Page 31 of Only You

“Yes, a thousand yeses. I am happy to cook on the nights Rosalind isn’t here.”

Ana grinned. A grin that was mirrored by Andrew.

“Thank God,” he said, relaxing back into his chair and taking a sip of his tea. “Olivia has been so happy tonight. I think you will be good for her.”

“I can’t believe this,” Ana said, still grinning. “I will need to work my notice at the restaurant, but I’m happy to start immediately.”

Ana sat and listened to Andrew tell her about Olivia and the issues she’d been having recently. Ana’s heart bled for the little girl and cursed her sister for the pain she had caused. She would never understand why her sister had walked away from this wonderful, compassionate man and their beautiful daughter. But her sister’s loss was her gain. She was going to care for that little girl as if she were her own. Shower her with all the love she had missed out on growing up. Ana would make it her mission to help this beautiful man and his daughter return to their former stability, and perhaps they could help her out, too.

Chapter Twenty

Andrew

Andrew arrived at his parents’ house and pulled into the drive. During the drive home, the night before, he had told his mum his plans for Ana. She had remained silent, so Andrew knew there was going to be some blow-back this evening, so he steeled himself before getting out of the car. He hoped his mum kept her opinions out of the earshot of Olivia.

Andrew stepped through the front door, calling out to make his presence known. Shutting the door, he caught what could only be described as a miniature tornado as she threw herself at him. Scooping his daughter into his arms, he gave her a big squeeze, his heart-warming at her touch.

“Hi, Daddy,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.

“Hi, Sunshine,” he said, placing her back on the ground and smoothing her hair back from her face. “How was your day?”

Olivia grinned, and Andrew’s heart stuttered. “It was good,” she said before whipping around and moving back towards the living room.

“Olivia, make sure you tidy up your things,” Andrew’s mum said, popping her head out of the kitchen. Andrew knew from experience he would find all her toys spread from one side of the room to the other if he dared to venture inside. His parents were wonderful and allowed Olivia the freedom to express herself, but his mum also had strict rules, and tidying up after yourself was one of them.

Andrew watched his daughter disappear before following his mum into the kitchen. “Any issues?” he asked, knowing the school would have spoken to her at pickup had there been anything he needed to know.

“Nope, nothing. She came out-of-school smiling, holding hands with Skylar,” his mum said, turning towards him. The lines on her face stressed the concern reflected in her eyes. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Andrew?”

He looked to the door, checking Olivia was out of earshot. “It will be fine, Mum. Ana is a lovely girl. Olivia seems taken with her.”

His mum humphed. “What do you know about her?” his mum asked, a frown marring her brow. “I admit, it shocked me when I turned up last night. She’s almost the spitting image of Eva.”

His mum had never taken to Eva, finding her cold. She’d hidden it well while they were dating, even when they were first married, but once Eva had left, her true feelings had come out. At the time, this had caused a rift between mother and son.

“I’m worried, Andrew. This is all happening so fast... You’ve only just met her. She’s a young student. How do you know she is trustworthy? reliable even?”

Andrew’s mind wondered back to the night before. Ana’s living conditions had horrified him. His gut tightened at the memory. He’d had to expel his breath slowly when she had dropped to her knees beside the meagre pile of possessions. Watching her scramble through her belongings, hugging a sewing machine to her chest, had almost been too much. He’d asked her outright if that was everything. He’d assumed her landlord must have pilfered items. Ana had smiled at him and told him she travelled light.

Every protective bone in his body had been on heightened alert, and he was furious that her parents had let her demean herself this much. There was nothing Olivia could do that would have him turn his back on her, and there was no-way he could now turn his back on Ana.

Andrew sighed, not wanting to fight with his mum. They were leaving in three weeks. He needed help with his daughter, and who better?

“Ana is family.”

“A technicality!” his mother hissed. “Didn’t you say Ana was a strange child? Is that who you want to raise your daughter? Do you know why they’ve disowned her? It all seems so sudden, and I’m not comfortable with it. I want you to think carefully before you jump in.”

His mum took a deep, shuddering breath.

Andrew folded his arms over his chest.

“Do you think I would put Olivia at risk? You and Dad are leaving in three weeks. If you had seen the candidates I have interviewed, you’d be welcoming Ana with open arms.” Andrew’s jaw clenched. “Ana is a lovely girl. The way her parents treated her was strange. It was like she was an outsider in her own home. She has a problem, and so do I. I am hoping we can help each other out.” After taking a deep breath and counting to ten, Andrew continued. “If it makes you feel any better, why don’t you help Ana settle in? Get to know her. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll re-look at hiring a professional nanny. But I will give this a go. My gut tells me it’s going to work out.”

His mum turned to face the counter, her body braced on her hands, her head dropped. Andrew walked up behind her and pulled her into his arms, dropping a kiss on her head.

“I promise you, Olivia is the most important person in my life. I would not put her in harm’s way for anything.”

His mum’s face softened. She stretched up, pulling him down into a hug. “I know your father and I have caused this problem...”

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