LITMIR.BIZ

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one that he cherished above everything else.’

      Laura swallowed hard. ‘If anyone deserved a loving family, Robert did.’

      ‘And you gave him that, Laura; never doubt it for a moment,’ the housekeeper told her firmly. ‘As to Mr O’Reilly, I’m sure you had your own reasons for not marrying him eight years ago.’

      Laura gave a humourless smile. ‘A very good reason, Amy. He never asked me!’

      The older woman raised blonde brows. ‘Some men aren’t very good at responsibility—’

      ‘He never knew about Bobby, Amy.’ Laura felt compelled to defend him.

      The other woman looked concerned. ‘That would no longer seem to be the case,’ she observed ruefully, looking in the direction of the garden, where Liam was now flying a kite with his son.

      Laura looked up at her. ‘You think Liam knows?’ her voice was hushed.

      ‘Don’t you?’

      ‘I have no idea,’ she burst out. ‘If he does know, he hasn’t said anything. And it isn’t the sort of thing I can come straight out and ask him!’ Especially as she would prefer it if Liam didn’t know! ‘If Liam does know, Amy, then why hasn’t he said anything?’ she asked emotionally.

      The housekeeper paused, straightened, and then replied, ‘I think you would have to ask him that.’

      But she couldn’t, not without revealing the truth herself. And it was a truth she still wasn’t sure Liam knew…

      Amy returned to peeling the potatoes. ‘Will there be two or three for lunch?’ she prompted lightly.

      ‘Two! No—three. I don’t know, Amy.’ She sighed wearily. ‘I’m not sure I know anything any more.’

      Last night it had seemed so cut and dried: Liam was going to stay out of her personal life but continue to let Shipley publish his book. Liam turning up here this morning to play with Bobby made a nonsense of all that.

      The housekeeper gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘I know this isn’t much comfort to you at the moment, but things do have a way of working themselves out.’

      But not always as one would like them to!

      Could Amy be right, that Liam did know Bobby was his son? And, if he did, why hadn’t he challenged her about it?

      She was no nearer knowing the workings of Liam’s inner mind now than she had been eight years ago!

      ‘I think I’ll go out and say good morning,’ she decided firmly, draining her coffee cup before standing up. ‘That should be harmless enough.’

      Amy nodded. ‘And I’ll prepare lunch for three. Just in case,’ she added with a glint in her eyes.

      Laura watched the two males in the garden unobserved for several minutes. Bobby was wrapped up warm in his winter coat; Liam was looking lithely attractive in denims and a thick blue chunky sweater.

      Both faces were lit up with boyish pleasure as they gazed up at the red kite high in the sky above them, dark hair ruffled, blue eyes glowing. Bobby was holding on to the string but Liam was standing behind him, helping to guide the kite away from entanglement with neighbouring trees.

      Laura felt an emotional pain in her chest as she watched them. How different their lives could have been if Liam hadn’t walked out of her life eight years ago…

      But by the same token, as Amy had already said this morning, if Liam hadn’t gone Robert would never have enjoyed five years of family life.

      Besides, what was the point of regretting something that was already a fact? Liam had left, and Robert had become her husband and Bobby’s father. Nothing could ever change that.

      ‘That looks like fun,’ she called out to the two kite-flyers.

      ‘Mummy!’ Bobby cried excitedly, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at her. ‘Look, Liam bought me a kite.’

      Liam glanced over his shoulder at her, his expression slightly wary. And with good reason, Laura thought crossly, all her old resentment resurfacing at sight of him! Bringing her son presents, stopping to play with him, had not been part of their agreement the evening before.

      Her gaze met Liam’s questioningly. ‘That’s nice,’ she said challengingly.

      Liam met that gaze unflinchingly. ‘Did you have a good sleep?’ he enquired.

      Almost as if he knew it had been the early hours of the morning before sleep finally claimed her! ‘Very good, thank you,’ she said tersely, going down the steps into the garden.

      Liam watched her progress down the lawn as she walked towards them, his eyes narrowed on her slenderness in the black denims and deep blue jumper. She knew soft wisps of her dark hair were framing the paleness of her make-upless face.

      Well, she hadn’t realised they would have a visitor so early on a Sunday morning!

      Laura met his gaze unflinchingly. ‘Enjoying yourselves?’ she asked.

      ‘Isn’t it great?’ Bobby was the one to enthuse, obviously thrilled with his new toy, ‘I’ve always wanted a kite of my own,’ he explained with a grin looking up at Liam.

      Laura felt that pain in her chest again as she looked at the two of them. How could they possibly have become so close in the hour or so Liam had been here? A natural gravitation to each other…? Whatever it was, that ache in her chest was starting to become a permanent feature!

      ‘I trust you thanked Liam for his gift?’ she asked Bobby, completely avoiding looking at Liam now.

      Anyone looking at them, Laura knew, who was unaware of the real circumstances, would have assumed they were a family: mother and father with a much-loved son. But anyone would be wrong. Very wrong!

      ‘Of course I did,’ Bobby replied with obvious surprise; one thing he had known from an early age were good manners.

      Her resentment at Liam’s presence here was starting to show, even to Bobby, Laura realised guiltily. But how else was she supposed to feel? Liam should not be here!

      ‘All little boys love to have a kite of their own to fly,’ Liam chuckled.

      But it felt like a slap in the face to her that Liam had been the one to realise—and rectify!—the lack of a kite in her son’s life. It seemed to bring into glaring focus her own inadequacies as a single mother, concerning the upbringing of the little boy. A father would have realised about the kite. Robert, for all he had lacked experience in the role until the late arrival of Bobby into his life, would have realised.

      Laura couldn’t help wondering what other oversights, as a lone female bringing up a male, she might have made…

      ‘Don’t start beating yourself with a stick,’ Liam said softly at her side, his gaze soft on her face now as Bobby moved off down the garden, holding tightly to the string of his kite. ‘I would be just as lost if you happened to have a daughter rather than a son,’ he assured her.

      Laura looked up at him. ‘That situation will never arise,’ she told him distantly.

      Dark brows rose over mocking blue eyes. ‘You aren’t even thirty yet, Laura!’

      Old enough to know she would never have any more children. After her earlier mistake she knew she would have to be married for that to happen.

      The only man she had ever loved in a romantic way had walked out of her life without even a glance backwards. The man she had married, although she hadn’t loved him in the same way, had been the most wonderful man she could ever hope to meet. To expect she could ever find both those things in another man was just expecting too much…

      ‘Old enough to know better,’ she retorted.

      Liam seemed to have lost interest in the subject as he turned his attention back to Bobby.

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