“Thank you for coming to the rescue, Atticus. The kids didn’t need to see that.”
“Don’t you worry about it, darlin’. Ben will see them off the island and then you can breathe easy again.”
She collapsed down on the couch and rested her head back on the cushions. “I can’t believe they came here to cause me trouble. The judge told them they had no case against me, but they can’t seem to let go.”
“Must be hard to lose your only child.” He perched on the window seat and crossed his arms, his ever-present calmness reaching out to her.
“I understand that and I feel for them, but they’re only making it harder for me to have any sympathy for them. The children are terrified of their own grandparents and that’s not right.”
“No, it’s not, but you have to do what’s best for those kids and that’s all you need to worry about. Your in-laws will have to come to terms with their own problems and deal with it the best way they can. One day they might wake up and see what they’re missing, but it’s not your problem to fix.”
She smiled. “You were always the one to put everything in perspective. Thank you for coming when Leo showed up. I can’t believe he headed for your house like that. Guess he gravitated to the same thing I did when I was little.”
“You’re more than welcome. He’s a very wise little man.”
“Speaking of which, I need to see my babies. Where did Drew take them?”
“Him and Gigi are out at his place, on Point Piper Road.”
She tilted her head as a prickle of memory travelled down her spine. “At Point Piper Bay?”
Atticus nodded his head.
“He brought that house, the double story place down the long driveway?”
“Where you guys used to park up? Yep, he sure did. Spent the last year or so renovating it too.”
Holy crap. The house they talked about when they were young. He’d gone and brought it without her. The times they’d snuggled in a blanket on the bluff in front of that land and talked about what they would do, where they would live, and the children they would have. When the land sold and foundations for the house had started to be laid, they thought their dream had been derailed. It would seem that Drew had won out in the end. He’d always been persistent. She’d forgotten that about him.
“Oh.”
“I think you need to have a good talk, April. Seems to be lots of unresolved differences that could be sorted out with a decent conversation between the two of you.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I have far too much baggage and Drew’s moved on.”
“Don’t be too sure of that.”
She glanced at Atticus as he smoothed his fingers over his moustache, a secretive smile on his lips. What did he know that she didn’t? It didn’t really matter. Drew had made it clear where she stood. “I’d like to go and get my children. Thank you for coming to my rescue, again.”
“No problem, darlin.’ Do you think you should wait until we hear from Ben before you bring them home? Drew said he would return them back to you.”
“Maybe, but I need to see them anyway. I can hang out at the beach until he gets in contact with you. Call me please, when he does.” She stood up and searched for her purse and car keys. “Don’t think I’m not grateful, but I need to see my babies.”
“Don’t go worrying about my feelings. You go and do what you’ve got to do. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.” He walked her out of the house and stood on the path while she climbed in her car.
April waved and drove down the road to the harbor and turned right to go along out to the point. She couldn’t believe that Drew had brought the house they’d claimed as their own. She wondered if he’d taken any other woman there and shown it off. He was bound to have. A man as good as Drew wouldn’t be sitting back waiting for a childhood sweetheart who’d dumped him, to return home. For all she knew, he had a steady girlfriend and she just hadn’t seen her yet. Hadn’t she told both Aggie and Matt she didn’t want to know whether he was dating or not?
When she came to the turnoff, her heart rate picked up. She hadn’t really thought this through very well. Coming back to one of their special places brought up all sorts of memories, some of which she would be better off forgetting.
The road had been maintained and the bumps they used to laugh about were no longer there. As she drove over the rise, the view took her breath away. As stunning and awe inspiring as it had always been, it still had the ability to make her sit up and take notice. The trees had grown, giving the house more privacy than she remembered. Gigi’s car was parked near the house and she could see her children scampering over the sand with her at the beach below. April couldn’t see Drew, but he wasn’t her focus right now.
She parked next to Gigi’s car and made her way down the slope to the private beach. Laughter reached her ears and she smiled. At least the confrontation hadn’t made that big an impact on her children. If it had, they would be quiet and subdued. The island must be working its magic on them too.
“Hi.” April raised her hand and waved. They looked up and squealed, running to meet her.
“Mom.” Leo threw himself into her arms. “You’re okay?”
“Of course I am, honey. You know Gram and Pop wouldn’t hurt me.”
Tilly ran up and bent over, getting her breath back. “Told you, Leo.”
“But they were yelling and saying nasty things.”
April saw Gigi walking toward them and smiled. “Honey, we’ve spoken about this before. Gram and Pop are hurting. They’re still sad your
