Page 28

Chapter Twenty-Six

Eva

I pass Liam a snack and hand him his carton of apple juice. The sun’s beginning to shine on the glass window he keeps tapping, the warmth of it piercing my hardened exterior. It irons the rigid lines holding my body tight.

Barriers went up around me the day I found out I was pregnant with him. The second I saw the two blue lines; I knew my life was about to change dramatically. My mother’s instinct kicked in automatically, no questions asked.

Watching him with Luke has shown me that it’s okay not to have to do it all with him. My mum helps when she can, I know that. But it’s the little things Luke took care of that relieved some of the weight I’ve been carrying recently.

Reading to him whilst I ate. Playing with his toys when I took a shower. Going for a walk—albeit short—Luke made sure my needs were met and looked after my son in a way that no man has ever done. They’ve bonded in a relatively short amount of time which is comforting.

Liam taps the window again, a tiny hand smear leaving a mark on the glass.

“Have you finished your cake?” Tiffany asks him, leaning over and inspecting what he’s eaten.

Liam shakes his head and grabs a handful.

“I wasn’t going to eat it,” she tells him, smiling as he shoves it in his little mouth.

I laugh, watching all the crumbs drop to the floor.

“He seems happy. ”

Sipping my tea, I lean down and place a kiss on his head. “He is.” And I have Luke to thank for making our stay with him normal.

Tiffany muses to herself, resting her chin on the back of her hand. “When are you going back home?”

I place my mug on the table as Liam goes back to tapping the window. “No more,” I tell him, turning to look at Tiff. “We’re going home today, actually.”

“That’s going to feel nice. You going to tell your mum?”

I smile. “It will. Yeah, I will later.” Being in the hotel room felt safe, but cabin fever began to kick in. Eating and sleeping in the same room for as long as we did was confining, even if the company was superb. “Luke’s going to stay with us.”

Tiffany quips one of her brows, her face lighting up. “Really?” she says sceptically, but with a soft, playful edge.

My shoulders rise as I avoid her eye contact. “You think I’m mad.”

“No, no,” she reassures me. “It’s just a big step for you.”

I look at her. “It’s not like he’s moving in. He’s just staying with us. You know, because of the break-in.”

“Makes sense.” Tiffany offers me a reassuring smile, a soft glint shimmering in her eye. “Still can’t believe someone left a threat.”

A small sigh leaves me as I reach for Liam’s drink and offer it to him. Anything to stop the tapping. “I know. That’s why he’s staying, just in case.”

Her eyes pop open. “In case what?” Her voice sounds shaky.

I instinctively lift my hand and place it on hers on the table. “No, nothing. I didn’t mean to worry you. Luke’s unsure why anyone would leave that for me. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s probably just a jealous ex or something.”

My white lie has Tiffany visibly relaxing. “You’re sure?”

I nod, knowing there could be every chance the note was left from one of the hundreds of women he said he’s been with. I don’t like the idea, but he’s a hard man to get over. Still, it’s more likely to be something else, but that doesn’t reassure me that someone could be watching him, or me, whichever way I choose to look at it. “I’m sure. He had the window fixed for us,” I pick Liam up and move him to my lap, “and sleeping in our own beds will be a good thing. ”

I know Liam slept better than he ever has. The luxury bed with me by his side offered him an extra layer of comfort, what with the change of scenery. I can’t say the same for Luke.

Waiting until he thought I was asleep; I heard the gentle padding sound of his feet when he slipped out of bed, choosing to work instead of rest.

I didn’t disturb him. It didn’t seem right. I simply watched him submerge himself in his phone or laptop until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

Before I drifted off the first night, though, I caught him looking over to me and Liam in the bed. It was as if he was checking we were really there. Keeping my emotions locked away made a lump form in my throat, and my eyes sting. My heart swelled when he stood from the sofa, making his way to us, kissing my head and making sure we were both tucked in.

I know he sees himself as the protector. The one responsible for our safety. I’m also startlingly aware that when he did finally come back to bed, and his arms wrapped around me, his hold on me was as much for me as it was for him.

“Here.” Tiffany pulls me from my train of thought, passing me the wipes for Liam.

I take them, pulling back the tab on the packet with difficulty as Liam protests in my arms. “Let me clean you up.” I struggle as he tries to go back to the window, his little arms reaching for it.

Tiffany laughs under her breath at me, making me reach a fever pitch of frustration. “What is it, Liam?”

He reaches, and I give up, letting him bounce across his seat to the glass. Both of his clean hands proceed to smear through the dirt he put on there a few minutes ago.

“Great.” Taking the last sip of my tea, Tiffany begins cleaning up the table, placing the sugar packets on her empty saucer. I can see her smiling. “Smile now, one day you’ll be dealing with this.”

She cracks a laugh, throwing her head back on her shoulders. “Respectfully, no. Absolutely not.”

“No?”

She doesn’t look at me as she mouths the word, “Never,” without a sound .

“It’s not all bad,” I try to tell her, watching her now wipe the crumbs from the table.

