Chapter 79
Chapter seventy-nine
The drive back from the hospital was quiet for Billy, and she took the moment to contemplate the day.
The gentle rocking of the vehicle as it took them around the bends and mountain roads had meant Meredith, Imogen, and eventually Rosa, had all dozed off.
Each bend made their sleeping heads loll, seatbelts tugging them back.
The heater hummed on low, fighting the cold outside, and the car smelled faintly of disinfectant.
When she pulled up outside the house, it was only Rosa who stirred. Sitting in the back beside Imogen, she unbuckled her belt, leaned forward, and bleary-eyed, looked through the windscreen.
“Are we back?”
Billy twisted a little in her seat so she could look at her—sleepy, hair a little messy—still the most beautiful sight she could see. Billy’s chest tightened with it—how quickly “home” had become a person again.
“Yes. Just arrived.” She glanced at Imogen, then Meredith, identical with their mouths gaping, heads tilted towards the windows.
“Okay. Let’s get inside then.”
“Will you come to my—”
Rosa’s eyes darted to the other two before she nodded. “Yes. Once they’re in bed.”
“Good. Okay, let’s wake them up and get moving.” She pulled a key from her pocket and handed it back to Rosa, their fingers barely brushing and Billy had to look away before she smiled.
Rosa gently cajoled Imogen out of her slumber. Sleepy and docile, the teenager opened the door and climbed out, followed by Rosa, who took her arm and led her to the house.
While they fiddled with the key outside, Meredith—still with her eyes closed—said, “I always knew you’d find your way back to her.” Her voice was thick with sleep, but steady.
Billy stared open-mouthed at her mother, unsure if she’d actually heard her speak or imagined it, but when Meredith opened her eyes and smirked at her, she knew the truth.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Meredith’s smile deepened. “You love her, she loves you…any fool could see it. You’re back together, aren’t you?”
For a moment, Billy’s stomach dropped. Had it been that obvious? Did Imogen know? Heat rushed up her neck. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles ached. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t know. I kind of hoped. But then Imogen said she saw Rosa coming out of your room this morning, and you’ve just arranged for her to come to your room this evening, so…” She shrugged, then reached out and touched her daughter’s cheek. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
Relief washed through Billy. It was one thing telling Niamph at work, who had no skin in the game, but being able to talk to her mother felt important. “We just wanted to be sure before we said anything.”
“I understand. It’s a big deal.” Meredith patted Billy’s thigh.
“It is.” Billy’s face lit up. “I love her. I’ve always loved her.” Saying it out loud always felt like stepping into sunlight.
“I remember the day she told you to leave. I’ve never seen you so broken. And at the same time, I understood completely why she’d made that decision,” Meredith said. “But we always hoped that one day you’d find each other again.”
“Honestly, I thought we’d passed the point of no return but…being here for Imogen’s birthday, stuck in the cabin together, we had time to talk.”
Meredith grinned. “The cabin?”
Billy felt her cheeks burn. “Yeah, I mean…it was a long time overdue, and we couldn’t avoid each other, so I guess it gave us the opportunity to say what we needed to say and clear the air.”
“So you could start to see each other again without the fog of sadness that was over you both?”
“Something like that.”
The sensor light switched off. Darkness folded over the car. “We should probably go in. Rosa will be wondering what’s wrong.”
Billy nodded. “Yeah.”
They both opened their doors and stepped out. Over the roof of the car, Meredith said, “I’m happy for you both, Billy.”
“Me too,” Billy answered. Rosa’s voice echoed in her head for the umpteenth time: ”I want to marry you.”
For now, though, that would remain between Rosa and herself until everything was settled and they could tell Imogen first.