… Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry.’
‘You’re sorry!’ Em struggled to her feet, still cradling Gretta. She should confess, she thought, but as she looked at her mum’s face she thought, no. Confession might make her feel better, but right now Adrianna was happy because her daughter had remembered. Oliver had given her that gift and she’d accept, because to do anything else would be cruel. Her mum did so much …
Oliver had rescued her. It’d be dumb to spoil his efforts with more than Adrianna had to know.
But she wasn’t going to be dishonest. Not entirely. ‘Mum, I remembered when I woke up this morning,’ she said. ‘But when Gretta was sick I forgot to say it. It was such a rush all day and there’s been nothing I could do. But when I met Oliver—’
‘You knew he was coming?’
‘He ordered the cake. And you know he’s always loved you.’ And that at least was the truth.
‘Oh, Em …’
‘And I’ve bought you a half-day spa voucher.’ Yeah, she was lying about that but she could order and get it printed tonight. ‘And if we can, I’ll do it with you.’ That’s what Adrianna would like most in the world, she knew, but how would she manage that? But she looked at her mum’s tired face and thought she had to do it. It might have to wait until Gretta was better, but she would do it.
If Gretta got better.
‘Oh, but, Em … Gretta …’
‘It can’t be all about Gretta,’ Em said gently, and that, too, was true. No matter how much attention Gretta needed, there were others who needed her, as well. It’d be a wrench to spend one of her precious free days …
But, no. This was her mum.
Oliver had saved the situation for now. The least she could do was take it forward.
The cake was amazing, an over-the-top confection that made the kids gasp with wonder. The taxi driver brought it in with a flourish then directed the kids to bring in the balloons. Whatever Oliver had paid, Em thought numbly, it must have been well and truly over the top, as the balloons were already filled, multi-coloured balls of floating air, bursting from the cab as soon as the doors were open, secured only by ribbons tied to the cab doors.
The kids brought them in, bunch upon bunch, and the kitchen was an instant party.
Katy arrived from next door, summoned by her kids. She wouldn’t come right in—her flushed face verified her self-diagnosis of a streaming head cold and she declared there was no way she was risking Gretta catching anything—but she stood in the doorway and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ with the rest of them and watched while Adrianna blew out the candles and sliced the creamy caramel and chocolate and strawberry confection into slices that were almost cake-sized each.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Adrianna said mistily, between mouthfuls of cake. ‘Thank you all so much.’
And Em looked across at Oliver, who was sitting with Toby on his knee, one spoonful for Oliver, one spoonful for Toby, and she caught his gaze and tried to smile. But it didn’t come off.
This was how it could have been, she thought. This was what she’d dreamed of.
But she’d pushed too hard, too fast. Josh’s death had gutted her. She remembered sobbing, ‘I can’t do IVF any more, I’m too tired. There are babies out there who need us. We’ll adopt. You’re adopted, Oliver, you know it can work.’
But: ‘It doesn’t work,’ he’d said, not angrily, just flatly, dully, stating immutable facts. ‘It’s second best and you know it.’
His reaction had shocked her. She’d been in no mood to compromise, and suddenly everything had escalated. The tension of five years of trying for a family had suddenly exploded. Leaving them with nothing.
What had he been doing for five years? Building his career, by the look of his CV. Turning into a wonderful doctor.
A caring doctor … His patience with two-year-old Toby, not the easiest kid to feed, was wonderful. The way he responded to the kids around the table, the mess, the laughter …
The way he smiled up at Adrianna and told her he was so sorry he’d missed her last five birthdays, she’d have to have five slices of cake to make up for it …
He was wonderful.
She wanted to weep.
She wanted to set Gretta down, walk around the table and hug him. Hold him.
Claim him again as her husband?
Right, like that was about to happen. The past was the past. They’d made their decisions and they’d moved on.
‘Em’s given me an afternoon at the day spa,’ Adrianna said happily, cutting across her thoughts. Or almost. Her thoughts were pretty intense right now, pretty much centred on the gorgeous guy with the toddler, right across the table from her. She was watching his hands. She’d loved those hands—surgeon’s hands. She remembered what those hands had been able to do.
She remembered …
‘That’s gorgeous,’ Katy was saying from the doorway. ‘But, Em, you still haven’t had that colour and cut Mike and I gave you for Christmas. Right, Adrianna, this time it’s going to work. As soon as I get over my snuffles I’m taking all five kids and you two are having your Christmas and birthday treats combined. This weekend?’
Once again, right. As if. Em gave her a smile, and then went to hug Adrianna, but she thought Katy would still be recovering by this weekend and her boys would probably catch her cold after her and Gretta was still so weak …
Adrianna should—and would—have her day spa but there’d be no day spas or colour and cuts for Em until … until …
The until was unthinkable. She hugged Gretta and her mind closed.
‘What about this Saturday and using me?’ Oliver asked, and she blinked. Had she misheard?
‘You?’
‘Anyone can see you’ve got the cold from hell,’ he told Katy. ‘Even if you’re not still contagious you’ll be wiped out, and you have three of your own to look after. Whereas I’ve just moved to Melbourne and my job hasn’t geared up yet. There’s nothing to stop me coming by and taking care of a couple of kids for a few hours.’ He spooned chocolate ice-cream cake into Toby’s waiting mouth and grinned at the little boy. ‘Piece of cake, really. We’ll have fun.’ And then he smiled across at Gretta, focusing entirely on the little girl. ‘How about it, Gretta? Will you let me take care of you and Toby?’
Gretta gazed back at him, clearly not understanding what was happening, but Oliver was smiling and she responded to the smile. She tried a tentative one of her own.
She was one brave kid, Oliver thought. But she looked so vulnerable … Her colour … Oxygen wasn’t getting through.
‘That’d be fantastic,’ Adrianna breathed. ‘Em worries about Gretta’s breathing, but with you being a doctor …’
‘Is
