Luca ran into the hall and barrelled into Leo’s arms. ‘Wow, you really do live in a castle!’
‘I don’t tell lies.’ Leo smiled down at him.
‘Will we be living here all the time?’ he asked Dara in a small voice.
Dara looked at the social worker, aware that her every move was being assessed. ‘If you would like it, this would be our home, yes.’ She turned to Leo, feeling her confidence begin to falter.
‘Are there ghosts in this castle?’ Luca asked suddenly.
‘There used to be.’ Leo looked pointedly at Dara for a moment. ‘But then a brave princess came and chased all the ghosts away.’
Dara felt tiny fingers wrap around her own. She looked down to see that Luca had grabbed on to her hand tightly as they ascended the stairs to show him his new bedroom. Her heart soared at this show of affection.
‘I thought the knight was supposed to save the princess?’ Dara questioned light-heartedly as she gripped her son’s hand.
‘Sometimes the knight is the one who needs to be saved.’
Leo caught her eye and Dara smiled to herself.
They had saved one another. Two broken souls who had somehow managed to make each other whole again. After all they had overcome in both their pasts, she was certain that the future could only be bright.