It wasn’t unusual for her to need to ‘share’ the gossip from her group of friends and acquaintances with her. Not that Davina had any clue why these snippets were even marginally important.

  “Anyway, they went to that new restaurant, Bayside?”

  Now her attention swung totally to her mother, and confusion gave way to something that felt suspiciously like a mixture of guilt and horror.

  “Uhhh….”

  “Imagine when Sandra says she saw you there with that painter fellow. Meeting another couple. An older couple.” The snarl in Maeve’s voice turning strident. “I thought to myself, well, they’ve gone to meet his parents without me. That was bad enough, until she told me—here’s the thing, Davina Ann—she told me who you lunched with.”

  “Mother—”

  “Now, I can’t imagine why you’ve gone behind my back to have lunch with that snake and his bitch…”

  Davina’s ire rose. “Mother! This is not about you. Whether I meet with Father or not, you’re divorced and have been for a very long time, and as an adult, I don’t believe it’s any of your business. I don’t discuss him with you, nor do I expect—"

  “Enough!” her mother bellowed and the fury in Davina’s breast warred with horror at the level of spite her mother spewed.

  Anger burned. “Did you stop him from seeing me?” The words slid out, and she winced at the neediness in the query.

  “Of course, I did! What else would you expect me to do when he walked out that day?”

  For a moment shock coursed through Davina. “You told me lies. You said he never wanted to know me.”

  “What difference does it make? He wasn’t there. Besides—”

  “Don’t you dare!” Davina’s fingers gripped the phone and Micah came dashing into the lounge where she’d been working. She didn’t look at him, because right now, she had to push away the scouring fury. Everything he’d said was true…

  “Davina Ann. I’m your mother and—"

  “No.” Her voice shook with emotion, while her chest felt set to explode. “I will not let you do this to me.” Tears welled, and she dashed them away. “This is how it will be from now on, Mother. If I meet with my father and Laura, it's none of your business. I do not interfere in your entanglements, romantic or otherwise. You either respect my choices or I’ll have nothing more to do with you.” The words weren’t idle threats, either. She had reached the end of her limit of tolerance. This final infraction pushing her beyond anything she’d endured previously. “I’m going to hang up now, Mother. I’ll talk with you later, when I’m feeling more settled.” Without another word, she depressed the key, then laid down the phone.

  Only now did she look up at Micah, who waited in the doorway.

  “Your mother?”

  Davina nodded, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “Yes. I really don’t want to talk about it right now, but I’d appreciate a cup of tea.”

  On a hiccup, Davina rose and tottered in his direction, then sighed when he pulled her into his arms. “My family is pretty dysfunctional,” she said into his chest.

  He laughed, the rumble settling her frustration and anger as nothing else every had. “Maybe they are, but I don’t care, Davina. You and me? We can make our future whatever we want it to be.”

  Even as she released the steel holding her spine rigid, she wondered, do I even know how to?

  Chapter

  Twenty

  Micah watched as Davina shuffled through her bag, looking for her purse. “It’s in here somewhere.”

  “I can pay for it,” he rasped, and she laughed.

  “No. It’s my treat. I said I’d cook dinner and I will.” The grocery cart was filled with fruit, vegetables, and meat, and he wondered what she planned. “Ah ha!” She whipped it out with an envelope adhered to the side. “Oh, what’s this?”

  He leaned in. “Was it the thing Laura gave you at Bayside?”

  When she bit her lip, the curl of hunger in his belly nudged at him, reminding him that the interest was never far away.

  “I don’t know.”

  The people behind cleared their throats, so they quickly paid for the food and left the store, the envelope safely stashed in her handbag. Once they’d climbed into the car, the groceries on the backseat, Micah turned to Davina.

  “Should you open it?” This time, the bite of her lip tugged at him with concern. He understood she felt that dealing with her family was her responsibility, but Micah couldn’t help wondering if she realized she no longer had to do it alone.

