Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
“This … woman—” I tried not to feel anything at the thought of Fyfe being with someone else and that resulting in him being tied to her forever through their child. “She didn’t leave a birth certificate?”
“Nothing but a note that Millie is mine and that she couldn’t look after her anymore.”
Sympathy scored through me at the anger in his words.
“Oh, Millie.” I smoothed a soothing hand over her warm back as she reached for one of my curls. “Everything is going to be all right, my darling. Look how well you’re being looked after. Just like the wee princess you are.” I grinned at her and her eyes flashed to my smile. “Aren’t you the most beautiful baby girl? Oh my goodness, I could eat you up.”
She let out a little giggle and my heart swelled. Turning to grin at Fyfe, my lips halted mid curve at the abject longing on his face.
Overanalyzing his expression was asking to have my head messed with again, so I turned away and began walking with Millie through the living space. “Look at this teddy.” I picked up the gorgeous white polar bear. “Do you like it? Isn’t he pretty?”
Millie grabbed the polar bear in both hands and stuffed his nose into her mouth.
“What shall we call him? Hmm? Mr. Polar?”
She wrinkled her nose.
“No, not very imaginative, is it? What about Snowy?”
She tilted her head as if she was considering it and I laughed. Noting a floor mat on the other side of the sofa, I turned back to Fyfe. “Is she crawling?”
He leaned against the island, arms crossed over his chest, expression neutral again. “Aye. The internet suggested she might, so I ordered a play mat and sure enough, she’s been crawling all over the bloody place. I can’t take my eyes off her for a second.”
Millie dropped the polar bear and reached for my face, making incoherent noises as she touched me inquisitively.
“Have you told anyone?” He certainly hadn’t told Lewis!
“No,” Fyfe replied. “I wanted to wait to see if she was mine before introducing everyone into her life.”
“You need support right now, Fyfe.”
“It’s fine. I don’t deserve … never mind.”
“Call your friends.”
“It’s fine,” he repeated stubbornly. “Why are you here?”
The reason for my visit trembled on the tip of my tongue.
However, I stopped myself.
Fyfe had enough on his plate right now.
I could ask Callie’s dad, Walker, to look into the camera situation. He was head of security on the estate and he had contacts that might be able to trace the culprit through the cameras.
“It doesn’t matter. What can I do to help?”
“Eilidh—”
“Fyfe, what can I do to help?”
He sighed wearily, running a hand through his hair. “Could you just watch her while I have a quick shower?”
“Of course.”
As soon as he left the room and I thought he was out of earshot, I turned back to Millie who was surprisingly docile in my arms considering all she’d been through in the last few days. She had to be missing her mummy. The thought made me ache all over again. “Come on, Millie. Let’s get Fyfe some help, hmm?”
I settled her down on the mat in front of me with a toy that sang to her every time she pressed a different button, pulled my phone out of my back pocket, and called Lewis.
Nineteen
FYFE
The last two days with Millie had been a whirlwind of surreal. I’d been so busy keeping the tiny human alive that I hadn’t had a moment to overthink.
Now as I showered, safe in the knowledge Eilidh was looking after Millie, it hit me.
This wee girl could be my daughter.
That meant the mother of my child abandoned her.
Pamela had fallen pregnant and brought Millie to term, attempted to look after her for around nine months, and in all that time (a year and a half) had not once reached out to tell me I had a daughter.
I’d missed all of it.
The pregnancy, the scans, the time to process my new future as a father. Millie being born. Holding her in my arms the first day she came into this world. Giving her the knowledge that her father was with her from day one. I could never say that now.
Pamela had stolen that from me.
Rage flooded me and I gritted my teeth against it.
I couldn’t let that emotion in. It would consume me.
It was so nice to be able to take the time to clean, but I didn’t want to leave Eilidh out there alone with Millie for too long. There hadn’t been a chance to apologize to her yet, and I couldn’t take advantage of her kindness.
As I got out of the shower and changed in my bedroom, I heard voices coming from downstairs. Curious, I hurried toward them, recognizing them as I drew closer. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised when I walked into the living room to find Lewis, Callie, and Harley there with Eilidh and Millie.