Page 41 of The Hidden Daughter (The Lost Daughters #7)

Amalie sat beside Alexander, her head dropped to his shoulder as they watched their daughter toddle about.

She was an endless source of happiness and amusement, and she was also the glue that had held their marriage together as they’d struggled with their loss of Oskar in different ways.

Amalie had grieved Oskar when Alexander had tried to touch her, confused about how she was feeling in the wake of his passing; and Alexander had been racked with guilt at times when they were together, feeling as if he’d stepped into his brother’s life and somehow taken it from him.

But more recently, they’d settled into a new life together, one that kept his mother at bay as much as possible, and allowed them to slowly develop feelings for each other that continued to grow, hour by hour, day by day, week by week.

The more time they’d spent alone, just the two of them, the more they’d seen the life they could create.

Now, Amalie realised she’d known Alexander for two years, compared to the two months she’d known his brother, and her grief had slowly turned into a new-found love.

Not the passionate, all-consuming first love she’d felt for Oskar, but a slower, more considerate love that had grown steadily between them, fuelled by their desire to give Aina the best life they could.

It felt like a more mature love, and one that she hoped would only continue to grow with every passing year.

‘Is it strange for me to say that I can see why my brother fell so hard for you?’

Amalie laughed. It was a comment they could never have shared in their first few months of marriage, even the first year, but they certainly could now.

‘I often wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn’t found my way back to you,’ she said. ‘To think that I might not have seen my daughter, our daughter, grow…’

Alexander held her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her skin, his lips hovering. It was a thought too painful to imagine, for each of them. She didn’t often let her mind wander to the past, not anymore, because she was no longer interested in looking back.

‘Are you happy?’ he asked, keeping hold of her hand. ‘Truly happy?’

‘I am,’ Amalie whispered, even as she fought against tears. ‘I’m grateful every day to be here with you.’

He shook his head. ‘That’s not what I asked. I want to know if you’re happy, Amalie.’

She placed her hands on either side of his face, staring into his eyes. ‘I am happy,’ she said. ‘Truly happy.’ Then she kissed him, his warm lips moving beneath hers, a kiss that now filled her with warmth and anticipation.

‘Sometimes I worry—’

‘Shhh,’ she said, as Aina came running towards them with her little arms outstretched. She watched as Alexander caught her and held the little girl high in his arms as she cried with delight. ‘We could not be happier. We love you, Alexander, both of your girls love you with all our hearts.’

They sat together as Aina got down and ran off again, squealing with excitement as she put out her arms and giggled to herself about whatever game she was playing.

‘Mamma!’ she called. ‘Pappa!’

Amalie glanced at Alexander and saw the smile that stretched his face wide as his daughter called for him.

Sometimes now, she forgot entirely that Aina wasn’t his natural-born daughter, because it was often Alexander who the little girl would run to, wanting to be lifted onto his shoulders or carried in his strong arms. It was Alexander she wanted curled up to her in bed, reading stories, with space made for Mamma on one side so she could listen, too.

She’d never dared to ask him what he’d given up for her.

Whether there was a lover or a girlfriend he’d had to part with, whether he’d even wanted a family of his own or a wife.

Because they had found their own way in the world, come to an arrangement that had become a beautiful union in so many ways, and the love she had for him now was deeper and more meaningful than anything she’d ever felt before.

‘I think our daughter wants us,’ she said, as Aina called their names again.

Alexander took her hand and they walked towards her, laughing as she ran circles around them and then caught Amalie around the legs, holding her tight.

‘Come on, little one, it’s time for lunch,’ Amalie said. ‘Let us swing you all the way in.’

Aina giggled with delight and ran between them, her warm little hand in Amalie’s on one side, and Alexander’s on the other, as they swung her back and forth between them.

Amalie thought of Hope then, as she looked up at the blue sky, and wondered what she was doing, whether she was happy.

The one promise she’d made to Alexander was to keep their secret about Aina’s conception, and so she’d never written to Hope to ask for her ring back, even though it had almost broken her heart not to.

One day she would; one day she would find her way back to London to see the woman who’d made it possible for her to be a mother, but for now, she was content with the life she’d created.

‘Mamma, why you crying?’ Aina asked, tugging on her hand.

‘Because I’m so happy,’ she said, blinking away her tears and lifting her to sit on her hip. ‘Sometimes I have tears when I’m with you, because you make my heart so full.’

Aina placed her hand on her mother’s chest, and Alexander slung his hand around her waist, dropping a kiss to her hair. His eyes asked a question, but she leaned into him, nestling her head to his shoulder.

I am happy, Oskar. I might not have you, but I have a life that brings me joy. But without you, I would never have had our little Aina, and for that alone, I will never, ever forget you.