“Still no.” She plucks her phone from her bag and looks at me. “It’s never crossed my mind.”

She means she hasn’t found anyone who makes her feel like she could have a family of her own. “It might do one day. Maybe you just haven’t found Mr Right yet,” I point out, putting the wipes back into Liam’s bag and checking the time on my phone.

“Seems like you have,” she tells me, and I flash her a look.

Tiffany nods to the window, and when I turn my gaze, I realise what’s been dragging Liam’s attention for the past five minutes.

“Now, if I find a man who looks at me the way he’s looking at you, then yeah, maybe I’ll think about a family. But until then, I think I’m happy seeing my best friend get the ending she deserves.”

I look at her, seeing her beaming at me, then I look back at Luke standing against his car on the other side of the road. He lifts his hand, and I wave back from behind a frantic Liam, who’s desperately trying to break the window separating him from his new best friend.

“Will you let me know how you get on with your dad?”

With my heart drilling at the prospect of Luke being so close, I smile at Tiffany. “Of course.”

“Great. Then I’ll leave you to it.” She steps around the table and opens her arms for me.

“How long will you be away for?” I ask her, stepping into her hug. I peer over her shoulder seeing Luke crossing the road towards the café.

“One week. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear from you, alright?” We step back from each other. “I have meetings all week, but I’ll always have my phone to hand.”

“Got it.”

The door pings open behind us.

“Luke! Luke!” Liam hops from his chair and runs towards the door .

Startled, I move to stop him, but Luke holds out his arms, bending his legs, allowing Liam to jump right into them. He stands slowly, holding Liam scooped under his legs with one hand.

“Shit. My ovaries.”

I elbow Tiffany. “Don’t you have a plane to catch?”

“Ladies,” Luke says, striding towards us. “I think this belongs to you.” Jokingly he tries to pass Liam over, making him giggle with excitement, clinging onto Luke with everything he’s got.

I laugh, then catch Tiffany staring at Luke. With a subtle cough, she’s knocked from her trance and swings her bag over her shoulder. “Okay, kiddo,” she steps to Liam who’s at head height, “I’ll see you soon. Be good for Mummy.”

“Mamma?” It’s then he wants me to hold him.

Reaching forward, Luke passes him over, and I take him, quickly bending my legs and hoicking him up onto my hip.

“See you in a week.” Tiffany leaves us, but not before spinning around and holding her hands shaped in a love heart. She mouths, “Soulmate,” behind Luke, and the widening of my eyes has him turning to face her.

Waving at him, she smiles, backing out the door all mischievously.

“She’s nicer than your other friend.”

I laugh to myself under my breath, leaning to grab Liam’s bag from the table. “Jamie’s just worried, that’s all.”

We’ve spoken on the phone after I refused to let her ignore me, but I can tell she feels betrayed.

“Let me,” Luke says, grabbing the bag and placing his hand at the small of my back. “She’s worried about the break-in?”

I nod. “Yeah. Thank you.” We both turn and start heading towards the door. “She read the note and panicked, I guess. Anyway, she came to the hospital when you were… out… and she didn’t like dropping me off at the hotel. She’s hiding. It’s what she does when she’s worried.” Luke doesn’t reply, and I swivel my head to find him stood motionless a few paces behind me. “Luke?”

He stares blankly, his gaze like lasers slicing right through me. “Sorry.” He shakes himself from whatever’s troubling him, pulling his phone from his inner pocket .

“For what?”

Taking a few strides, he reaches me and opens the door, an infectious smile gracing his face. “It’s nothing. Come on. I have something I want to show you.”

After swinging by my house to grab Liam’s bike, we arrive at the kids’ skate park a few miles away. Unsure as to why we’re pulling up here , I chance a look at Luke.

He grins seeing me looking up at him, keeping his eyes forward on the road.

This place used to be a dive. Plenty of kids just hanging around and getting high when then should have been in school. In recent years, it seems as though a lot of money has gone into tidying it up. I can’t say I’ve ever really thought about bringing Liam here, but as we pull over and begin climbing out of the car, I can see a pleasant buzz surrounding the place.

“They play music here now?” There are two men wearing baggy jeans and t-shirts, one with a skateboard, the other with a bike.

“Looks good, doesn’t it?”

I grab the bike from the boot. “Better than good.”

We each take one of Liam’s hands as we cross the road. The closer we step; I can see how the men are in fact running some sort of event. There’s music playing and plenty of kids and families all participating in different activities.

“Wow,” I say, completely taken aback. There are food stands and a coffee hut set up in one corner of the park. “I didn’t realise this place had changed so much.” Luke smiles as I clip Liam’s helmet under his chin. Following behind, we have to walk fast to keep up with him, happily making our way around the park. “Be careful,” I shout to Liam, passing a woman and her dog walking towards us.

I hear Luke laugh before he’s pulling me closer, his arm wrapping around my body.

I tuck my hand into the small pocket on the back of his trousers. “How was your morning?” I ask, starting a very normal conversation on our very normal walk. It feels nice. Different from recent days.

