LITMIR.BIZ

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their usual endearments.

      Mia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It looked like the time for hiding out and looking after only her own needs was over. The world outside was beckoning her forward and for once she felt strong and centred enough to face it. First she needed to speak to Daniel and see what he wanted to do. She felt a bit weird about leaving him alone in the house, but then she supposed it was because she had only ever pictured them there together.

      She thought again about Bill and Pat. It had been too long since she had seen them and perhaps it was time to sort that out too. She picked up the phone and screwed her courage tight as she dialled their number.

      ‘Mia, lovely girl, is that really you?’ The bright greeting was enough to lift Mia’s heart and she found herself smiling as though Pat would be able to see her.

      ‘Hello, Ma, how’s things? Sorry it’s been so long since I called.’

      ‘Hush, lovey. Bill and I understand perfectly how hard everything has been for you. Are you okay though? Nothing wrong is there?’ The warmth and caring enveloped Mia even from a distance and she said a silent prayer of thanks that she had such wonderful surrogates in her life in Pat and Bill and now also Madeline and Richard.

      Mia quietly explained about what had been happening with her parents and the state that Kiki was in trying to manage everything. She didn’t have to go into all the gory details as Pat had held her through many crying sessions when she had been younger and was still trying to come to terms with the fact that her parents just didn’t love their daughters the way other parents did.

      ‘Do you want Bill to drive down and fetch you, darling? You know he wouldn’t mind a bit.’ There was a muffled exchange as Bill obviously heard the comment and wanted to know what was wrong.

      ‘No, no, I’ll probably come up on the train and if you can pick me up the other end, that would be great. I’ll hire a car when I get up there if I need one.’ Following assurance that she had a friend who could drop her off at the station at this end and a promise to text with the train times, Mia hung up and headed out to explain to Daniel that she would be away for a few days.

      Mia pressed her face to the window of the train and watched the trees and fields rush past. Daniel had been brilliant about everything and had even offered to leave the house and go back to London whilst she was away. It wasn’t until he had made the offer that she realised how much happier she would feel knowing that the house was being looked after. She trusted Daniel and the others implicitly.

      She promised him she would be fine and said she would prefer he stayed and got on with the plans for the barn. With any luck, Luke would finish up his sketches for the harem suite and she would have something new to get stuck into when she got home. Now things were progressing, she was eager to get the house whipped into shape. They might even make it in time for the summer season.

      It also made more sense to leave the car there so Daniel wasn’t stranded. Madeline and Richard had called the night before and she had explained what was going on. They had promised to come over and help Daniel. Madeline had sounded pleased to have someone to fuss after and take care of. Mia couldn’t believe how blessed she was with her friends and she knew that whatever happened over the next week, she had a solid base to return to. Butterfly Cove finally felt like home and the thought of what she was leaving behind would sustain her over the days to come.

Chapter Sixteen

      Her in-laws were full of hugs and kisses, swooping down on the station platform and gathering her close like a long-lost daughter. It was their open affection and easy manner that Jamie had inherited and between them they had helped Mia to soften and relax her defensive shields.

      They had three other sons and a brood of grandchildren, which had helped to cushion the loss of Jamie just a little. The family had rallied around and pulled Mia into their warm love and shared grief, which had helped for the first few weeks, but then she had found it too hard. Their constant presence had merely served to remind Mia of what she had lost rather than offering the solace of what she still had. Distance and perspective had helped her with that, though, and she was glad that Bill and Pat insisted on remaining a presence in her life, although a restrained and slightly distant one as that is what she had needed at the time.

      It struck Mia then that she had been quite selfish in her desire to withdraw and hide and she was so grateful that they had decided to keep their door (and their arms) open to her. They had just reached the car as she turned and clutched Pat a tight hug.

      ‘I love you, Pat, you and Bill.’ Her voice was husky around the tears she was suddenly holding back. ‘I’m sorry I ran away but I just had to. I’m sorry if that hurt you but I hope you can forgive me.’

      Pat pulled back and clasped Mia’s face tightly in her hands. ‘One of the greatest gifts our Jamie gave us was you, Mia. You are as precious to us as one of our own and we completely understand why you needed to distance yourself. We missed you horribly and we just hope that you won’t vanish on us again. We’re dying to hear about the house and we are definitely on the list to be your first paying guests.’

      Bill moved up behind them and curled his arm around Mia’s shoulders, pulling her close and pressing a long and heartfelt kiss to her temple. He was a quiet man most of the time but still demonstrative and Mia felt warmed through to her toes by his solid support. She would need them over the next few days, but she knew they would never let her down.

      Mia’s mobile phone trilled in her pocket and they all stepped away whilst she looked at the screen. Bill placed her bag in the boot of the car and Pat ushered her into the back seat whilst she read the message from Daniel. He was claiming that Madeline was smitten with Aaron and Luke and didn’t know whether to adopt them or elope with them. Mia smiled at the silliness and she looked up and caught Bill’s eye in the rear-view mirror.

      ‘That’s a smile that only a man can put on a girl’s face,’ he said with a wink as he manoeuvred the car into the traffic.

      The shock of his comment left her winded and Mia turned her hot face towards the window. She had been wondering how to broach the subject of Daniel with them. She had decided that it was something that needed to be discussed during her visit. She had never been one for lies or deceit and they had always been so decent to her that anything else felt terrible.

      ‘I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Sweetie. I’m just an old fool for prying; pay me no mind. It would just do our hearts good to know that you weren’t all by yourself down there. We know how much you loved our boy. We also know how he would’ve hated to see you so lonely and sad. If you’ve found some happiness, then it would please me no end.’

      Mia turned back to meet his eyes as they sat at the traffic lights. It was one of the longest speeches she could remember Bill giving and she loosened her seat belt so that she could lean forward between the seats in front.

      ‘Are you sure, Bill? I would hate to hurt you or have you think I was disrespecting Jamie’s memory. It just sort of happened. I never planned it, never looked for it and now I seem to be deep into something without really knowing how I got there.’

      Pat turned in her seat with a smile on her face and just the hint of moisture in her eyes. ‘Tell us all about him, Mia.’

      Mia sat back in her seat and explained how Daniel had come to be in her life. She paused often in the narrative as she sorted it through in her own mind. Things had become so intense so quickly and there had been so much emotional upheaval in just two short months that it was good to get some perspective on the situation.

      The next few days would give Mia and Daniel both the chance to think things through and make sure that they weren’t just swept up in the need for someone, anyone, to relieve their loneliness and misery respectively. Mia was coming to terms with her feelings but she was suddenly glad of the space to chew everything over in her mind.

      She didn’t want to talk about it with Kiki too much, worried that her own happiness would offer such a stark

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