✅ Over Protected

49. Mummy Offers Treats

This bonus chapter is dedicated to Cassie. Thank you for all your ongoing support!

"Okay," Mummy said. "I kind of guessed. Scott's not too careful when it comes to leaving his stuff lying around. But so long as they're still looking after you, I guess they have earned a little latitude."

I nodded again. I didn't know what to say now; I was really bad at keeping my sister's secrets, it seemed. But Mummy didn't seem to be too upset, so maybe it wouldn't be a big deal.

"I uhh..." I mumbled. "Please don't tell them I told you?"

"It's okay. You're only a baby, aren't you? With the way you are now, it's hard for you to keep a lie straight. But I'm not going to be mad with them. I just want Sarah to understand that I'm still her mother, and that she should be telling me the truth. Now, when Sarah's babysitting... is she actually paying attention to you, or are they sneaking away to have sex while there's no adult to chaperone them?"

I must have been blushing crimson then, but I wasn't really sure why. After all the things that had happened in the last year, it was hard to even remember what all that grown-up stuff meant. But that was the way I wanted it; I wanted to be innocent and confused now. But it was different that Mummy was asking, too. Last year, she'd been shocked by the idea that I would have understood those words, or even have heard them. I guess she was growing up too.

"I... umm..." I stammered. "It depends. I mean... a few times she's been on the phone to a friend and left me on my own for an hour. But that's not a problem unless Lyra or Penny is here. And... Well, when Scott's here, he won't let her do that. He's got like this set of rules of how to be a real man, and most of it's about duty and responsibility, and he takes it really seriously. I don't really understand, but he helps so much. And I want them to be happy. He helps Sarah with her chores, too."

"I know," Mummy smiled. "I'm grateful for that. It's how I realised there was somebody else coming over. And I knew it wasn't just one of her school friends because Sarah lied to me and said she was alone. But I'm a little surprised to find it was our Mr Bluish. I guess love finds a way."

I didn't know what to make of that. I knew that Mummy thought I was thinking clearly enough to make big decisions, but maybe my mind was still just a little bit fuzzy, because I didn't know about all the things she was implying now. I could think about what Mummy asked, but when I tried to read between the lines it was like reading a foreign language. But she was happy, that was the thing that mattered. I didn't need to think about anything else now, all the grown-up stuff could wait. The thing to think about now was going to the park with a whole bunch of new baby friends and their mummies.

"Can Lyra and Penny come too?" I asked.

"We'd have to ask their parents," I said. "I don't think Penny's mummy would understand, do you? But next time we can try to bring them along. At least we can ask. For today, this is all about you, and seeing if you can make some new friends."

"From the mothers hub?" I asked, and I could see that she was just a little surprised that I remembered the name of the website.

"Yes," she said, after a pause long enough to hint at some kind of internal debate. "There's a lot of good mummies on there, who want to do the best for their little ones. There's nasty ones too, but they don't get invited to parties. I know I'll be looking out for you all day, and there'll be a constant worry, but I really don't think there's anything for you to worry about. Just until I get to know everybody."

"Mummies are good?" I tried, wondering if I was slipping back to my baby brain again, or if I hadn't been quite as smart as I thought.

"Yes," she said, and then paused. "Oh... the book trains you to trust Mummy. Right? Well, don't worry too much. All the mummies there have their own little ones. And if any of them is mean, I'm sure somebody else will stop them. If somebody hurts you, just make a noise and Mummy will come running. I want to make this as safe as possible, and I do trust all these people, but if a bad Mummy sneaks in, I want you to know that you can always ask me for help. Understand? You should always be comfortable, and if something ever doesn't feel right to you, just call for me, or for Sarah. Or Scott too, if you think you can trust him. I want to know that you're safe, even if there's something I haven't checked. Okay?"

"Yep," I said, and nodded energetically to show just how positive I was feeling.

"You're a wonderful baby," Mummy said with a smile. "When I see you so happy, that makes me happy too. You and your sister. I was so worried about her getting her first boyfriend, I was scared somebody would hurt her. But now... I was hurting her more, wasn't I? Now I understand that your smiles are much more important than making you act how old I think you should be. Thank you, Alice."

"Thank you?" I answered, not quite sure about the tangent this conversation had taken.

"Thank you. Last year, if I'd heard that Sarah wasn't giving you her full attention when you were a baby, I would have been so angry. I would have tried to do something to make her behave. You showed me where I was wrong. Now I know that the important part is that you're both happy. And I think... now everybody's happy, so that has to be the most important thing. You showed me that. You made me a better Mummy, and I can't thank you enough for that. And I promise that as long as I can, I'll do my best to let you keep those smiles. My beautiful, perfect baby."

I was blushing then, but it was a different kind of blushing from normal. I wasn't embarrassed by how childish I was, or by how helpless I was. Instead I felt warm and comforted, happy that Mummy was saying such wonderful things about me, and it was a whole different kind of joy. Mummy just wanted me to be happy. Me, and Lyra, and Penny. Sarah too, and even Scott, even though she barely knew him. Mummy wanted us all to be like a family, and that made me feel so good. Even if it was just for a few more months, I knew that this would bring us all closer together. And even when I had to do potty training again, and had to start doing chores, I knew that this was something I would always be able to look back on when I needed something to raise my spirits. I couldn't imagine a better kind of life.

Mummy put me in a new diaper, and I giggled when I saw that it was one of the weather forecast ones. I had no idea what the forecast for today was, but I knew it would make me happy. And then she was carrying me downstairs, so that she could explain new rules to the babysitters. I wished thatI could tell them that Mummy approved of them. But she was going to let them keep on thinking they had their little secret, wasn't she? And that would be easier for everybody.

Mummy trusted them to look after me. She was putting the child seat in the back of the car, in the middle, so that they could sit on either side of me and both tease me at once. And she was giving them so many extra rules for how to look after me at the park.

I almost dozed off while we were driving, but Sarah and Scott said loads of funny things. And then we passed a sign that said we were heading for Torrisholme Water Park, and I'd never been more excited. This was going to be the best day ever!