Fishing For A Dream [Book Three]

Chapter 50 - Warm Love

Harry

She did her best to hide it, but Layla was heartbroken about Bianca - they'd managed to keep things pleasant for the rest of our time together, but as soon as we got back to Mum's, and she'd put Non to bed, she'd broken down. It was agony to see her so upset and not be able to make any of it better for her. When we'd left the house that morning, Layla had been so hopeful that her sister had been given adequate time and space to forgive her, but all her hopes for a close relationship had been shattered and it was killing her.

Still, when we woke the following morning - the morning of her birthday - she seemed to be okay and didn't mention the previous day at all. When I'd asked how she was feeling, she'd given me a bright, but slightly forced, smile, and replied, "I'm great. I don't want to think about it, I just want to focus on spending the day with you, Non, and your mum."

Leaving her to get dressed, I took the baby downstairs with me and went to join Mum in the kitchen.

"Morning, love. And hello, my little darling!" She came over to us with her arms outstretched, and I handed my daughter over to her grandmother - we were going to be away for a couple of months, so I figured it best to let Mum have all the cuddles with her granddaughter while she could. "All set for today?"

The proposal. I'd always liked the idea of proposing to my future wife in the place I felt most at home and free in - Holmes Chapel. So, when Layla had realised she was born in a house in the next village over, it had seemed serendipitous that we both had some of the happiest moments in the same place. It seemed even more so when she'd told me she was ready to get married again only a week before we were due to visit. I already had the ring, and when we'd started trying for a baby I'd had it resized to fit her using the one of hers I'd pinched to wear as mine, so all I'd needed was to get her alone and without anything to distract her. A picnic in the countryside, just the two of us, on her birthday - it felt like the perfect timing.

"I'm not sure if today's such a good idea," I whispered, before heading to make myself some coffee. "Lil was really upset last night about her sister, so..."

"How's she feeling about it this morning?" Mum asked, sympathetically. "The poor love, I honestly feel for her."

"She's fine, I think. But I'm worried she's hiding how much it hurt her."

Nodding her head, Mum was quiet as she was momentarily distracted by Rhiannon yawning. It was pretty ironic that the same baby who'd had both Lil and me up three times in the night, was now yawning because she was tired. Layla was convinced our daughter was going to become a bit of a handful, and I was starting to suspect she was right.

"Maybe you should just go, do everything you have planned, get her out of the house and give her a break from the baby for an hour or two, and if you still think it's not the right time, then don't do it." Mum glanced in the direction of the hallway, checking to make sure Layla wasn't coming down the stairs. "She loves you, and you already know that she wants to marry you, so maybe it's exactly what she needs to remind her that she has you and her daughter - you're her family now. And she has all of her friends, and us, too."