We just needed to set a date.
‘Robbie,’ Mum said, drawing his eyes to hers. ‘Do you need anything? Food? Drink?’
‘I’ve eaten. Thank you, Mrs Wise.’
‘Polly,’ she said sharply. ‘Or Mum, if you’d like.’
He stilled utterly.
‘Mum!’ I said, wincing in embarrassed consternation. ‘Ugh. Robbie, you don’t have to—’
Robbie crossed the distance to Mum and pulled her into a giant hug, lifting her off her feet as he held her closely. ‘I would like that,’ he said, voice muffled against her. ‘It may take me time to be able to say it, but I would like that – one day.’
She wrapped her arms around him. ‘No pressure, Robbie. Whenever you’re ready.’ She squeezed him. ‘I always wanted more children.’ Her eyes found Grant’s and Ava’s, her other potential in-law children. ‘And I’m truly blessed in the new ones coming to me now. My children have excellent taste.’
Grant and Julian exchanged glances, and as Robbie set Mum down, Grant cleared his throat. ‘Talking of children, Julian and I have an announcement we’d like to make.’ He pulled out his phone. ‘Let me get my parents on a call too.’
He video-called his parents in Australia.
‘Good morning, Grant!’ his mum sang as the phone connected. ‘Oh well, I guess it’s evening for you, isn’t it? Being from the future is so hard.’ Her tone was teasingly warm. She started to chatter about her choir group before his dad interrupted.
‘Hush and let the boy speak, Mary,’ Darius rumbled. ‘He’s at Polly’s house. He’s calling for a reason.’
‘That’s right! We have news,’ Grant said quickly. ‘We wanted to tell you all together, all at once.’ He absolutely beamed.
Jules leaned in and together they blurted, ‘We’ve passed!’
Grant continued, ‘We’ve been approved by the panel to become adopters!’
The room exploded into excited congratulations. Hugs were tossed around like confetti.
Through it all, my heart warmed. They’d waited until Robbie had arrived to share the good news with us all.
Chapter Five
The celebration of Grant and Julian’s new status went on far later than our usual Sunday night dinners. Robbie and I rolled home at 1am, and bundled straight into bed. I’d had a few too many glasses of wine, and I tossed and turned all night long. When my alarm blared me awake, I wanted to throw it across the room.
I tugged on a dressing gown and mooched into the open space of the flat. Robbie took one look at me and turned the kettle on. He made a cup of tea for me while he started his day with coffee, black.
‘What do you want for breakfast?’ he asked, looking into my depressingly bare cupboards.
‘I’m fine,’ I said on a yawn. ‘I don’t need anything.’
A banana rose up from the fruit bowl and hovered pointedly in front of me.
‘Ghost and I agree,’ Robbie said, arms crossed. ‘You need something.’ He eyed the banana. ‘I don’t think that’s going to cut it, Bob. I’ll run out. Don’t go anywhere.’
‘Bob?’ I said with a laugh.
‘It’s rude to keep calling him “Ghost”. He could be a Bob. Bob’s your uncle. He has uncle energy. He cares.’ More than Robbie’s own uncle had done.
‘Yeah, I always thought the energy was female. Maternal, you know? She clucks over me. Bobette, maybe.’
Robbie looked toward the still-hovering banana. ‘Raise the banana up if you’re a man. Set it down if you’re a woman.’
The banana rose up.
Huh, I guess she wasn’t poor murdered Barbara Quinn after all. She was a he.