After a brief pause, Luke kisses the top of my head. “Enlightening,” he replies .

I can’t help but scrunch my face a little.

“Yours?”

Liam leans too far the left, falling to his knee.

“Messy,” I reply, pulling myself from his arm, immediately missing the warmth from his body. I help Liam to his feet, noticing there’s a slight rip in the front of his jeans.

When I bend to assess the damage, Liam lets out a slight whimper. “Mamma?”

“It’s okay,” I comfort him, seeing a speck of blood.

“Come on, little man. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Luke doesn’t lift Liam, rather he walks to a stall and collects a couple of napkins off the side.

Liam doesn’t realise he’s still pushing himself along, not really concerned about his leg at all.

Dropping to one knee, Luke dabs the area clean. “Better?”

Liam nods, his eyes wide with wonder as he watches Luke.

“Good. Shall we get back to our walk?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Liam zips from underneath us, gliding down the path.

“Can I get either of you two anything?”

I look around seeing a little old lady behind the stall we used the napkins from. “No. Thank you. I better go catch the runaway.”

Luke beats me to it. “I got him,” he tells me, his strides much bigger than mine. He doesn’t break into a run as he follows Liam, keeping a watchful eye on him flying down the path.

“Lovely little boy you’ve got there.”

I offer a smile to the lady. She has a patchwork hat sitting lopsided on her head, beads and homemade jewellery dangling from her wrists. It makes me smile, thinking of Dad.

“How old?”

“Almost three.”

She coos, looking back to me. “They grow up so fast. Don’t let it run away from you.”

“I’ll try not to,” I say with a smile, fully aware that time seems to fly when you don’t want it to, yet moves slowly when you want it to move fast .

“You sure I can’t get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Water?”

“Go on then. I’ll take a tea please.”

“Milk and sugar?”

“Please.”

The lady’s jewellery rattles as she moves to the urn behind her and pours me a takeaway cup of tea.

My head turns to see Liam laughing, pushing his way through a flock of pigeons.

“Haven’t seen you around here before.”

I turn back to her. “I know. I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve brought my son here.”

“Can’t say I blame you. Hasn’t always been like it is now.” She adds some milk to the cup as the two men near the ramps encourage the bigger kids to take part in a challenge of skateboard limbo.

“I wonder what changed?” My comment is made to myself as I watch the kids all start to line up in front of the two men.

“Two pounds, please,” she says, and I reach to take my tea, pulling out my phone.

She taps the card machine on her stall. “Anonymous investor.”

Feeling my phone vibrate, signalling my payment, I look at her confused. “I’m sorry?”

The lady waves her hand. “All of this,” she starts. “It’s only possible because of an anonymous investor.”

I look out, seeing all the goodness and happiness being shared in front of me.

“Whoever put all that money into ensuring this place got cleaned up, really saw the importance of bringing families together.”

I find myself watching Luke as he and Liam circle back, making their way to where I’m standing.

“I haven’t seen you, but him I see every once in a while.”

She’s also watching Luke when I look her way. “How often?” I ask.

“Every few months he shows up and checks in with everyone. Every stall and youth worker here, he goes around making sure we’re all okay. First time he’s brought someone with him, though. ”

There aren’t enough words to describe the way my insides begin to warm. I know exactly who’s behind the anonymous investment, and it makes giant goosebumps scatter on my skin.

She hums at the same time Liam reaches us, using the soles of his shoes as brakes before he crashes into my legs.

“Steady,” I laugh.

“He drives like you,” Luke jokes, stepping closer before he glances to the lady. “I’ll take one of those please, Cynthia,” he then adds, lifting a finger to the tea in my hands.

Looking between the gorgeous man in front of me and Cynthia, I’m unable to counter his insinuation that I’m a bad driver. He has me caught under his spell with no clue how beautiful he is. Inside and out.

“You okay?” Luke asks me, watching my face as I study him.

“Fine,” I reply happily, stepping closer, breathing in his godly scent. “I was just telling Cynthia how much this place has changed.”

Luke looks at her back, then to me. “Changed for the better?” His voice carries a wavering uncertainty to it, but hope dances behind his eyes as if he needs to hear my approval. He would still care if he wasn’t the investor, but I can see it written all over his face that he is.

“Definitely for the better. I’ve never seen so many people here.” The sound of laughter carries through the cool air.

He smiles proudly, a tint of crimson lighting up his face as he tucks my hair behind my ear for me. He’s started doing that, along with playing with my hair whenever we’re stood so close together. “We should walk around, check out a few of the stalls.”

Internally, I can feel a happiness so intense, it actually scares me. Warmth floods my veins in a rush, making my head feel dizzy with a joy I’m not sure I’ve felt before. “I’d like that.”

Handing Luke his tea, Cynthia subtly gives me a wink before she turns to the card machine once more.

I feel like I’m going to burst. “Come on, you.” I tap the top of Liam’s helmet, spying the next stall I’m going to go and see.