Page 100 of Take My Hand

“Delete my call then and I’ll be with you as soon as I can. I’ll message him to say I’m busy and that I’ll call him later.”

I heard his bedroom door open. “He’s coming,” I hissed. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yep. Bye, Maddy.”

As soon as the line went dead, I quickly deleted the call record and then put dad’s phone back. By the time he was coming through the door, I was dishing up chilli and tacos, andhe was none the wiser. As we sat down to eat he looked a little lighter, but I could still the sadness in his eyes. Until he got a message from Maya and then they lit up and I knew I’d done the right thing.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Will

As soon as Maya had walked through my door, I’d felt a sense of calm. Her surprise visit was just what I needed, especially as she’d messaged earlier to say she was busy and would call me when she could. I had no idea it was because she was on her way to see me. Maddy had stayed to chat for a few minutes, but soon disappeared up to her room to leave us alone.

“And he just walked in?” Maya asked, shaking her head, surprise written all over her face. “Told you he was your dad and that was it?”

“Yeah.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “It’s a total mind fuck.”

“How did he find you? Did he say?”

Shaking my head, I reached for her hand, stroking the soft skin of her palm. “I have no idea. He knew my name because my mum wrote to him when I was born. We didn’t even live around here, so not sure how he tracked me down. There must be millions of William Newman’s in this world.”

“It probably only took an investigator to find your birth certificate.”

When she kissed my cheek, more warmth and calm enveloped me. Quickly, she had become my anchor in a storm—not that I’d had many since we’d been together. It had been one steady, but exciting, incredible ride, so far. I was determined that the thing with my dad was going to be a gentle speed bump, a little pot hole. I wasn’t going to let it make us veer off the road we were on, because I wouldn’t be letting Maya go. It would never be my choice if it ended, I could feel it in my chest. She was my person, the one who I wanted to always be with, and I was sure she was feeling the same way. Ihopedthat she was feeling the same way.

“What now?” Maya dragged my attention back the one thing that I wasn’t sure about.

“He left. I told him to leave, and he went.” Maya’s eyes filled with tears, and she drew in a breath. “Hey,” I soothed, squeezing her fingers gently. “What’s wrong? I’m fine you know.”

Her green eyes looked uncertain as they scrutinised me. “Are you sure because this is a huge thing, Will. All your life without a dad and then he walks in and out of your life within a matter of minutes.” She cleared her throat of emotion. “I can’t envisage not having my dad in my life, and for you not to have one, well…” She blew out her breath. “I just can’t comprehend how that must feel. Wouldn’t ever want to. Then to see what a great dad you are to Maddy without a role model, it’s just incredible.”

I laughed softly. “Clearly not that good because she’s lied to me about boys staying over at the weekend. I know she has.”

“How do you know?” Maya raised a sceptical eyebrow.

“I know.” Exhaling, I looked up at the ceiling to the floor of her bedroom. “I could smell them the moment I walked through the door.”

A rich giggle sounded out as Maya dropped her head to our joined hands. Her shoulders were shaking as she found what I’d said amusing.

“What?” I asked. “What’s so funny?”

Her eyes lifted to mine, humour replacing the tears of a few minutes before. “You could smell them?”

“Yeah! Don’t tell me you don’t know what teenage boys smell like. You’ve got brothers.”

“Can’t say that I recall a specific smell.”

“It’s distinctive,” I cried. “How can you not know it? And it was in my bloody house when I got home from yours.”

Cool fingers cupped my cheek. “Oh baby, don’t stress about it.”

“She’s seventeen, Maya.”

“I know and in a few months she’ll be eighteen, an adult, possibly living away from home. You’re not going to know what’s she doing. If she doesn’t go away, you can’t keep her locked up in the house. Besides,” she said with a shrug, “you’re the one trying to persuade her to leave home.”

“Don’t remind me.” I groaned, turning my head so that I could kiss her palm at the side of my face.

She tickled my stubble with her fingertips and giggled. “Poor baby.”

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