The Army Doc's Baby Secret

‘Because I was an idiot.’

‘You were,’ she agreed, then offered an unexpected, if weak, smile. ‘But you aren’t the only one. You were right, you know?’

‘I was right? I like the sound of that.’

‘Don’t get used to it,’ she tried to joke feebly. ‘But you accused me once of being just as closed off as you. There I was, blaming you for shutting me out and not trusting me. But I was doing exactly the same to you.’

‘Your mother.’

‘Yes.’ She nodded, trying to swallow down the painful lump currently wedged in her throat. ‘Her death devastated me, we were so close. I needed to talk about her and honour her, but my father found it too painful, and so I had to stay silent. I felt as though we were pretending she didn’t exist and I know I resented him for it.’

‘So dating me was a way to rebel.’ He didn’t sound sad, or angry, but that didn’t make her feel any better.

‘I suppose it was a bit of that. It was my way of getting my own back on him. But it was also a bit of the other thing you once said. The “running away from our pasts” bit.’

‘And are you still doing that?’

Taut lines radiated from his face. Her answer mattered to him.

It mattered to her, as well.

‘No, I’m not. At least, I’m trying not to. When I lost you, I knew I needed to make a change. I finally asked my father about my mother and he started to tell me. Only a little at first—it isn’t easy for him and after all this time it isn’t easy for me either—but enough. Then the next time I visited, he had a few photos and some little anecdotes to go with it.’

‘I’m so glad, Tia.’

‘Yes.’ His obvious care made her feel more cherished than he’d ever made her feel before. ‘It’s going to take time, but we’re getting there. Soon I can start sharing little memories with Seth. I think he should know a little about my mother and how much of a hero she was.’

‘I think he would like that.’

‘And...and I’d like to start sharing what I’ve learned with you, too. Maybe even work on getting a plaque dedicated to her and her crew.’

‘They want one, you know. At Westlake. There are a couple of old-timers there who even still remember working with her. But your father always shot the idea down.’

It was almost too much. She swallowed once. Twice. But the heavy ball of emotion was still there, lodged in her throat.

‘I didn’t know,’ she admitted. ‘But it sounds lovely.’

‘It is. But don’t rush at it, Tia. Go at your own pace. The crew will understand. Everyone will.’

‘Thank you, I...just thank you,’ she managed. ‘So you’ve really come home?’

‘For good. The only travelling I intend to do now is to the chateau. I’ve done my bit. I’ve laid down my life for people for years. Now the only people I’m prepared to give my life for are my wife and son.’

‘Do you really mean that?’

‘I spent five years buried beneath my despair, using my company and my charity to distract me from what I didn’t want to face. But this past month without you, or Seth, was worse than all of that put together. You make me a better version of myself, Tia. The kind of man I never knew I wanted to become.’

‘And it took you a month to realise that?’

‘Not quite. But I had to get a new guy out and bring him up to speed. He’s the new team leader now. The wait damn near killed me.’

‘If you’d listened to me in the first place, you wouldn’t have had to,’ she teased, scarcely able to believe what he was saying. ‘You are an idiot.’

‘But I seem to remember you telling me a few weeks ago that I could be your idiot.’

‘You remember that, huh?’ She laughed, a shaky but genuine sound.

Her eyes prickled and something inside her began to unfurl and warm her, the heat penetrating right through to her icy bones.