d known about mum and dad but not the no and aye. I chuckled, pressing a kiss to her chubby cheek. “A girl who knows what she wants.”
“I doubt very much she understood what you asked her.” Callie chuckled. “But no and aye being her only words makes for some hilarious conversations.”
We shared an easy smile and for a second, I almost forgot how awkward things were between us all.
As if she saw the realization on my face, Callie’s smile dimmed. “Why don’t I take Harley?” She reached for her daughter. “And you can tell us what’s going on?”
Handing Harley over to her mother, I met Eilidh’s gaze. Millie was snuggled against Eilidh’s neck, her eyelids flickering as if she was fighting sleep. There were new people in her orbit so I understood her curiosity. “You called them?”
“You need your family around you right now, Fyfe.”
Longing and gratitude and remorse overwhelmed me. “Eilidh … I …”
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. Lewis. His expression was sympathetic. “Let’s just focus on Millie for now. How did this happen?”
Lewis had called work to tell them he would be late into the office today, and I discovered Callie had left her mum handling the bakery when Lewis called her to tell her I needed them. Filled with gratitude, I relayed the last few days to my friends.
“You did all this in two days?” Callie shook her head in amazement as she took in the living space. Harley was toddling around, picking up Millie’s toys and playing for a wee bit before getting bored and moving on to the next. “Anyone else would be curled up in a ball. I can’t imagine what it would be like if we hadn’t had all those months to prepare for Harley coming.”
“You would just have gotten on with it.” My gaze was on Millie who still slept in Eilidh’s arms. “Millie didn’t ask for this.”
“You could have called social services,” Lewis suggested.
“And if she’s mine? Handing her over to social services would mean putting her in care and for who knows how long while all the legal stuff gets sorted.”
“What if she isn’t yours?” Eilidh’s question was tentative.
“I have people tracking Pamela down. Once I find her, I’ll do my best to find Millie’s father if she isn’t mine. There must be family out there who are happy to look after her. I don’t want her going into the system.”
“She’s more likely to get adopted at this age.” Callie reached out to stroke Millie’s hair. “It might be what’s best for her if her mother could just leave her out in the cold.”
“And all of this is moot if Fyfe is the father,” Lewis added.
My stomach twisted with emotion. At this point, I couldn’t tell if it was fear or dread, and what of.
Callie turned to me. “How long does the DNA test take?”
“They said up to two weeks.”
“Okay.” Eilidh pressed a kiss to Millie’s head. “Then you’ll need help for two weeks. If Millie is yours, then you can think of getting more permanent assistance, but for now, you’ve got me.”
Feeling, too much feeling, crashed over me and I could only stare at the beautiful woman holding my probable daughter in her arms. After everything that had happened between us, Eilidh could put all that behind her to help me?
“Eilidh—”
Lewis cut me off. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s not up to you, big brother.”
He squeezed the bridge of his nose in frustration. Remembering the promise I made to him, I shook my head. “I don’t need your help, Eilidh.”
Eilidh huffed. “Don’t argue with me or overanalyze it. I’m the only one here who doesn’t have a full-time job and a child. I was obsessed with playing mum to Mor when she was a baby and I’ve had lots of time with Harley these past few weeks, so I feel confident I’m able to look after Millie.”