  “I should.” Her fingers dipped into her bag and drew out the envelope. They shook as she broke the seal. A tiny piece of paper slipped out.

  He gave her a second, only to be rewarded with an “Oh God!”

  Protective instincts on high alert, he scanned her face, which crumpled. “They want us to join them for a lunch next Sunday. At their house.”

  “And?”

  “It’s a family lunch for Carrie’s birthday. She’s turning six.” She rubbed her aching brow. “I didn’t go to Austin’s last month.”

  He blinked. “You don’t want to go?”

  “I do, I think. My mother poisoned me, refused my father access. Then, when I was older, I shut him out every time he tried to make contact. I haven’t even met Carrie or Austin, but they want me to join them at her birthday party.” Tears dribbled down her face. “I missed out on so much, Micah.”

  Now he gathered her close, his eyes closing with thankfulness that the message was positive. “Families forgive, Davina. That’s what the do best. They forgive. They try again.”

  “I didn’t know. But now… Micah?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I…” she trembled in his embrace. “I love you, Micah.”

  His heart thudded, and he was sure it was audible. Blood whooshed and roared while exultation crashed over him. She loves me.

  She lifted her teary eyes to his, her gaze earnest. “I’ve never said that before, because I was never looking for anything close to what I feel for you. I’m a coward, Micah. With you though, it’s just there.”

  He raised a hand to cup her cheek. “Thank you,” he rasped. The need to say more clawed at him, but not now. Not here. “We should get some wine,” he suggested, and she pulled away with a wet laugh.

  “Wine?”

  “To celebrate, my love.” He started the car as satisfaction filled his chest. She loved him. The trip home was swift once they’d chosen a bottle of champagne and He herded her into the kitchen, his mind whirling with ideas.

  “Come with me,” he requested, taking her hand and leading her into the studio.

  She followed him, silent and probably wondering what he was doing.

  The easel was still turned away and nerves ran through him. What if she didn’t like it?

  There was only one way to tell, so he cleared his throat, and picked it up, careful to obscure the view until he was ready to stand back.

  Her gasp filled the air. “That’s me,” wonder filled her voice. Her hands shook, tears glistened in her eyes.

  “This is the woman I see.”

  There she lay, the blue velvet of the chaise a foil for her perfect skin, hair tumbling down like a waterfall over her shoulder. The look in her eye soft and caring.

  “That’s me, but not me. I mean, I don’t look like that. Not really.”

  He grasped Davina’s shoulders, desperate to have her understand. “It is you. The softness not just of your skin, but the woman below the surface. The empathy you show your clients, who you’ve given everything for. The beauty that radiates from inside you.” Davina gaped at him, but the words kept tumbling out. “The you, which you’ve hidden away, and have only let me see. You’re the woman I love, Davina. But this gift,” he motioned to the work before them, “this is for you.”

  “Micah, what will we do with it?”

  Now he grinned. “I’m going to have it framed, then hung in our bedroom. For us, you and I only.”

  When she gasped, he winked. “I have no intentions of sharing it with anyone else. Ever.”

  Drawing her close, he kissed her hand.

  Her fingers slid over his cheek to cup the back of his head and draw him to her. The kiss started slow and soft, a gentle mating of lips.

  Without thought he deepened it, his arms winding around her, dragging Davina close and fitting her form against his.

  When his lips found the pulsing vein at her neck, she moaned her desire, its twin burning hotly within him. It took every ounce of willpower to drag himself away from her, and they were both left breathing heavily. “We should attend to dinner.”

  Her blank gaze took a moment to clear, and she blinked. “Dinner. Yes.”

  The car pulled up beside the large white house. Boxy, but with large panes of glass gazing out into the bay. “Wow.”

  Micah turned off the engine. “Ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  They climbed out of the car and Davina darted to the back, gathering up the brightly wrapped package from the back seat. “I hope she likes it.”

