“How are we going to make it work?”
“What is there to figure out? The house and everything can be sorted out. We can restore the house and I can pay for the property upkeep.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant us,” she said.
“What about us?”
She moved so she was leaning away and looking down at me. “Things are complicated, Niall. What about Riley?”
“He’s our child. What’s the problem?”
“It’s as simple as that, is it?”
“We get married and I adopt him. Do I have to adopt him? He is mine.”
“Yes, but Russell is on the birth certificate.”
“We can change it. My lawyers will handle it. Nobody has to know the truth. As soon as it’s done, Riley becomes the legal heir.”
“That’s it?” she asked.
“That’s it. What were you expecting?”
“What about your family?”
I scoffed. “I’ve never given a toss what they think before this point, why would I start now?”
“I can't believe it.”
“The reason I even came back home was because my father wanted to play matchmaker.”
“No, it’s not that. Well, it is, a little but I just can’t believe it. That night when we met, all those years ago I never thought anything like this would come of it, you know? I thought you were just a fit guy who turned out to be kind as well. My newlywed husband turned out to be such a disappointment that I thought meeting you was just a way to get back at him in some way. He had given me up so easily, you know, it hurt my feelings but I didn’t think you’d have such an effect on me. To be honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about that night.”
“The same thing happened to me.”
She touched my chest. “That night meant so much more than just a romp to get back at Russell. That was when Riley was conceived.”
I felt myself smiling. “I never stopped thinking about you. It was part of the reason I couldn’t marry Lisbeth. I was in love with someone else.”
“In love?” she asked.
I nodded. “I love you.”
“I know. You told me. I just wanted you to say it again. I love you too,” she said, smiling.
“Seeing you again was like… I thought I was hallucinating. I knew I couldn’t let you get away again.”
She settled on the bed again. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said. Oh no, she could go, as long as I was with her. As long as she always came back. As long as wherever she was, everyone knew that she was mine. I wanted to laugh thinking about it, not because it was funny, just because I was so happy. The rest of my life with her? I couldn’t wait to do it. I wanted a family of my own making and now I had one. I had wanted Eddy for five years and now I had her.
Just then, Eddy was scrambling off the bed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Riley’s coming,” she said. I heard footsteps outside the door. “Hurry. Get dressed.” I clambered off the bed, searching for my boxers. “Quick, unless you want to explain to a four-year-old why you’re naked.” I pulled them on as the door opened, laughing.
“I have a lot to learn,” I said.
“Mummy?” Riley said. He rushed into the room into his mother’s waiting arms. I wanted to remember that scene forever. They were perfect and they were mine, both of them.