Blake and Ava must fight for the life they want, even if that involves risking it all.
Series Order: Baby Steps, Colossal Jump, Moving Forward, Little Leaps and Passing Motions.
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
London coils into her seat as she colours the unicorn's mane deep purple. I select a dark pink crayon and place it beside her hand.
"What about some pink highlights?"
"Um." She ponders. "Alright."
She drops the purple crayon and picks the pick one. She presses harder to make the dark pink pill in the spaces she missed with the purple.
"You did this to yourself," Blake shouts.
London slips a little more under the table and sighs. Her blue eyes meet mine as she blinks away the tears. I place my hand on hers and softly stroke her skin.
"She's my daughter, not yours," she retorts.
"Then where the hell have you been then? London's been asking about you for weeks."
"It's none of your business. I'm here, aren't I?"
London's lip quivers and my heart clenches. She places the crayon in the colouring box and rests her head on my chest. I wrap an arm around her body and lace my fingers through her hair.
"It is scary when they fight."
"There's nothing to be scared about, they're just, eh, talking through some things."
"You can't keep dropping in and out of her life because it's hurting her. For once, can you think about anyone else but yourself?"
"I can't believe you're calling me selfish! You're the one who had them take my daughter away, my daughter. I'm her mother, her actual mother. You are not her father and you'll never be her father."
"You're a mother?" He erupts with laughter. "Where were you when she needed you? You left me to raise her when you couldn't do it. I'm more of a parent than you'll ever be."
Tori sops while I squeeze London tighter.
"Next time you leave, leave for good," he growls.
"Let's water the veggie garden outside."
"Okay." She nods.
I stand up and her legs wrap around my waist. She nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck and sniffles. London grips onto my shirt and whimpers.
"Everything is going to be okay." I pat her back.
We move outside and I close the sliding door. You can still hear their voices but it's muffled.
I place her on the grass and she clings to my leg as we walk to the hose. She grabs her pink watering can and places it by my feet. I fill the can halfway and she carries it to the garden patch.
London dumps the water on the seedlings and smiles.
"One day, we're going to have heaps of vegetables!"
