Page 158 of Take My Hand

“Okay, but quickly tell me, do you like him, and are you actually girlfriend and boyfriend now?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He asked me at the party last night and then he double checked before we had sex again this morning.”

“So you’ve got one condom left,” I stated, with a wiggle of my eyebrows.

“Hmm, well, not really Liam put it over his head and mouth and blew it up.”

As we both cracked up, the boys arrived back and put various drinks and snacks on the table.

“What are you two laughing at?” Zak asked, leaning down to give me a quick kiss.

“Nothing,” Emma and I chorused.

Then a voice behind us chirped up. “They’re discussing your fingering techniques boys, and now if you don’t mind, I’m trying to sleep until we get to Stockport.”

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Will

As Maya winced, my hands gripped into fists. It was almost time for her pain medication, but each time I saw hurt ghost over her face, it killed me. She was on the sofa propped up with pillows, lying under a duvet. She kept dropping off to sleep, but when she woke she assured me that she was fine.

Her eyes fluttered as she lifted her arm with the cast on it. “What time is it?” she asked.

“You ready for your pain killers?”

“Not yet, I was just wondering whether it was time for Maddy to get back.”

Getting up from my chair, I went over and kneeled at the side of the sofa, smoothing a hand over her hair. “She will be totally fine about you being here, honestly.”

“I just feel like I’ve been forced upon her.” A small grimace swept over her face. “I don’t want to ruin the relationship I’m building with her. I love you and she’s your daughter and so I want to be friends with her.”

“Exactly, she’s my daughter and I know her. I know how big her heart is, and there is no way she would want you anywhere else but here. I love you and having you here makes me happy and that’s all she’ll want.”

At that exact moment, I heard a key in the door and, as it always did when I knew my daughter was home safe, relief flashed through my body.

“And here she is.” I pushed up from the floor and went into the hallway. As I stepped into it the front door swung open and my beautiful daughter stepped inside. She looked tired but happy as she stepped into my arms. “Hey, Mads, did you have a good time?”

“It was the best, Dad. We had such a good time and the house where the party was, God Dad, it was unbelievable. They had a swimming pool, and a bar, and a proper DJ and?—”

“Okay, okay,” I said with a laugh. “Take a breath.”

She let out a breathy laugh. “Sorry.” She grinned. “How was your weekend? Miss me?”

I cleared my throat and glanced behind me, towards the lounge door. “Maya is here.”

“Still? Ah brill. What did you do?”

She took a step to move past me and I caught her hand.

“I didn’t call you, because I didn’t want to worry you, but she had a car accident so is going to stay here for a while. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course, I don’t mind. She’s okay, though?” Her voice was almost a whisper as she clutched her jacket in the region of her heart.

“Broken wrist and cracked ribs—oh, and a few bruises. Really, she was lucky because she veered onto the hard shoulder.”

Once again, the horror of what might have been, appeared like a ghost on my shoulder, making me shudder. Thank Christ for Maya’s quick thinking.

“Is she in there or in bed.”

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