Page 36 of Fall

“Like the new tattoos, too?” Allie responds as I get some pasta for my plate. We all start helping ourselves to the food as Emilia talks.

“Only one or two,” she comments, her cheeks going a little red.

“Why didn’t you come to me? I would have done them for you,” Luke says.

“I didn’t want to, but thanks,” she responds, her tone curt and short with him.

“Why not?” he asks, his tone is downright pissed off, and I raise my eyebrows at Tilly as she gives me a wide-eyed look.

“Because, despite what you think, Luke, the world doesn’t revolve around you,” Emilia snaps.

“Guys,” Izzy tries to break up the argument, but it doesn’t work.

“I never said it did, I only offered to help you,” he comments.

“I don’t need your damn help,” Emilia says, standing up and walking out of the room. Luke pushes his chair out and follows her out.

“Who wants to make a bet that they will be with each other soon?” Elliot asks, breaking the tension.

“I’m in,” Tilly responds, and I laugh.

“Yeah, me, too,” I agree. There’s something there between them.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Sebastian says, shaking his head.

“Why?” I ask.

“They argue too much, and they are both so young,” Sebastian says, and he has a point. Out of all of us, Luke is the youngest, but then, I saw the way he looked at Emilia.

“So? We met younger than them,” Maisy answers.

“True, but I don’t know,” Sebastian shakes his head.

“I totally think they have already done it,” Allie says.

“Why?” Izzy responds.

“Just something she said once.” Allie shrugs, and then the baby monitor starts beeping before the sound of the baby crying comes through. Tilly goes to get up, and I stop her by placing my hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll go,” I say, knowing Tilly has been up half the night with the baby. I tried to help, but she only seemed to want her mum.

“Thank you,” Tilly says, and I get up, walking out of the room.

I go straight upstairs and into Tilly’s room. The bad smell hits me straight away, and I know what the problem is. Once I change the baby’s nappy, I sit in the nursing chair and rock her in my arms. I look down at her cute, little nose and her little strands of red hair. She looks every bit like her mother. I rock the baby until she falls asleep on my chest and lean my head back on the chair. She might not be my daughter, but it’s starting to feel like I would do anything to protect both her and her mum.

Chapter Nineteen

Tilly

"Is this your way of distracting me from tonight?” I ask Izzy, who nervously laughs as she pushes her long, blond hair over her shoulder, looking away from me.

“No, of course not,” she says, proving my point that it is.

“I know Harley is fighting tonight, and I know you think distracting me by taking me out shopping for baby clothes is going to stop me from worrying or something, but it’s not going to work. I can’t stop thinking about tonight, and every part of me just wants to tie my giant to a chair,” I tell her, and she gives me a worried look as we walk through the shop.

“Don’t you think I worry?” Izzy comments.

“I know you do, it’s just . . . I can’t lose him,” I say when we get outside the shop, and Izzy puts an arm around me.

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