Elle and Jenny glanced at each other, then back at Irene. The look on her face had changed from puzzlement to astonishment. The penny had dropped and Elle discreetly nodded to confirm what she was thinking.
Irene touched Wilson’s elbow gently. ‘I think it might be better if you sit down,’ she suggested.
‘What’s going on? Are you okay?’ Wilson asked, looking towards his mum.
‘I can leave you to talk privately,’ Elle offered, glancing at Jenny.
She didn’t know how Wilson was going to react to the news, or exactly what he knew about his mum’s past.
‘No, I want you to stay, Eleanor, and you too, Irene.’ She smiled softly at Irene, who gave a slight nod.
‘Eleanor?’ Wilson queried. ‘But your name is Elle.’
‘Elle is short for Eleanor,’ Irene said gently.
Jenny touched Wilson’s arm. He looked at Elle. ‘It’s you, isn’t it?’
Elle nodded. She didn’t know how Wilson would be feeling. He’d become her friend over the last couple of months, and in an amazing twist of events, his adoptive mum was her biological mum.
‘Yes, Wilson, Elle is my daughter.’
‘But I thought Irene was your mum. Irene Cooper – Elle Cooper.’
‘My real name is Eleanor Hansley. Irene is my foster mum, and I changed my name by deed poll a few years back so we’d have the same surname.’
‘How about we walk back to my house to talk there?’ Irene proposed. ‘It’s not too far and I’ll put the kettle on. I think we could all do with a very strong cuppa.’
* * *
Ten minutes later, after taking the water taxi, they reached Irene’s house. The second she opened the front door Buddy came bounding towards them, shaking his toy and wagging his tail.
‘My gosh, he’s grown,’ Elle exclaimed, scooping him up off the floor and cuddling him.
‘He’s gorgeous!’ Jenny exclaimed.
‘Oh, he is – especially when he’s asleep,’ Irene said, chuckling.
They all settled in the living room whilst Irene made a pot of tea. ‘Be a love, Elle, and grab that plate of biscuits from the kitchen for me.’
Buddy followed Elle into the kitchen. ‘These aren’t for you, little man. Here, have one of these instead,’ she said, throwing him a chew from the barrel on the sideboard. He snatched it out of the air and scampered off towards his playpen.
After the tea had been poured, Elle looked at Wilson, who was clearly still taking it all in.
‘How are you feeling?’ she asked tentatively.
‘I’m happy for Mum. She’s waited for this moment for a long time.’ He smiled at Jenny then hugged her. ‘But I never expected to know you. It’s quite unbelievable.’
Elle couldn’t agree more. She’d never expected, when she woke up this morning, to discover that Jenny was her mother.
‘But I think it’s brilliant,’ he added, a wide smile spreading across his face. ‘I really do. I’ve seen what Mum goes through every birthday and Christmas. The heartache you must have both been carrying around, wondering who the other one is. This is a new start and I’m happy for you both.’
‘Thanks, Wilson, that means a lot.’ Elle stood up and extended her arms. Wilson mirrored her actions and they hugged tight.
Watching them embrace, Jenny brushed a tear from her cheek. Elle gestured for her to stand up. Irene followed and suddenly they were all hugging tightly, tears running down their cheeks. Buddy barked at their feet, not wanting to be left out, and Elle scooped him up in her arms. ‘We’re one big family now and we wouldn’t leave you out,’ she said, kissing the top of his head.
As soon as they sat back down, Jenny dabbed her eyes with a tissue. ‘I still can’t believe this day is here. For years, I’ve lived with the guilt of leaving you behind, Elle, of not knowing what happened to you. Every day the pain got worse and worse. Some days were better than others; some days I couldn’t even bring myself to get out of bed. And some days I just existed. There was a part of me that was always lost,’ she continued. ‘However…’ She turned towards Wilson and took both of his hands in hers. ‘I can start healing now – I can build a relationship with Elle.Wecan build a relationship with Elle. Our family is complete.’
He smiled at his mum as she squeezed his hand. ‘What a day.’
