Chapter 37
CHAPTER 37
N ina gazed at Ruby as she slept in the car seat beside her in the middle row of Jaz’s people carrier. She found it difficult to drag her eyes away from her. Ruby had a shock of dark hair and a cute little mouth that quivered every now and again.
Belle turned around from the front passenger seat as Jaz backed onto her driveway. “I’m so excited to see her in her nursery.”
“Me too,” Nina said as she unclipped the seat belt, longing to feel her precious baby in her arms again. “But it’s all got to be put together yet.”
She glanced across at her new home. “I’m so grateful, Jaz, for you letting me live here.”
“Hun, you’re paying me rent.”
“But you could have let it to that woman at the school. Take the thanks.”
“Okay,” Jaz said with a laugh. “But I still feel like you’re the one doing me a massive favour. Now, we’ll let you settle in peace.”
“Thanks. Ma and Dad will be over in an hour.”
“And Nina, I don’t want to interfere, but as I said, Warren was totally broken by the fact he couldn’t be here.”
Nina just nodded. She’d listened in silence to what Jaz had relayed to her, about Warren being detained by the police, but had blocked it from her mind. She didn’t want to spoil the moment and memories of bringing her perfect daughter home. A child that had been let down before she was even born, not by one dad, but by two! Although she knew that was unfair. Warren had only been her boyfriend for a matter of hours. Again, she pushed thoughts of him aside, although it wasn’t easy.
She walked into her home with Ruby. It was just the two of them. She felt grounded. It wasn’t just her now, she couldn’t mess around with romantic feelings. She was responsible for another life and had to be strong for this little person who depended on her and her alone.
“Welcome home little one,” she said with a smile. She’d never felt so centred in her life. As if being Ruby’s mother was her sole purpose.
She removed Ruby from the car seat, held her in her arms and took her to the sofa to feed her. Ruby soon woke from the journey and began to make noises until she latched on, Nina smiled at her as she fed. Once she had burped her she felt sleepy herself and placed Ruby in her Moses basket and drifted off.
She woke to the sound of gentle knocking on the door. She rose from the sofa and answered it to find her mother and father there.
“We’re here to help. Just tell us what to do,” Sumitra said, her face beaming.
“Thanks. I need the nursery to be made up. The cot, the chest of drawers and the wardrobe. Sorry, I can get someone in to do it. You don’t have to.”
“There’s no need to apologise,” Tony said. “We’ve done enough flat packs in our time. I’m sure we’ll manage.”
“And make sure you rest,” Sumitra said. “We’ll sort it all. You can’t do any heavy lifting.”
Nina wished she hadn’t ordered flat pack furniture, but it was so much cheaper. Ethan’s mother had suggested she took furniture from the Shepton Mallet house which was still up for sale, but she didn’t want anything from that part of her life.
She made teas and coffees as she heard her mother and father bickering.
“Let me read the instructions first!” Sumitra hissed at Tony.
Nina grinned. It reminded her of her childhood. She checked Ruby was sound asleep and then took the stairs, with a slight dragging pain present. She didn’t want to risk spilling the teas on the way up but she wanted to go up and let them know that maybe they should put a hold on building the furniture.
As she reached the top, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Sumitra said. “And check on the baby, in case she’s stirred. I take it you’re not up for visitors yet?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It depends on who it is.” Nina looked out of the window. There was no car, so she assumed it must be Jaz.
“Ah,” her father said as he turned the instructions up the other way. “That’s how it goes.”
“Look, Dad, I can last a week without these being made up. I’ll get someone else to do it. I don’t want you two falling out over it.”
Sumitra returned. “It was that young man.” She huffed. “I told him he’s a day too late.”
Nina looked out of the window to see Warren with his back to the house and she instantly wanted to follow him. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, then reopened them to see him slowly walk away. The block she’d applied to the feelings she had for him instantly melted. She’d previously decided to give it a couple of days before she approached him, knowing Jaz had told him to give her time. But a flutter of excitement settled in her stomach, pleased he’d come over. Realising she would have felt let down if he’d actually stayed away considering how close they were.
She turned to Sumitra. “I need to speak to him,” she said as a growing warmth covered her body. “It’s unfair of me, not to hear him out.” She felt a smile spread over her face, unable to contain it. “Can you keep an eye on Ruby?”
As she left the room, she felt the animosity fizzle away. After all, Jaz had said it was out of his control. She hadn’t really listened to the full details, she’d not been in the mood, but as soon as she’d set eyes on him, she wanted to hear his voice, to hold him tight.
She held the rail, taking the stairs as quickly as she could considering the after effects of giving birth, then reached the bottom and walked to the door. She threw it open and called out to him. He turned and paused. She could see clearly from where she was standing that he exhaled, as if with relief. He paused for a moment, as if composing himself. She beckoned him and he ran towards her until he was only a couple of feet away.
“I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked.
She stepped towards him and pulled him close, feeling his body shudder in her arms. “I know you are. What exactly happened? Jaz said Scottie caused trouble with the police.”
He took a deep breath. “He was trying to drag me into a deal, I’m not aware of the actual items being dealt, but by the scale of the police operation, it was serious.” He leaned back and gazed into her eyes. “It was my fault I got dragged into it. You were right. Mum and Dad were right, Darius was right. I should have cut Scottie off years ago. I had months when I could have blocked his number and this wouldn’t have happened. I would have been … at the hospital, with you.”
As she took in his gaze she knew he was hurting and could not bear to witness his remorse. She pulled him close and squeezed him tight. “You’re a caring person.” She leaned back. “Why was it that you didn’t block him?”
“Because I’m an idiot. But yesterday, I told him as soon as he called, we’re done, it’s over.” He paused. “Because of you. But it was too late, the police had already traced the call to my phone and assumed I was involved.”
“But why, really, did you not block him sooner?”
He took a breath. “Because he was like a brother to me, I felt responsible for him.”
She smiled at him, now feeling tears running down her cheeks as she witnessed the pure emotion he showed in his face. “You cared about him, he was all you had from your childhood.” She swallowed as a lump formed in her throat. “You loved him, Warren.” She watched his face quiver as he battled to control his emotions. “And I know why you told him yesterday that it was over.” She pulled him close, not wanting to force him to say it, knowing that it wouldn’t be easy for him to declare his feelings and there was time enough in the future. “You’re a loyal man. I know you’d never have let me down and can’t imagine how awful you felt locked in a cell, powerless.”
“All I was thinking of was you. All I want in the whole world…” He took a deep breath. “All I want is for us to be a family.”
Nina felt so close to this complicated man who had so much love to give. “It’s what I want too. Come in. There’s someone special I want you to meet.”
“Wait.” He pulled her hand. “I have to tell you. I love you, Nina.”
She grinned up at him. “I know you do.” She kissed him on the cheek. “And I love you too. Let’s go inside.”
As Nina watched Warren gaze at Ruby for the first time and lift her into his arms, she knew in her heart that her daughter would grow up to call this man Daddy.