Nick frowned. ‘Nothing to do with me?’
Luke shook his head again. ‘It may surprise you to hear this,’ he said. ‘Not everything is about you, Nick Andrews.’
Nick took another sip of his pint. ‘Come on, tell me whatever it is I’m missing, and please be quick about it. I promised the babysitter I’d be home by nine, and it’s already half-past eight.’
‘I’m not sure what there is to tell,’ said Luke. ‘Kitty didn’t seem horrified to me. She was scared.’
Scared? What did Kitty have to be scared about? ‘Do you think she’s told Alice what’s going on?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine,’ said Luke. ‘Possibly, because if there’s anyone who understands how hard it is to start over, it’s Alice. Hopefully, Kitty will trust her enough to open up.’
‘Yeah,’ said Nick. ‘Do you think I should try talking to her?’ He wasn’t sure what he’d say.
‘No,’ said Luke. ‘The best thing you can do is to give her space. When she’s ready, she’ll talk to you.’
‘But I’m going to have to see her, when we work on the play, and when I drop Emily off at school.’
‘And you’ll be friendly to her,’ said Luke, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ‘She’ll be embarrassed after what happened this evening. Don’t make things worse for her.’
‘As if I would,’ said Nick, offended at the thought. ‘Right.’ He gulped the last of his pint and set the glass on the table with a soft thud. ‘As much as I’d love to stay here and drink with you all evening, I really have to get back.’
‘Listen to you,’ said Luke. ‘You’re turning into a responsible adult human being.’
‘I was always a…’ Nick started, then thought better of it. ‘Yeah, fair point. Anyway, I do need to get home. Thanks for coming tonight. I appreciate it. And hey, what’s with Solly and Jack? Isn’t that a turn-up for the books? I’d never have the pair of them pegged as thespians.’
Luke laughed. ‘I’ve long since stopped being surprised when those two brothers surprise me.’
Nick was still chuckling to himself when he arrived home to find his babysitter, Paige, scrolling through her phone. The house was quiet. ‘Everything all right?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, Emily’s been perfect. She’s dead to the world in there. I went to check on her five minutes ago, and everything’s fine.’
‘Thank you,’ said Nick. ‘You really helped me out tonight.’
‘You’re helpingme,’ said Paige, as Nick handed over a couple of banknotes. ‘I’m desperate for driving lessons, but Mum’s making me pay for them myself. She says I need to learn not to rely on other people.’
‘Wise words,’ said Nick, thinking how he wished he’d learned that before the age of twenty-seven. ‘Thanks again, Paige. I’ll see you soon.’
‘Anytime,’ said Paige. ‘The more hours you can throw my way, the better.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind.’
Once Paige had gone, Nick crept along the corridor and stopped outside Emily’s door. He pushed it open with a barely audible creak and stepped inside.
Emily hated sleeping with the curtains closed, and moonlight spilled through onto her face. He crouched down beside the bed and lifted a hand to her cheek. His fingers hovered millimetres from her skin and settled there.
She was too beautiful to touch, and his heart swelled at the thought she was his. Without even realising it, he’d been part of creating her. Emily was, by a mile, his greatest achievement in life – even if he’d had nothing to do with how well she’d turned out, other than providing his sperm, and unknowingly at that.
Emily stirred. Her eyes flickered open. ‘Nick?’
‘It’s all right,’ he said, letting his fingers meet her skin and gently stroking her cheek. ‘I was just checking on you. Go back to sleep.’
Emily snuffled and turned onto her side, her face nuzzling into his hand. ‘Stay with me for a bit,’ she whispered.
Nick climbed onto the bed and lay beside her. She cuddled closer in. He stretched his arm across the pillow, and she snuggled into the crook of his neck. As her breathing deepened and she fell into sleep, he found he couldn’t move.
Silent tears snaked down his cheeks. He didn’t brush them away. Lying there with his daughter by his side, he felt he was the luckiest man alive. He’d done less than nothing to deserve the gift he’d been given. But he was determined not to let this second chance slip through his fingers.
He’d prove himself worthy of his daughter. He’d prove everyone wrong who’d written him off over the years. He’d be the best father he could be to her. The play would be a success. And his life would start again.
