MAYA BROOKE
Finn doesn’t let me load anything into the car as we leave for Christmas in Willows Bay. He does everything as he places our small suitcases into the boot, along with strapping Skye into her seat and locking up the house.
“Ready to go?” he asks as he turns to face me.
His blond hair has grown out a little, there’s stubble building on his jaw, and his eyes are brighter than I’ve seen them in a while. I don’t know what it is about this moment, but he’s too handsome for my liking.
I hum softly. “Yeah.”
“Let’s go.”
Finn opens the passenger door for me, and I smile at him gratefully. “Thank you.”
As soon as we’re on the road, I try to relax back and enjoy the journey, but I can’t. I’m going to meet Finn’s parents and his sister. We’re going to be together in the same house for days. What if they don’t like me?
“You’re thinking a little too hard,” Finn says as he keeps his eyes on the road. “You okay?”
I purse my lips and nod, attempting to ease the tightness in my forehead. “Just a little nervous.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about,” he states. “We’re going to have a great time.”
“Do your parents know about me?”
Finn blows out a difficult sigh. “I didn’t really tell anyone in my family about our relationship when we were together.
Not for any other reason than you were the only good thing in my life, and I didn’t want people asking questions.
I just wanted to keep it for myself. I’ve always been the sort of person who doesn’t share personal stuff, and when my drinking got worse, I kept everything bottled up. Even the good parts.”
“Oh—”
“I know that sounds bad.” He winces. “I wasn’t really thinking at the time. But they know about you now. They know we were together. They know exactly what you mean to me.”
My throat starts to burn. “D-do they think I’m a bad person?”
“Why on Earth would they think that?”
I shrug. “Because I knew about your drinking habits and I could have done more.”
“Only I could have helped myself,” he says as we stop at a traffic light.
“No matter what you said to me, nothing would have made me better, and we both know it. My parents would never think you’re a bad person.
If anything, they’re probably relieved that I had someone like you at my darkest times.
For them to know I wasn’t completely alone. ”
My eyes tilt down as I hum. “I don’t want them to think I sat there and did nothing.”
“Maya,” Finn says before pushing the stick into gear and driving forward.
“Without you, things would have been ten times worse, and they know that. You didn’t encourage me; you were never an enabler.
You were my safe space until my demons got the better of me and I ruined everything myself. They are going to love you. I promise.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
It doesn’t take us long to get to Willows Bay, not before stopping along the way to grab some food and feed a restless Skye. But as soon as we pull up to the small seaside town, my heart starts to pound in my chest.
“We’re here,” Finn says as he stops outside a gorgeous blue and white house.
I stare out of the window at the house with a large porch and a bench outside the front door. My mouth falls open at the beauty of it. I pop the car door open and step out.
“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I know you told me it was a nice house, but you didn’t say it was stunning.”
Finn chuckles as he meets me on the pavement. “When you’ve lived here your entire life, I suppose you don’t appreciate the small things.”
The front door opens, and my eyes immediately gravitate to the three people who emerge. Finn’s mum steps out with a bright grin and an enthusiastic wave.
“You’re all here,” she says cheerily before hopping down the steps to greet us. “Welcome home.”
She steps forward to give her son a quick hug, and the second her eyes land on me, she smiles even brighter. “Hi, Maya,” she says before pulling me into her. “I’m Andrea. It’s so good to finally meet you. How was the journey?”
The hug is warm and motherly and immediately calms my nerves.
“Hi, Andrea,” I say as she pulls back and holds me at arm’s length. “The journey was good.”
Andrea’s eyes roam my face before softening. “My goodness,” she whispers. “Aren’t you beautiful?”
My cheeks heat at her unexpected words as I laugh hesitantly and push my hair away from my face. “Thank you.”
Next, I greet Finn’s father, James, who gives me an even bigger hug than his wife.
“Pleased to have you here with us, Maya,” he says wholeheartedly.
“Thank you for having me.”
When he pulls away, and I immediately spot Finn’s twin sister, Ivy, I smile. Finn has shown me pictures of them when they were younger, and despite them being twins, they’re completely different heights. Ivy’s nearly a foot shorter than him, but they have the exact same colour eyes.
“Hey, Maya. I’m Ivy,” she says, stepping forward. “How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
Ivy beams. “Glad to be home for a while. University is really exhausting.”
“Oh, completely,” I say with a laugh.
Finn opens the car door behind us, and I watch as he pulls Skye into his arms. Andrea and Ivy are there immediately as they admire our daughter.
“And this is Skye,” Finn says proudly.
“Oh, look at you,” Andrea says with adoration in her eyes. “You’re even more perfect in real life. Oh, I’m gonna cry.”
“Oh my god.” Ivy shakes her head, tears in her eyes. “Oh, she’s so beautiful. Hello, little one.”
Skye’s hair is a little wild from the journey and her on-and-off naps, but her eyes are bright as she looks at the two women in front of her.
I watch the interaction unfold, my heart racing because this is how people should be around children in their family.
If it’s anything like my mum or sister, then I don’t want it.
I press a hand to my chest to stop the sudden cry emerging.
It’s pathetic, but it’s all I’ve wanted for Skye to be around a family who actually cares.
“I cannot wait for a cuddle later,” Andrea says as she slides her finger over the back of her hand. “I can’t believe I’m a grandmother.”
