Page 88 of Scandal Queen

Daisy chuckled and pressed her nose against mine. “We hid in the palace, working on the decorations and things while you were asleep. As soon you went to the apartment we drove back around. Pops didn’t like us driving on the grass, but Ollie thought it was funny, and then the people came out to put up the marquee. Ollie timed them. He said it was the fastest ever.”

I blinked at her. “Wow. You drove on the grass, huh?”

She nodded, her blonde curls bouncing. “It was bumpy and fun.”

Molly thrust the bag she’d brought with her at me and I linked my hand through the handle and then grasped Daisy’s hand again. “I know you have other people to dress you now and make sure you wear the right thing, but I guess I miss doing it.”

I chuckled and leant over to kiss her cheek. “Coming with me?”

“Hell no. I’m going to go and sniff out some champagne before Sonja gets here.”

“Everyone is coming, right?”

Molly shot me a wide smile. “Really, I think you’d struggle to keep them away. It’s a step up from that dismal bar we had last year.”

I glanced at the palace over my shoulder. It sure was.

“Coming with Mummy, or do you need to go and wreck more lawn with Ollie?”

“You.” Daisy’s little arms tightened and for a brief and insanely selfish moment I missed our time together. Our family had grown. We shared each other now, and my heart had grown with it, but sometimes I wanted to just smell her hair, have that ripple of immense pride run through me, and know she was all mine.

She was still mine.

I’d fought for her and I would still.

I shut off my thoughts from the woman at the flats. This was my birthday and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.

Back in the cottage I unclasped Daisy’s hands, so she fell and bounced on the sofa. “Mummy, you need to get changed, everyone will be here soon.” She kicked her legs, her welly boots splattering mud everywhere.

“How long have you known about this for?” I gave her my ‘tell me all’ look but she clamped her lips together and shook her head.

Oh, it’s like that is it?

I lifted my hands into claws. “Uh, oh. You know who this is.”

Her eyes widened. “No, no tickle monster.” With a screech she launched from the sofa and I gave chase, abandoning the bag Molly had given me.

“I’m coming to get you.” I chased her up the stairs and launched into her room where a tell-tale giggle escaped from under her bed. Not that I didn’t know where she hid; in Wellington boots Daisy stomped like a T-Rex.

“Okay, okay, I’m not going to get you. Just come out and give me a birthday cuddle. If you guys are going to make me go into a huge tent and ‘people’ this evening then I definitely need a Daisy cuddle first.”

A strand of hair poked out first, then her nose. “Promise, no tickling.”

“I swear on the Girl Guide law.”

“Like at Rainbows?”

“Yeah.” I shifted uneasily. Rainbows was yet another thing Daisy had given up, along with ballet and a host of her other pastimes so we could live here in the palace with Ollie.

“So what did you guys talk about today? You must have been busy for hours.” She rolled out from under the bed and settled on my lap. I squeezed my arms around her tight. “This is a very pretty dress by the way.”

She kicked her legs, her boots thudding on the floor again. “I know. It was a gift.”

“From Ollie?”

“No, from Pops.”

“Oh, okay.” I tried to school my expression. “So anyway, tell me about your day.”