  She had little knowledge of young girls and without even knowing her half-sister choosing the present had been difficult. In the end, she’d talked to Micah’s sister-in-law, Fenella, who had given her some suggestions.

  Trepidation filled her knees, wobbling as she made her way to the gate. Micah beat her, pressed the buzzer on the gate.

  “You’re here! Great, I’ll let you in,” called Laura and when Davina looked up, it was to see her stepmother standing on the veranda, one hand on her distended belly, the other on the small of her back.

  A buzz echoed, and the gate blocking their way opened. Before they’d even reached the door, her father was there waiting. A half smile on his face, some tension lines she’d previously noted before, smoothed away.

  He didn’t reach to hug her the way she’d seen other fathers do, but the welcome in his gaze settled some nerves which fluttered inside her belly.

  “Davina and Micah. We’re pleased you could join us.” He ushered her up the stairs as the noise and hustle of two young children filled the air.

  One whipped by her, and she turned side-on to let them pass and down the steps.

  “Austin,” called her father, and the little boy stopped.

  “What?”

  “Come back upstairs, I want you to meet some people.”

  “Who?” the little boy queried, then blinked up at her. “Are you my sister?”

  A lump settled in her throat, and she glanced at Micah, who gave her a smile.

  “Yeah. I’m Davina.”

  “Hi,” he answered, then tore past her up the steps.

  It took a moment for her to clear her mind, then she followed him up. Laura waited at the top of the steps, and once they’d all entered the sizeable room, she shut the gate behind them. “Keeps everyone safe,” she explained, then gave Davina a hug. “Welcome home.”

  Laura moved on, but Davina stayed where she was overwhelmed. Home. It wasn’t like any home she’d ever known, yet even with the expensive furnishings and artwork on the wall, it felt just like that.

  Ashton headed down the hall and returned with a young girl in a pink princess dress in his arms. “Come say hello to your sister, Davina, Carrie.”

  The little girl smiled. “Is that for me?” and reached out her arms.

  Unsure what to do, Davina handed over the parcel. “Happy birthday, Carrie.”

  With a squeal, the girl settled on the floor and tore into the wrapper. When she’d uncovered the item within, she screamed, “I wanted one of these!”

  Laura laughed, and Ashton bent down. “Come say thank you, Carrie.”

  The girl launched herself one-armed to her, the large unicorn plush toy firmly entrenched in her other arm. “Thank you, Davina.”

  From the outside came a teen. Her half-brother Josh. She knew him slightly, and he waved. “Hi Davina.”

  Now she turned to her father. “Dave?”

  “Couldn’t get away. He’s been posted overseas with the bank and leaves in three weeks, but he wanted to come. There’s so much to do before he goes, such as packing up his house and his girlfriend Lisa is going with him. There’s her family to catch up with. He’s going to try and get up in a week or so.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know about this Lisa, and the fact she knew so little about her family made it hard to offer anything useful.

  “Come on through,” said Laura as she ushered the group to the veranda set up with a long table decorated in pink and purple.

  It was an enjoyable lunch, if strange. The turkey and vegetables incongruous in the summery heat, but Laura assured her they were Carrie’s favourites, so she’d indulged the child.

  “Can I help?” she offered at one point, only to be hushed.

  “No. Your father is in charge of birthday meals. I simply do the organisation and shopping,” Laura told her.

  With the meal finished, Josh stood. “I have to go home. Mum’s coming to get me. She and her friend are taking me to the Sea Escapades.” Once he’d left, Austin and Carrie retreated to their rooms, Austin for a nap and Carrie to play with Stella, her new unicorn. Micah assisted her father, clearing the table while Laura and Davina sipped on cooling drinks.

  When Micah and her father settled themselves back in the seats at the table, Davina knew what she needed to do.

  “Father, I spoke to Mother. She told me what she did.” The words hung in the air, and he sighed.

