Page 77 of Hidden Daughters (Detective Lottie Parker #15)

RAGMULLIN

SATURDAY

Amy was still asleep, so he crept up the stairs, took a shower and pulled on clean clothes. Then he went downstairs to make coffee. Probably created too much noise, because she woke up.

‘Good to see you home, Larry,’ she said, entering the kitchen and wrapping her arms around him.

‘You too. Toast? I’ve the kettle on.’

‘Are you working today?’

‘Unfortunately.’ He put two slices of bread in the toaster, mentally making a note to buy a bigger one. ‘It was a bit of a shit show in Galway.’

‘Boyd told me some of what was going on. He picked up Sergio yesterday. He’s an amazing kid, though he did miss his dad.’

‘How is Boyd?’

‘Hard to know. He said he and Lottie had a row. Between the lines, I think he’s broken up with her. You should talk to him.’

‘And I think we should stay well away from that drama.’ The bread popped up and he began buttering it.

‘Ugh.’ Amy ran from the room.

‘What did I do?’ Confused, he looked around as he heard her slam the bathroom door.

He knocked on the door. ‘Amy pet, what did I do?’

‘Nothing. Sorry.’

‘Are you okay in there?’

‘Give me a minute.’

He thought he heard her retch. A knot of anxiety twisted in his gut.

‘Are you sick?’

Stupid question. He could hear her and hoped he didn’t catch whatever she had.

No, he was fine, but he worried about her ongoing health issues.

Having been badly injured during the course of a murder case a while back, she still attended physio for her damaged leg.

Could there be something much worse than that going on?

‘Amy, please answer me.’

‘The door isn’t locked.’

He entered the confined space. She was sitting on the edge of the bath.

‘Will I call a doctor?’ He kneeled in front of her as she wiped her mouth with a towel. He took it from her and held her hand to stop it shaking.

‘Are you proposing?’ she said with a grin.

‘What?’ Then he realised the image she had before her. Him on his knees, his hands on hers.

‘God, no.’ He saw her expression fall. ‘I don’t mean it like that.

’ He wondered if perhaps he should ask her the pertinent question.

He loved her. Both of them had a troubled past and they were able to share experiences – and, he added in his mind, he really didn’t want to live his life without her.

‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘Don’t look so worried.’ Her face was strained as she tried to make light of her faux pas.

‘I’m thinking that maybe it’s not such a bad idea.’ He noticed her scrunched brow. ‘To get married. You and me. Tie the knot. You know?’

Her face lit up. ‘Do you mean that?’

‘Amy, I never meant anything like it in all my life. Will you marry me?’

He nearly toppled backwards as she threw her arms around his neck, leaned down and whispered in his ear, ‘This is the most unromantic proposal ever, in a bathroom with me puking my guts up, and I love you for it.’

‘Is that a yes?’

‘Of course it is.’

A swell of happiness rushed from his head to his toes as he stood, taking her with him. Then he felt her pushing him away and dashing to lift the lid of the toilet again.

‘You’re right, Amy. This is not the most romantic place to ask you to marry me,’ he said, holding her hair back as she retched.