Chapter 16
16
After half an hour of talking, the children finally ambled downstairs and Holly found herself faced with a very sleepy Hope.
‘Did someone stay up a bit too late?’ Holly said as she hoisted Hope up onto her hips. She was far too large to pick up in such a manner now and it would only be a couple of years until she was as tall as Holly, but at that point, she wouldn’t be able to pick her up at all, and Holly was determined to make the most of it. Yawning loudly, Hope nestled her head into Holly’s shoulder.
‘It was Randall’s fault,’ she said. ‘He wanted to watch the film.’
‘Is that right?’ Holly exchanged a look with Jamie. ‘Because I’m sure you said you were the one who wanted to watch something.’
‘No, it wasn’t me,’ Hope insisted, but she couldn’t even get the words out before yawning again.
Moments like this, when Hope wanted nothing more than to snuggle, were enough to make Holly’s heart swell. It was impossible to think that one day, she’d be a grown woman who didn’t need her mum for anything at all, although fingers crossed she’d still want cuddles even then.
‘Well, how about we go home, give you a bath, and snuggle Rhubarb before Mummy has to go to the shop?’
‘I want to play.’
‘Okay, you can play,’ Holly said, although she could already see the way her morning was panning out: Hope asleep on the sofa with Rhubarb curled up next to her. Still, there were worse ways to spend a day.
As it happened, after half an hour of dozing and a big, warm bubble bath, during which she created a variety of ‘potions’, Hope was raring to get outside in the garden and practise her cartwheels.
Holly sat with a book and a kitten on her lap as she watched her daughter until just after eleven, when the doorbell went.
‘Hope, that’ll be your dad. Go upstairs and get your things please, sweetie. I’ll let him in.’
‘But I’ve nearly got it!’ Hope said, stamping her foot on the ground. It was a sure sign that the tiredness was still there, lingering beneath the surface. Any second now, she was going to crash.
‘You can practise your cartwheels at Daddy’s, Hope. I’m sure Ivy and Grace would like to see how well you do them now.’
Mentioning her sisters was the one thing that got Hope moving.
‘Fine,’ she said, striding towards the house. ‘But I need to take all my bunnies. I don’t like sleeping without having them all.’
‘Then you better go pack them.’
A minute later, Holly was opening the front door, while Hope was stomping her way up the stairs.
‘She’s exhausted,’ Holly said, as she stepped to the side and let Ben into the house. ‘I don’t know what kind of mood she’s going to be in later. Just so you’re forewarned.’
‘It’s fine,’ Ben said. ‘She’ll cheer up when she sees the girls. They’ve been trying to make me come and fetch her since they woke up.’
Holly smiled. As an only child, she often felt in awe of the love Hope shared with her siblings, and it was a bond she suspected would only grow as they got older.
‘She’s getting her teddies sorted, which means she’ll be a while. Want a cup of coffee?’
‘Tea would be great,’ he replied. ‘And can I smell blueberry muffins?’
Holly couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Come on through. I’ll put some in a tub and you can take them back for the others.’
‘So,’ Ben said as he followed her into the kitchen. ‘Last night was a bit of a surprise. For me, anyway. I assume you knew it was going to happen.’
‘No,’ Holly said, grateful she had her back to Ben so he couldn’t see her face. ‘No, I didn’t know it was going to happen. So, yes. It was a definitely a surprise.’
‘But a good one, right?’
What was it with people using that tone with her? Why would people not think Giles getting married was a good thing? Other than he had completely rushed into it, and Sienna was the worst match possible and it was bound to end in disaster. Thinking about it like that, it was no surprise people wanted to talk about it, although for Holly, a different topic of conversation was taking priority in her mind. There was a question she wanted to ask. One she had thought countless times over the last few years, but never said. Yet, as she began to fill a plastic tub with the previous night’s baking, she knew she couldn’t keep it in any longer. Stopping what she was doing, she turned around and looked at Ben.
‘I need to ask you something,’ she said. ‘Is that all right?’
‘Sure. Go ahead – what is it?’
Holly took a deep breath in as she considered if she actually wanted to do this. In the end, though, it wasn’t about wants. It really did feel like a need. So, with an apologetic smile already forming on her lips, she locked eyes with Ben.
‘I want to know why you’ve never proposed to Georgia,’ she said.