  “I should have fought for you, Davina, but I honestly thought it was the right thing to do. I hoped there’d be time, when you got older, for you to accept that I’d tried to make the right choices.”

  Micah reached for her hand and squeezed.

  “I was young when we married. Still in school, and she was the girl everyone wanted to be seen with. When we got together, I thought I’d won the jackpot. Old family, money and contacts. I was green. Foolish. We married quickly once she got pregnant. But we were too young, and different. I wasn’t much fun, with study and long hours. She wanted to party and be the life of the ball. I couldn’t give that to her and by the time I left, I realised I’d made a mistake with her. But you were never a mistake, Davina.”

  “Throughout school, with every one of her new husbands or boyfriends, I hoped one would be my Daddy. They weren’t.” She gazed at him. “I see you with Carrie, Austin and even Josh, and I wish I’d had that. I’m not sure there’s enough between us for that kind of relationship, to be honest, but I’d like to know you. To see what kind of relationship we can have as adults.”

  It was his turn to sigh and frown, and Davina understood her words had hurt him. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do, but honesty had to be part of relationship they could forge.

  “I failed you, Davina. Every day I didn’t try harder. But I want you in my—in our life. Laura and I have a good marriage. We love our children and she’s taught me you can make mistakes and learn from them.”

  Laura patted his hand. “The past is that. I can’t change it, but Ashton and I have been talking since we had lunch at Bayside. Davina, would you be this baby’s godmother? She’s going to need someone smart and clever.”

  “A girl?” Now Davina beamed. Another half-sister. “I… I don’t know how to be one, but if you really want me to, I’d be honoured.”

  Ashton rose. “I have something for you Davina.” He disappeared inside and when he returned, it was with a small, framed photo. “This was taken about two weeks before your mother and I split up. I framed it and kept it with me.”

  “Oh!” Tears dribbled down her cheeks, scalding her. “You kept it?”

  “He had it on his bedside table, the entire time I’ve known him, Davina.”

  She looked into her father’s eyes and smiled. “Keep it, but I’d love a copy. Please.” She meant it, because here was tangible proof that he’d loved her. Never really left her in his heart. “I don’t have any photos of you. I think mother got rid of them when you left. Not even a wedding photo.”

  Ashton nodded. “Yes. It’s the sort of thing she’d do.”

  Micah handed her a handkerchief, and she wiped her eyes. “We should go, but—”

  “Don’t be a stranger anymore, Davina. We’re family.”

  “You enjoyed today, didn’t you?” Micah watched as she stretched out, wriggling her feet.

  “I did. I guess knowing that he didn’t abandon me, and the opportunity to get to know my family isn’t as bad as I thought.”

  He sipped at his wine. “Fenella wants to try something different next week. She’s thinking maybe a barbeque rather than a meal. I like the idea. What do you think? The entire family is being asked what they think.”

  Her eyes glinted in the night. “Why are you asking me then?”

  He grinned. “Because you’re family now. Besides, you get to organize the next one.” She tossed a pillow in his direction, he caught it and put it down. “So, what would you do for a family lunch?”

  Davina scrunched up her nose, a thoroughly delightful display that captivated his attention. “I don’t know. There’s plenty of stuff, like we could go to the Escapades, a hike or in winter try out the skating rink.”

  “The skating rink? You’ve not seen Miriam on a bike. No sense of balance.” He mimicked his sister falling over and she laughed.

  “You’re terrible, Micah! Aren’t you supposed to love your sister?”

  “Oh, I do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take advantage of the opportunity to tease her that she can’t stay upright on a bike, let alone skating blades.”

  “I’ll have to ask her about what you did. You know, stuff that was embarrassing. Maybe I could post it on social media.” He responded by growling and capturing her in his arms.

  “Just you try,” and he tickled her. His fingers started at her armpits, but as she moved, he grazed the side of her breasts and suddenly everything changed as her breath caught on a long moan.