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)
“And you can always call on me or Lewis or Regan, who is an actual qualified childcare professional,” Callie pointed out.
“Exactly.” Eilidh gave me a nod, a decided smile curling her mouth. “While you work, I’ll take care of Millie and I’ll even socialize her by taking her to Mum’s daycare.”
“I … I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t. I’m making the decision for you. If you need to work today, you should go to work.”
“And tonight we’ll come over and cook,” Callie offered. “Keep you company.”
Gratitude overwhelmed me. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Aye!” Harley cried, her plump wee legs springing her forward to her dad.
It broke the tension as we all laughed. Lewis lifted his daughter into his arms, grinning. “I think you understand every word we’re saying. Do I have a genius on my hands?”
She clapped her hands together. “Aye!”
We all chuckled again and the terror that held me captive these past few days released me, allowing me to breathe again.
Twenty
FYFE
Iwas shattered. The last few nights, Millie had kept me awake with her teething. Before the teething ring arrived, I’d let her chew on my fingers because it was the only thing that seemed to stop her crying. While the cold teething ring soothed her, as soon as she woke up, she started bawling again. It broke my fucking heart. Callie told me it should only last a week or two before settling but that she’d have bouts of teething until she was two or three.
It didn’t surprise me the way my friends rallied around me.
What did surprise me was Eilidh’s support. She seemed to have put what was between us behind her to help out with Millie. Seeing her swoop in to rescue us … well, it was humbling. I already knew Eilidh Adair was a special person, but she was bloody extraordinary.
I’d had Millie for five days. The DNA results still weren’t in, but a contact had tracked Pamela’s vehicle. She’d sold it to a garage in Edinburgh. From the car we had her last known address, but that was it. He’d hacked the medical records at the hospital in Inverness to find out Millie’s date of birth as well as Pamela’s. Millie was born last September, so she was nine months old. Pamela had ghosted me around February of that year after we started hooking up at the end of December.
Pamela’s birth date allowed us to get more information about her. My guy was close to finding her.
I didn’t know how to feel about any of it.
My life and the life I thought I’d have had been thrown into a complete tailspin. And yet … I’d bonded myself to this wee human. Or she’d bonded herself to me. All I knew was that only my voice and Eilidh’s seemed to settle her, and when she cuddled into me at night, I felt like my heart might explode.
Like … maybe, finally, I belonged to someone who no one could take away from me.
And that was terrifying because … what if it turned out she wasn’t mine? Or what if she was and she actually could be taken from me?
I had a meeting with a potential client via Ardnoch Estate that morning and had just fed Millie when the doorbell rang. I hurried toward it, Millie’s belligerent cries and baby words hit my back, words I interpreted as a complaint for leaving her side. I threw open the door to Eilidh. “You know you can just come in without knocking,” I told her, fixing my tie as she followed me into the living space.
“Good morning to you too,” she teased.
Millie caught sight of Eilidh and broke into the most adorable smile I’d ever seen. She raised her arms toward Eils from her high chair, making happy baby sounds. I lifted her out to hand her over.
“Good morning, Millie Billie!” Eilidh beamed but before she could take her, Millie made a gurgling noise before she puked all over my shirt and neck. She then promptly burst into tears.
“It’s all right, wee yin.” I kissed her temple before Eilidh took her from me.
“Oh, Millie Billie.” Eilidh cuddled her close. “Are you not feeling well?”
“She just ate. I shouldn’t have picked her up like that.” I scowled at the little dress I’d put her in this morning and the vomit now all over it. “She needs cleaned and changed.”
“As do you.” Eilidh pressed a palm to Millie’s forehead. “She doesn’t feel warm, so that’s good. Maybe she just had too much to eat. I’ll keep an eye on her this morning.” She started toward the stairs. “You switch your shirt out. I’ll clean Millie up.”
“Thanks. It could be her teething. She’s not had a lot of sleep.”
“Aye, that might be it. Poor wee baby, ay, Millie Billie. Shall we have a long, lovely nap today?”