Midwife...to Mum!

‘Absolutely.’ She bent down to press a kiss on his forehead. ‘Yes.’ When she straightened Flynn was waiting for her, his arms outstretched to bring her close. His head lowered and his mouth claimed hers.

This kiss was like no other they’d shared. This was full of promises and love and life.

‘How long are you going to kiss Dad?’ Adam tapped her waist.

‘For ever,’ she murmured against Flynn’s mouth, before reluctantly pulling away. She was afraid to let him go. She needed to keep reassuring herself he’d always be there.

Flynn took her hand and laced their fingers together. ‘Want to come home with us for the rest of the weekend?’

‘I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.’

‘Thank goodness.’ Until he’d relaxed she hadn’t realised how tense he’d become.

‘I have to be back here on Monday.’

He nodded. ‘But now you have a home to go to when you’re not on a job.’

Her heart turned over. ‘You’re not expecting me to give up working for the midwifery unit, then?’

‘You’ll do that when you’re good and ready. We’ve got all the time in the world to learn to live together and for you to feel right at home on the island. I won’t be rushing you, sweetheart.’ Then he really stole her heart with, ‘When I say I love you, I mean through the best times and the worst, through summer, winter and Christmas and birthdays. I’m here for you, with you, Ally, for ever.’

‘But what if I fail? This will be new for me.’

‘You won’t fail, Ally. You’ll make mistakes.’

‘Fine. What happens when I make these mistakes?’ she asked, her heart in her mouth.

‘We sort them and we move on. Together.’

Her heart cracked completely open. Could she do this? ‘Can I do this? Really?’ She locked her eyes on the man who’d turned her world on its head.

‘Your call, sweetheart. But I believe you can do anything you set your mind to.’

Was Flynn not as scared as she was? For all his understanding, maybe he didn’t get it. But looking into those eyes she’d come to trust, she saw nothing but his confidence in her. He trusted her to look out for Adam to the best of her ability, even if that ability needed fine-tuning along the way. He trusted her to love him as much as she’d declared. Her mouth was dry. Finally she managed to croak, ‘Let’s go home.’

‘Yes.’ Adam jumped up and down, then ran circles around the lounge. ‘Yes, Ally’s coming back home with us.’

Flynn reached for her, his smile wobbly with relief. ‘Home. Our home. The three of us.’ Then his smile strengthened. ‘And the dogs.’

Eighteen months later…

Ally laid baby Charlotte over her shoulder and rubbed her tiny back. ‘Bring up the wind, sweetheart, and you’ll feel so much better.’

Flynn grinned. ‘Look at you. Anyone would think you’d been burping babies for ever. Charlotte is completely relaxed lying there.’

Ally’s heart swelled with pride and happiness. ‘Seems I got the mothering gene after all.’

Flynn’s grin became a warm, loving smile. ‘Ally, I was never in doubt about that. I’ve seen you with Jacob, with Chrissie’s Xavier and half the other new babies on the island. You’re a natural when it comes to making babies happy.’

She blinked back a threatening tear at his belief in her. That belief had helped her through the doubts that had reared up throughout her pregnancy, had meant he hadn’t hovered as she’d learned to feed and bath and love her baby. And Adam. Well. ‘Adam’s been complaining this morning. Apparently I should’ve made a boy so he had a brother to play football with.’

‘He’ll have to wait a year or two.’

‘We’re having more?’

‘Why not?’

She blinked. That told her how much he believed in her. In her chest her heart swelled even larger.

The bed tipped as Flynn sat down beside her and reached for his daughter. ‘Hello, gorgeous.’ He laid Charlotte over his shoulder and held her with one hand.

‘Hello,’ said Ally, her tongue in her cheek.

He leaned over and kissed her. ‘Hello, gorgeous number one. Did you get any sleep last night?’

‘An hour maybe.’ Charlotte had had colic and nothing had settled her. But Ally had been happy, pacing up and down the house, cuddling her precious bundle, kissing and caressing. Just plain loving her baby. She’d known what to do, hadn’t had any moments of doubt when Charlotte wouldn’t settle. And this morning she was being rewarded with a contented baby.

Yep, she did have the right instincts. When Charlotte had been born three weeks ago she’d been stunned at the instant love and connection she’d felt for her baby. It had been blinding in its strength. For the first time ever, Ally realised how hard it must have been for her mother to give her up. She might have desperately wanted to keep her baby but had been too scared, troubled or unable to support herself. Now, as a mother, Ally knew it wasn’t a decision any woman would make lightly. She’d never know the reason her mother had left her on that doorstep. But now at last, with Flynn by her side, she was moving on, making a loving life for her family and herself.

‘Flynn.’ She wrapped her hands around his free one. ‘I love you so much. I’m so lucky.’

‘You and me both, sweetheart.’

‘Let’s get married.’ She hadn’t thought about it. The words had just popped out, but she certainly didn’t want to retract them.

His eyes widened and that delicious mouth tipped up into a big smile. ‘That’s the best idea you’ve had since we decided to get pregnant.’

‘I thought so.’ Her lips kissed the palm of his hand, and then his fingers. Life couldn’t get any better.