Page 21 of Be My Baby

How had she become so jaded and shallow that she couldn’t see the friendship that could’ve been hers from the beginning, not just with Emma, but with Darby as well, if she’d just gotten out of her own way and not been so damned nasty to everyone? Because Millie knew deep in her heart that Emma was right—even though Darby wasn’t there to say so, she knew that Darby wasn’t like that. There wasn’t a mean bone in the woman’s body.

“I, ah… I might go wash up before lunch,” Millie said softly and extricated her hand, not looking at Emma.

“Of course. You know where the bathroom is?”

She nodded. “I’ll be back soon.”

Millie didn’t look at Emma as she left the outdoor area. She didn’t dare. If she did, she was worried she’d end up blubbering her way to the bathroom. She paused in the doorway to the kitchen.

Mary Jameson looked up over the open door of the fridge, her calm demeanour clouding as she took in Millie’s face.

“Is everything all right?”

Millie nodded and gestured to the hallway. “I just wanted to use the bathroom, if that’s okay? Do you need any help here?”

Mary shook her head, concern radiating from her kind face, replacing her earlier wariness. “I’m fine. The others have already done everything. Of course it’s okay. You know where everything is.”

Millie took a deep breath and looked directly at Mary. She bit her lip to stop it trembling. These people were so damnednice. She hadn’t had that in so long that she’d forgotten how it felt. Her eyes welled and she nodded. She spun and walked quickly toward the bathroom, hoping to God that she didn’t run into anyone else before she got there, otherwise she might just fall into a blubbering puddle in front of them.

These people were afamily, in every sense of the word. They loved each other as hard as they teased one another. She’d never had that. Not really. She and Lucy had had a similar relationship, but Lucy was just one person and she was no longer here. Hadn’t been for nearly six years now.

What would she give to be a part of this family?

But would they think that’s all this was, a chance to be a part of the Jameson family? Because, you know, she’d bombed out on Ryan and Gabe, why not go for the lonely older brother?

She made it to the bathroom and managed to splash water on her face before she dissolved into a complete mess.

Breathing deeply, she managed to control her slide into tears. She braced her hands on the vanity counter and simply breathed, ignoring the gorgeous vista outside the large window to her right.

A tap at the door brought her head up.

“You okay in there?”

Max’s worried face greeted her from where he leaned against the doorway.

He’d followed her.

The tears welled and overflowed, unable to be checked this time at his care of her. She shook her head and they tumbled down her cheeks. The door clicked shut and then Max’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. She clung to him, unable to help herself.

Her. So strong, so self-sufficient. So damned cold.

Great sobs left her as she held on to him as if he was the last lifeline in a massive, thunderous storm. He stroked her back, cradling her tight to his warm body.

“It’s okay. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. If any one of them was mean to you, you need to—”

Millie shook her head vigorously against his chest. She gasped a breath to try and speak. “That’s just it. They all have reason to be horrible to me, but they weren’t. Everyone is sonice. Even if Darby and your mum don’t really want me here, they’re still being polite about it.I’mthe horrible one. I’ve been so horrible for so long I didn’t remember how… I didn’t know…”

Max’s body relaxed. “Ahh. I see.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head. “No one thinks you’re horrible, Mil. No one. We’re happy you came today. Even them. Leave Darby and Ma to me. They’ll come ’round.”

His words just made her cry harder. “I don’t deserveanyof you.”

His arms tightened for a moment. “I think you deserve more than anyone here.”

Millie gasped in desperate gulps of air and pushed back to look at him through the wash of tears. “Do you think they’ll accept it, if this works? If there’s a baby?”

Will they acceptme?

Max pushed her hair from her face where it had fallen over her eyes. The gentleness and care in that one gesture tugged at her heart all over again.

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