Page 66 of One Day at a Time

Little one, your daddy is here.

‘It’s your baby.Ourbaby. Dylan I can’t believe you’re here.’ She was sobbing again, big heaving ugly sobs. Her mum was listening. She’d sent him. Maddie felt it. ‘How did you know?’ she said again.

‘My ex-wife pitched up out of nowhere and said she’d met you. She told me you were pregnant. I was always good at maths. And I knew you didn’t have an ex called Percy.’

‘That was a panic statement. So Rachel… You didn’t invite her over? She said you were getting back together.’

His glistening eyes widened at that information. ‘No! Maddie, I swear. She just arrived. I had no idea… I think she just heard I was doing well and was suddenly interested again.’

Val’s lips pursed, while Jessie exclaimed as if she’d just solved a criminal case. ‘I knew it! I didnae like the look of that lassie the minute I saw her. Way too fond of herself, that she was.’

‘So you don’t… don’t… love her…?’

‘I don’t love her, Maddie… I?—’

Before he could finish, she cut him off. ‘Oh no, oh no, another one.’

This time, it was Dylan who was talking her through it. ‘I’m here, Maddie, I’m here. I’ve got you. You can do this.’

When the contraction passed, he stroked her face.

‘Why didn’t you tell me, Maddie? I would have come back, I’d have stayed with you.’

‘I know that. That’s why I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t want to wreck your dreams.’

As he shook his head, and kissed the back of her hand, his grin was so wide it made her heart melt. ‘You just don’t get it.Maddie, I love you. And I had more than one dream. You were one of them too.’

‘You… love me?’

‘I love you.’

Maddie heard her trio of pals all sniff as he said that and Jessie was using her sleeve to dry her face.

Candy came back into the room at that moment to check her progress again. Val, Jessie and Alyssa all retreated over to the window to clear the way.

‘Okay, Maddie, I think we’re just about there. Are you ready?’

Was she ready? She had her friends. She had Dylan. She had her mum in every speck of light in the room.

‘Dylan, I… love… you… Did you…’ Pant… ‘Ever…’ Pant. ‘Dream about having a family?’

She felt her heart begin to race, and her stomach tighten as he nodded. ‘I did.’

‘That’s good… Because that one is about to come true too.’

33

AFTER THE SUN ROSE ON THE NEW YEAR

Sheena

10.55 a.m.

In the early hours of the morning, Sheena had wondered if there was anything that could top the heights of emotion that she felt after giving birth to Flynn and holding him in her arms, knowing that she could keep him. Now she knew that there was one thing. Or rather, one person. And her cousin, Nula, had promised to bring her here this morning.

Although, when she’d spoken to Nula last night, they’d worked out that Sheena already knew the daughter she’d given birth to twenty-nine years ago. Orla. The strange feeling of familiarity that she’d had when they’d met at ante-natal classes made so much sense now. And how had she not noticed the family resemblance? She’d registered that they both had wild red hair and green eyes, but when she thought back, she could see more things. Her own mother’s nose. Her grandmother’s smile. Sheena’s grandmother and Nula’s mum had been sisters, but the red hair had only made it down Sheena’s side of the family tree.

All those years ago, when her parents had pushed her and Gregor to have their baby adopted, Nula had begged them to let her take the child. She was about to turn forty, still single, and she’d recently lost her parents, leaving her with no other family, other than her Scottish cousins. She was a nurse, a kind, decent person with a huge heart, and Sheena’s only consolation was that she knew Nula would love the baby as if she was her own. That’s why she’d agreed to hand Orla over, and gone along with her parents’ decision that there should be no contact. Rightly or wrongly, and looking back now, it had been such a mistake, but they’d been young, and scared, and they’d done what they were told.