A Model Mother

Chapter 16

Visiting the aquarium was the closest experience Rose and Lloyd had had to an extended family outing. Despite her irritation with Miles in the car she could see that Helen and Nathalie were looking forward to their trip and it seemed churlish to spoil that

Miles had hogged Lloyd, clearly revelling in pointing out all the fish to his son and watching his reactions. He had several times placed his face close to Lloyd’s cheek and tenderly stroked his head and kissed him. His interaction with his son confirmed to Rose that if their split had never happened Miles would have been every bit as devoted a Dad as she had expected he would be. 

When a shark had swum overhead, slid up stealthily to Nathalie and opened its mouth right in front of her face Nathalie had screamed and backed off so fast she almost knocked Miles over. Lloyd had shrieked joyfully at what he thought must be a new game and started bouncing up and down in glee and they had all ended up almost helpless with laughter, reliving Nathalie’s terror and embarrassment and Lloyd’s infectious laughter. Helen had managed to capture the moment on her camera and when they all crowded around to look they started laughing all over again, Nathalie’s look of terror was like something straight out of a disaster movie.

As it approached mid-morning they took a short break in a rest area for Lloyd to have a bottle of milk and Helen and Nathalie wandered off to the gift shop. Miles was desperate to feed Lloyd himself but Lloyd was grizzling a little for his Mum. With an inward sigh and suppressing her irritation that yet again it seemed that she always had to be the one to make the compromises, Rose directed Miles to sit back in one corner of a sofa and get Lloyd comfortable.

She then sat next to them and handed Miles the bottle. Lloyd grabbed it and started sucking whilst his dad put his hand under it to support the weight of it. However, Lloyd kept his eyes fixed anxiously on his Mum and she leaned up close to Miles so that she could maintain eye contact with Lloyd, smile at him and make soothing baby talk.

At one point Lloyd took a short rest from his milk to smile broadly at his Mum. She smiled back at him and Miles also turned to look at her, briefly scrutinising her face before saying to Lloyd.

“Son, you have a very beautiful mother, you stare at her all you want. When you feel like a bit more milk just tug on my hand, ok?”

Rose felt her face colour.

“Miles!”

“What?” Miles answered, in mock innocence. He smiled at her.

“You are the most beautiful woman I know, it’s a fact.”

At that moment she so badly wanted to just lean further into him, feel his arm go around her and pull her in close to him. She wanted to just lay her head, now, against his chest and feel his heartbeat. It was so damn long since she had been hugged and loved by him, so long since he had spoken to her kindly.

Thankfully Lloyd stopped what might have been as quick a descent into tears for her as had happened the first time she had met Helen. He started up a loud wail.

“It’s ok, he’s just tired,” Rose reassured Miles.

“He was up early this morning and it’s probably time for a nap, he always grizzles before one, I call it his “Last Hurrah!””

She flattened the bottom of his pram and Miles laid him gently down on his back, covering him with his fleecy blanket. Rose gave him his dummy and after a few more wails and a bit of tossing and turning, he was fast asleep, both his arms up around his head, his favourite sleeping position.

His parents watched him for a few minutes, mesmerised. Miles relaxed back into the sofa first and before Rose knew what was happening, he had clasped her left hand in his right one, threaded his fingers through hers and lifted it to his lips. He gently kissed her fingertips and briefly rested the back of her hand against his cheek, nuzzling against it. Then he returned her hand to the sofa still entwined in his and stroked her fingers and the palm of her hand with his thumb.