I glanced up from my laptop to find Millie pointing at the TV. I’d had it on low on one of her cartoon shows while I worked on some rewrites Theo had sent over for our show. Millie, however, must have switched a channel or something because a trailer forYoung Adultwas playing.
Muttering expletives under my breath, I lunged for the remote and changed it back to her cartoon.
“Mumma!” Millie toddled over to me indignantly, reaching for the remote. “No!”
“Mumma’s right here.” I dropped the remote and lifted Millie into my arms. “You don’t need to see Mumma on TV because I’m right here.”
“No, no.” She stretched toward the remote control, her face crumpling.
The sound of our security system binging had relief flooding through me. “Is that Nana Regan?”
Millie let out a giggle of excitement. “Nana!” I took her hand and we slowly made our way over to the panel on the wall. Sure enough, it was Mum getting out of her car.
She was here to collect Millie because Fyfe and I were celebrating a very belated one-year anniversary this evening.
A lot had happened in the past year.
So much.
Not all of it pleasant.
Of course, I’d had to endure facing Peter Pryor at trial. Had to endure knowing the jury had seen enough of the footage he’d kept of me to know that he’d violated my privacy for years from the age of nineteen. The media were like buzzards all over the trial, trying to pick at my innards. Fyfe and Millie kept me strong. The work Theo and I were doing on the show kept me strong. Knowing I had a beautiful future ahead of me if only I could get through my ugly present kept me going.
Peter Pryor was sentenced to ten years in prison for stalking, assault, and violation of privacy. To me, it wasn’t enough.
But it didn’t matter.
Pryor died of a stroke three weeks into his sentence.
It was a sad legacy for a man that his death provided nothing but relief for me.
After the trial, I faced another round of scrutiny when I testified against Dr. Cameron Phillips. He wasn’t charged, but itwas still worth it to go through that because he lost his medical license. Uncle Lachlan told me just yesterday that Dr. Dick, as we called him, had relocated to Australia.
Good fucking riddance.
Though I felt bad for Australia.
They deserved better than Dr. Dick.
There were some lovely moments in the year. Like Millie calling meMummafor the first time instead ofAe. And the first time she walked by herself. Now she was toddling around the room, picking up things and usually throwing them. We had to have eyes on the back of our heads.
“Shall we open the door for Nana?” I asked.
Millie clapped her hands and almost stumbled with her exuberance. “Yesh!”
I took her hand again and opened the front door.
Mum’s eyes lit up when she saw Millie. “Millie Billie!”
“Nana!” Millie reached out for her with her free hand, all the while straining at my grasp.
My entire family had fallen deeply in love with Millie. To them, she was as good as my biological daughter. Loving Millie made me understand my mum better. There was a small part of me that had always worried since Morwenna came along that Mum might never love me like she loved Mor. But I knew now, loving Millie, that I had nothing to worry about. My heart belonged to Millie just as it would belong to any biological children Fyfe and I might have together.
A half hour later, Mum had departed with Millie and her overnight bag, and I got in the shower. Fyfe and I had a night to ourselves, so I wanted to be plucked and gleaming for what I hoped would be a very energetic evening in bed.
I was straightening my hair when I heard Fyfe downstairs. He didn’t call up or come find me, so I finished getting ready and strolled downstairs in the sexy floral summer dress I’d boughtjust for the occasion. I left my hair down and my feet bare. Rounding the staircase, I turned and abruptly halted. The lights were low and our dining table was aglow with candlelight.
Fyfe had thrown his suit jacket over the back of the couch, removed his socks, shoes, and tie, and rolled up his shirt sleeves while he cooked at the stove. The living space already smelled amazing.