“Let’s get inside, it’s cold out here,” Finn says before handing Skye to me. “I’ll get the bags.”
I follow the rest of them into the house. I’m immediately drawn into the features of their home and all the ocean-inspired decorations. It’s clean and classic with a personal twist. A home. A real home that feels lived in.
There’s a beautiful Christmas tree in the living room with red and gold ornaments. Along with fairy lights and stockings pinned to the fireplace. There are seven of them, all personalised with names.
Andrea. James. Ivy. Finn. JJ. Maya. Skye.
There’s a warmth in my chest that blossoms because I can’t even remember having a stocking since I was about eight years old. But it immediately makes me feel included, along with Skye, like they’ve been planning this for a while.
“How are you, Maya?” Andrea asks as she guides me into the kitchen.
“I’m good, thank you. How are you?”
“Very excited to have you here,” she says as we approach the kitchen island.
“It’s all she’s been talking about for weeks,” James pitches in with a chuckle. “You are very welcome here, Maya. I hope you don’t mind spending Christmas in a madhouse.”
I nearly snort. I know what a madhouse is like, and this doesn’t seem remotely similar. “No, not at all. Thank you for letting us.”
“Oh, don’t be silly.” Andrea waves a hand. “You’re family, and family is everything.”
Skye wriggles in my arms, and I adjust her slightly.
“How old is Skye now?” Ivy asks as she slides onto the stool.
“Four months.” I brush back her hair.
“Four months and an absolute beauty.” Andrea beams at Skye. “Can I hold her?”
I nod slowly. “Of course.”
Andrea steps forward, and she takes Skye from my arms. The adoration on Andrea’s face is instant, bright, and unreserved. Skye stares back at her with curiosity on her face, but she doesn’t start to cry, which is a bonus.
“Oh my, look at you, big girl. Are we going to have the best Christmas ever? Yes, we are.”
Finn comes through the door with our bags before meeting us at the island. He approaches my side, and I take a quick glance at him. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I am okay. I’m more than okay. They welcomed us with wide arms, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
“Of course, I don’t want to push any boundaries with Skye,” Andrea says, catching my attention. “And I want to make sure we don’t make you uncomfortable with anything we do or say. So please let us know if we’re crossing any, okay?”
I frown at her words. “You’re Skye’s family,” I state. “It’s a blessing for her to be around her grandparents and her auntie.”
Andrea’s eyes begin to glimmer. “I’ve always wanted to be a grandmother.”
“Well.” I smile softly. “Skye’s very lucky to have you.”
Finn presses a hand to my back and gently rubs his thumb against the fabric of my jumper. It’s soothing and his attempt at calming any existing nerves, but I feel none.
“We’ve got you all set up in Finn’s room,” James says. “I even bought a brand-new cot.”
“Brand new?” Finn asks. “We brought ours from home. You didn’t need to do that.”
Andrea shakes her head. “I should have said. But we just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. It’s all set up and ready to go, so you guys don’t have to fuss.”
My eyes burn with the sensation of fresh tears. It’s thoughtful and completely unnecessary, but they did it anyway.
“Thanks, guys,” Finn says. “I appreciate that.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, unable to hold in my emotions.
Finn glances at me and nods to the stairs. “Shall I take our bags and show you upstairs?”
“Sure,” I say before looking at Skye, who has a fistful of Andrea’s hair.
We head upstairs as Finn presses his hand to one of the doors. I step inside to find it’s his bedroom, with the bed freshly made and a rather expensive cot sitting in the corner.
“D-do you only have one bedroom?” I ask hesitantly, realising we might have to share a bed.
We haven’t slept in the same bed for weeks, and I don’t want it to mess with his head.
“There’s a spare room.”
“Shall I sleep in there? If it’s available.”
Finn is silent for a moment as he turns to me. “Uh, no.” He clears his throat. “I’ll sleep in there.”
My heart tightens in my chest as my fingers move to my necklace instinctively. I don’t want to sleep in separate beds, but it’s not my choice, so I settle for, “Okay.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I confess. “Your family is lovely.”
“I know they’re fussing over Skye, but they’re equally as excited to have you here.”
“I get it,” I murmur. “That’s their grandchild.”
Finn walks towards me, and I tilt my head to look up at him. “If you feel overwhelmed or anything, tell me, okay? My mum might be a little unbearable at the start, but I know she’s just excited.”
“I’d rather be overwhelmed than under,” I say. “It’s nice to have a welcome parade rather than feeling unwanted.”
He frowns at me. “You’ll never feel unwanted here. You’ll never feel unwanted with me.”
My throat closes up as I attempt to swallow. “Guess I’ve only just started to realise I have severe abandonment issues. It’s hard to trust that people aren’t going to just drop you, especially those who should be there for you instead.”
Finn places his finger against my chin, and I notice the strike of regret in his eyes from what happened between us earlier this year. “Your feelings are valid,” he murmurs. “And I promise I’m never walking out on you again, and my family is always going to be there, no matter what happens.”
“Okay.”
“Come on,” he says as he drops his hand. “Let’s get something to eat and make sure my mum isn’t smothering our daughter with cuddles.”
My lip twitches up at his words. “Even if she is, I don’t mind. Skye deserves all the attention in the world.”
“Trust me, she’s going to get it.”