Page 99 of All Yours

‘What’s going on? You were so quiet last weekend. And now you’re upset. It’s all been since Finn—’ Wren said.

‘No,’ Robyn cut in, feeling broken inside. ‘It’s all been since Fox.’

The admission felt like pure relief, even as she saw the surprise on Wren’s face.

‘Fox? You’ve got something going on with Fox?’ Robyn nodded and Wren gasped, leaning in as close as she could, her eyes wide. ‘Since when?’

Robyn knew it was now or never, and Wren was her best friend in the world. It was time to tell the truth.

‘Since last year, when I met him at a games convention.’

‘Which games convention?’ Robyn could see her friend’s brain working, as she remembered the gossip she’d heard the year before. Her eyes widened even further. ‘Not the one where he had . . .’

‘A one-night stand,’ Robyn confirmed with a nod.

The two women stared at each other.

‘Which resulted in a baby he doesn’t know is his.’

Wren’s mouth dropped open.

‘Willow is his?!’ Robyn nodded again, and Wren clutched Robyn’s hands in hers before rolling her eyes. ‘Now I understand the “confusion” with Willow’s birthday!’ She shook her head. ‘Why haven’t you told him?’

‘I never expected to see him again, and I had no way of contacting him. I was happy bringing Willow up on my own. When the universe put Fox in front of me again, I decided to get to know him before I told him about Willow. I had to make sure that he would commit to being her dad, because I know how it feels to be rejected.’

‘Not every dad is like your dad, just like you’re nothing like your mum,’ Wren said gently. Robyn couldn’t help but shrug.

‘Finn couldn’t commit either.’

‘And not every man is like Finn! You’ve just met the wrong men so far.’

‘Maybe you’re right. But I can’t take risks with Willow’s heart. I have to be sure. So I’ve been enjoying getting to know Fox, and it turned into getting to know him, um, very well.’

Wren raised a knowing eyebrow.

‘But just to confuse things I seem to have developed feelings for him along the way,’ Robyn said. ‘Big feelings.’ She gulped and her eyes burned with fresh tears.

‘And he doesn’t feel the same?’ Robyn shook her head and the tears fell. She swiped them away.

‘I think he’s still in love with Meg and can’t imagine committing to anyone else. He toyed with me for a while and now he’s moved on to Erin.’

Wren exhaled slowly, rubbing her belly rhythmically as she thought things through.

After a moment, she said, ‘That doesn’t sound like the Fox I know, not at all. Want my advice?’

‘Please,’ Robyn said quietly. She trusted Wren, always had, always would do.

‘Tell him about Willow.’

Robyn sat back in shock, the thought turning her stomach upside down.

‘He deserves to know. He’s a good man,’ Wren said, with feeling. ‘And he’s a great dad.’

Robyn felt that. It squeezed her heart. She’d thought the same a million times, when he ruffled George’s hair, or helped Reggie with his reading. He always had time for his boys, and he always put them first. They were the first thing he thought about in the morning, and the last thing he did at night was to peek in their rooms to see them sleeping. He was a great dad. There was no denying it. Robyn closed her eyes.

‘I don’t know what you’re waiting for, if I’m honest,’ Wren said. Robyn glanced out of the big arched windows towards the night sky, the guiding stars, the universe.

‘I’m waiting for a sign,’ Robyn replied. ‘Something that will help me be sure that I’m not setting Willow up to follow in my footsteps, even before she’s learned to walk.’