Page 120 of Take My Hand

That seemed to satisfy Ana because she visibly relaxed, even giving her mum a small smile.

“Okay, girls,” I announced, clapping my hands together once, “let’s go and leave Susan and Ana to it.”

As I bundled the girls into my Range Rover, I hoped that they’d be okay, aware that it would take much more than pizza and a quick clean of the house to sort them out. At least it was a start.

“Fancy something to eat girls?” I asked as I drove away from the house. “We’ve got burger night on at the bar tonight.”

As I glanced over at Maddy, she looked hesitant, and my heart sank. It was starting to happen. The day I’d dreaded since she was a tiny baby. The time when there was someone else she’d rather spend her time with. The idea of it was more painful than I’d ever imagined, and that look on her face was just the very start of it, and it had only been for a second. Soon, it would get the point that she couldn’t even hide it from me. She would look at me with disdain and surprise that I would even think for one minute that she’d want to spend time with me. Then it would come to the point where I’d have to beg her to come home and visit me and… shit, I needed to sort my head out, I was going to drive myself crazy.

“Could I ask Zak to come, Dad?” she asked. “Only we were supposed to be going to Maccies for tea.”

I gripped the gear stick, my fingers clenching around it, knowing that I needed to be the grown up. “You go off to Maccies if you want, sweetheart.”

“No way,” she gasped, “I want to come with you. Plus, I’ve heard that Robbie’s burgers are amazing.”

“Yeah,” Emma added from the back seat. “My mum said it was the best burger she’s ever had on the last burger night you had.”

The relief that seeped through me was ridiculous. It didn’t matter that it was my burgers she was interested in as well; it was those words, ‘I want to come with you’. They’d made me feel happier than I thought possible, happier than was necessary. She wasn’t going anywhere, she was my little girl, and she loved me, but life was moving on. This was what I’d wanted for her, to spread her wings and be independent, so I had to accept that her need for me would lessen with time.

“What about Liam?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow at Emma in the mirror. “Do you want to ask him as well?”

She leaned forward and poked Maddy in the shoulder. “You told him.”

Maddy and I both burst out laughing, and once again my chest filled with joy. Maddy was still confiding in me and that was a win.

“I know everything,” I told her. “So, do you want him to come?”

“Is that okay?” she asked, her irritation quickly forgotten.

“Yes, it’s fine.” I sighed, like I was agreeing under sufferance, when really I loved the idea.

“You’re still going to sit with us, though, aren’t you, Dad?” Maddy said while tapping at her phone screen.

There was that pinch in my chest again.

“Sure, if you don’t mind me cramping your style.” Hiding my grin was hard, but I managed to keep it to a small smile.

Emma giggled and when she did Maddy shushed her. “Don’t even say it. His head is big enough as it is.”

“What?” I asked.

“You know exactly what she’snotsaying,” my daughter grumbled. “All the bloody women in this town fancy you. As if you could cramp our style.”

Chuckling, I continued the drive to the bar with only had one wish—that Maya was there, too.

Chapter Forty-Three

Maddy

“So, how did you leave things with her?” Zak asked, playing with my fingers across the table.

“Dad ordered them pizza, but I reckon she’s still mad at me.”

“You did the right thing,” Emma offered, leaning into my side. “She couldn’t have carried on like that.”

“Em’s right, babe. You did exactly the right thing.” Zak leaned across the table and pecked me on the lips. “You’re a good friend.”

When I sighed heavily, Liam rolled his eyes. “Seriously, if she’s got a mood on about it, just leave her to it. Did you order chips as well, Em?”

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