Page 54

Harper

Several year later

“I do it, Mummy!”

I loved my daughter. Sometimes I had to tell myself that over and over, like a mantra, but it remained true. Just sometimes, occasionally, my very strong willed, determined little girl had my teeth grinding together.

Like right now, as she fought to get her rashie over her head.

Piper was three now, and while people had warned me it was worse than two, I hadn’t wanted to hear it until now.

I watched her little limbs fight the stretchy material, her grunts of frustration getting louder and louder, each one feeling like a body blow.

I could have the rashie over her head, her arms in the sleeves and she could be paddling with her dads in seconds, but instead I waited.

“Hello, darling girl.”

Today was Piper’s birthday, so all of the families were present. Mum appeared by our side, taking in my daughter’s dilemma with a gentle smile. What the freaking hell was that? If this was twenty-five years ago, she’d be wrenching that over my head and then smacking me on the arse for being a pain.

“Nanna, help!” Piper said. “Help, Nanna!”

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip, biting back the sharp retort that was right there.

“Of course, baby.” Mum bent over, helping Piper put the rashie on, laughing when my daughter’s face popped through the neck hole. “There she is! My big birthday girl. How old are you now, Piper?”

“Three.” Pipes blushed at that, then flung her arms around my mother’s neck, giving her a hug. “Thank you, Nanna!”

Without a second glance, she giggled and ran off to the pool, throwing herself off the edge, just so that Tor was forced to leap and catch her.

“She’s getting so big,” Mum said.

Our relationship was still tense. It wasn’t that I was holding onto old resentments, but we honestly hadn’t had that many positive interactions, which made it difficult to build a relationship. She was trying though.

“You’re very good with her.” Mum shot me a sidelong look. “A lot more patient than I was.”

Don’t say it , I thought furiously. Don’t say it.

Because there was no point now. I’d had my say more than once and every time Mum crossed a boundary, we’d have another conversation, but Piper? She seemed to be the motivation Mum needed. Being a grandmother seemed to soften her somehow.

“You’re an amazing mother.” Why did I need to hear that?

Maybe because being a parent was confusing, scary, overwhelming and incredible and often all four on the same day.

“And now you’re running a successful business.

” She turned back to the pool, the two of us waving as Piper shrieked and then shouted for us to watch her. “I’m…”

Why the hell did I hang on that last word, waiting for it to drop? Would I ever get to the point when I didn’t care? Probably not.

“I’m proud of you.”

My throat worked, ready to reply, but something choked the words off. Mum noted this with a smile, right as Nanna called out to us. She was sitting at the table on the deck, protected from the sun and splashes, no longer moving quite as easily as she did. We both walked over.

“Hello, darling,” she said to me, holding out her cheek for me to kiss, then her eyes narrowed as she took Mum in. “What’re you wearing yellow for, Susie? You know that washes you out.”

I shook my head, aware of what I was seeing. This could be one long line of mothers hassling their kids, or…? I grinned as Tor tossed Piper to Kieran, only for Mack to snatch her out of the air and swim off with her, muttering something about it being dangerous. Or I could start a whole new cycle.

“Hello, ladies.” Anya came over carrying a perilously high pile of presents. “I brought a little something for our tiger princess.”

“Will Piper become a tiger when she’s older?” Mum asked Nanna in a low voice.

“And something for you, darling.” Anya pressed a box into my hand. Before I could protest, she turned to Mum. “Susie, you look stunning in that blouse. Yellow really is your colour.”

Did she…? Yep, Tor’s mum shot me a sly wink.

“Oh, thank you,” Mum said.

“And Agnes. Mother tells me you are the queen of the bingo hall?”

“Oh, I’m lucky sometimes…”

Their chatter, the screams of the kids, the crackle of the barbeque, they all washed over me, creating a soundscape that I would always associate with this.

Home.

My pack, my sleuth, my ambush, my family.

“Hey, girl…” I looked up to see Daria had walked in, then was up and on my feet, walking over to her. “And where’s my little PD?”

Piper’s middle name was Daria, something my bestie never thought I would actually do, but hey. You get taken hostage for me. I figured I owed her.

“Aunty D!”

My little princess clambered out of the pool and came rushing over, throwing herself at Daria’s legs.

“Hey, Pumpkin!” She ruffled my daughter’s wet hair. “I got you a present.”

“Present!” Piper abandoned us, rushing towards the pile on the table.

“Piper!” I yelled, because we’d talked about this. Wrapping paper might be crack for my mercenary little monster, but she needed to learn to at least pretend to be considerate. “Piper, after lunch!”

“Guess I was right.”

Daria appeared beside me as I scooped my daughter up and into my arms, resorting to tickling her when she started to fight free.

“Right about what?” I ground out, setting Piper down. “Darling, we talked about this. After lunch. After.”

“Going to Bunnings, finding real men. No more fu…. fun boys.” Piper looked up, seemingly having sixth sense for when an adult was about to swear. “Guys that were worth spending a life with.”

I looked over to where my guys were getting out of the pool, focussed now on redirecting our daughter.

“You were right,” I said.

“What?” Daria made a show of putting her hand to her ear.

“You were right, OK. If you hadn’t dragged me out of my bed, naked and still drunk I…” I shook my head, because part of me didn’t even want to think about it. “I’d miss out on the best part of my life.”

“All I heard was I was right,’ she said, ruffling my hair until I was forced to shove her away. Piper turned, watching our very immature display with a wicked grin.

“Play, Mummy, play!”

“Your wish is my command, princess.”

I hoisted her onto my back and then went stomping around the yard, pretending to be a monster, the sound of her cackles music to my ears. There was nowhere else I’d rather be.