Page 101 of Beautifully Wild

“Gran was alwayssick.” She makes imaginary inverted commas with her fingers. “You know Dad never fully trusted her to look after us.”

I stare at her. “No. How sick?”

“Mum said she had mental health issues. She was never diagnosed, although Mum mentioned postnatal depression to me because she wanted me to know the warning signs, especially since Dad said he was aware she was depressed growing up, although she never took medication for it. He remembers when he was little, she was always crying, and he held some resentment to her in his upbringing. He never knew why, and I think he blamed himself.”

I had no idea about any of this.

My memories of her are all happy ones. My gran was one of the kindest and most loving people I knew. “Before I went away, Dad mentioned I was like Gran.”

“Yeah, I remember it. Weird. I don’t know why he said it.”

“He seems to have more power over me than he does Will or you. I’ve always done what he’s asked, and you both do what you please, and he supports you.”

Faith wipes her hands on a towel before coming to me and pulling me into a quick hug. “While you were away, I really missed you. It got me thinking how Dad expected too much of you compared to Will and me. I have no idea why.” She shakes her head before returning to wash lettuce under the tap. I sit at the table and chop cherry tomatoes and cucumber for a salad. “He’d say stuff about keeping you in check when you returned home because he didn’t want you getting this travel bug and becoming ‘side-tracked’ in life. And how everything will change now Ethan’s working for him.”

“Ugh.” I shake my head. “I thought as much. I’m not going to date Ethan again just because he’s working alongside me. If Ethan thinks he can win me over with his sexy, bloody smile when he waltzes through the door on Monday, he can think again.”

“Can he? It sounds as though you have given it some thought.”

I give her a long look. “Not anymore now that I’ve met someone.”

She gives me a knowing smile.

“I believe he’s my soulmate…” I shrug. “It’s going to be complicated for a while.”

“Bree didn’t paint a great picture. I know she gets concerned easily, but damn, I’ve been waiting too long to get you alone to talk about him.”

“Yeah. He’s been working in Venezuela for years, and the fact he’s in the jungle didn’t sit right with her.”

“Don’t tell Dad, he’ll only stress more.”

A knock on the door stops our conversation. “Hello,” Mum coos, her voice echoing down the hallway. The heavy door closes with a bang. I stand as though it’s a command knowing who has arrived.

I walk to the hallway and stare down the long passage.

“Look who’s here,” Mum announces.

I rush to Dad like I did to Mum at the airport and wrap my arms around his waist.

He leans down, and his hold is tight like a bear hug. “Edes, my girl. I have missed you.” He pats my back like I’m a child in his arms.

“I missed you all,” I rasp because my throat burns with new tears forming in my eyes. “Argh, I don’t know what’s wrong with me?” I swipe the tears because I’m feeling foolish.

“Nothing wrong with missing your father,” he says proudly. “I’m just glad to have you home safe.”

I smile as though it was never a concern, and yet I know some of my decisions were not thought through.

“I’m happy to be home, too.”

Over dinner, we all laugh and chat about old times until it’s time for me to show the photos of my trip. My phone is passed between Mum, Faith, and Jake, my father shaking his head.

“I’ll look through them when you’re all finished,” he says.

I know it’s his way of saying I need time to assess her trip.

“There are places I never got to visit, so I plan to go back,” I say in warning to him.

“Because you thought it smart to leave your friends and travel alone in one of the most dangerous countries in the world?” He raises both brows and gives me one of his looks, which intimidated me as a child.

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