need homes; not necessarily babies, but older children maybe? You and Patrick would make excellent parents, that’s never been in doubt. Mum is always saying that since you were a little girl you’ve been a mum-in-waiting.’
‘Gracie, I know it doesn’t make me a very nice person, but I don’t want an older child, I want a little baby and I really want our little baby, one that is half Patrick and half me. Can you imagine how amazing that would be?’
Grace pictured Chloe. Yes, she could imagine exactly how amazing that would be.
Grace wanted what was best for her sister. She decided to change tack. ‘Of course, there are lots of advantages to not having a baby. You get to have spontaneity in your life, you can lie in bed at the weekend, make love where and when you want to, you keep your figure, and you’re not permanently exhausted…’
Alice smiled at her sister’s transparency. ‘You’ve always been a crap liar. We both know that you wouldn’t swap Chloe for all the lie-ins in the world.’
Grace thought for a second and exhaled slowly. ‘No, honey. No, I wouldn’t.’ She felt embarrassed at having tried to humour her smart little sister. ‘I guess all you can do, Alice, is not give up. And when the time is right, it’ll happen.’
‘Or not,’ Alice said.
‘Or not,’ Grace conceded. ‘But if that’s the case, we can deal with it then.’ She leant forward and kissed her sister.
‘All okay?’ Tom asked from the doorway.
‘Yep.’ Grace nodded.
‘Lunch is nearly ready.’ He smiled.
It was a lovely family gathering. Grace was a little quieter than usual; tiredness, Alice’s words, and the prospect of taking Chloe into hospital tomorrow were all taking their toll.
‘You look tired, love. Why don’t you go and grab forty winks? Alice and I can take Chloe for a play in the garden,’ Olive suggested.
‘Actually, I wouldn’t mind.’ Grace kissed her little girl and made her way upstairs, noting that Mac had already bagged the best sofa seat for dozing.
‘I’ll wake you up with a cuppa in a bit,’ Tom said as he headed for the sink.
Minutes later, Chloe, Olive and Alice were in front of the kitchen window, bundled up like snowmen in scarves and hats and boots representing every colour of the rainbow – and that was just Alice’s ensemble. Olive lifted Chloe up to the window and the little girl planted a sticky kiss on the pane. Tom reached forward over the sink and met her lips with his own through the cold glass.
Chloe found this hilarious. ‘Bye, Daddy!’
‘Bye, darling!’ Tom felt the familiar tightening in his throat as she said the magic word ‘Daddy’. He knew that whether she was three or thirty-three, hearing her little voice use that term would always constitute his greatest joy. He watched as her little pink raincoat and matching wellington boots disappeared around the garden hedge.
The day was crisp, unusually cold and still, the sky a beautiful winter blue. Not a breath of wind moved the wispy clouds. Grace opened the bedroom window and waved down at the three generations that trundled the path, breathing the cold air through scarves and with their fingers warm inside gloves. Chloe was holding the hand of her grandma on one side and her aunty on the other, jumping and swinging so that they were forced to take her weight when her feet lifted from the ground. They stopped every few steps so that Chloe could forage for the chocolate buttons that Alice had snuck into her pocket.
‘I need to get one for Dr Panda.’ Chloe placed the slither of chocolate at her panda’s mouth before quickly transferring it to her own.
‘Can I have one please, Chloe? They’re my favourite!’ Grace called down, enquiring not because she wanted the sugar, but to test her daughter’s sharing skills.
Chloe beamed up at her mum, waving, happy to see her. ‘No, Mummy, you can’t have one because you didn’t eat all your lunch!’
The trio roared with laughter.
Olive shook
‘Gracie, I know it doesn’t make me a very nice person, but I don’t want an older child, I want a little baby and I really want our little baby, one that is half Patrick and half me. Can you imagine how amazing that would be?’
Grace pictured Chloe. Yes, she could imagine exactly how amazing that would be.
Grace wanted what was best for her sister. She decided to change tack. ‘Of course, there are lots of advantages to not having a baby. You get to have spontaneity in your life, you can lie in bed at the weekend, make love where and when you want to, you keep your figure, and you’re not permanently exhausted…’
Alice smiled at her sister’s transparency. ‘You’ve always been a crap liar. We both know that you wouldn’t swap Chloe for all the lie-ins in the world.’
Grace thought for a second and exhaled slowly. ‘No, honey. No, I wouldn’t.’ She felt embarrassed at having tried to humour her smart little sister. ‘I guess all you can do, Alice, is not give up. And when the time is right, it’ll happen.’
‘Or not,’ Alice said.
‘Or not,’ Grace conceded. ‘But if that’s the case, we can deal with it then.’ She leant forward and kissed her sister.
‘All okay?’ Tom asked from the doorway.
‘Yep.’ Grace nodded.
‘Lunch is nearly ready.’ He smiled.
It was a lovely family gathering. Grace was a little quieter than usual; tiredness, Alice’s words, and the prospect of taking Chloe into hospital tomorrow were all taking their toll.
‘You look tired, love. Why don’t you go and grab forty winks? Alice and I can take Chloe for a play in the garden,’ Olive suggested.
‘Actually, I wouldn’t mind.’ Grace kissed her little girl and made her way upstairs, noting that Mac had already bagged the best sofa seat for dozing.
‘I’ll wake you up with a cuppa in a bit,’ Tom said as he headed for the sink.
Minutes later, Chloe, Olive and Alice were in front of the kitchen window, bundled up like snowmen in scarves and hats and boots representing every colour of the rainbow – and that was just Alice’s ensemble. Olive lifted Chloe up to the window and the little girl planted a sticky kiss on the pane. Tom reached forward over the sink and met her lips with his own through the cold glass.
Chloe found this hilarious. ‘Bye, Daddy!’
‘Bye, darling!’ Tom felt the familiar tightening in his throat as she said the magic word ‘Daddy’. He knew that whether she was three or thirty-three, hearing her little voice use that term would always constitute his greatest joy. He watched as her little pink raincoat and matching wellington boots disappeared around the garden hedge.
The day was crisp, unusually cold and still, the sky a beautiful winter blue. Not a breath of wind moved the wispy clouds. Grace opened the bedroom window and waved down at the three generations that trundled the path, breathing the cold air through scarves and with their fingers warm inside gloves. Chloe was holding the hand of her grandma on one side and her aunty on the other, jumping and swinging so that they were forced to take her weight when her feet lifted from the ground. They stopped every few steps so that Chloe could forage for the chocolate buttons that Alice had snuck into her pocket.
‘I need to get one for Dr Panda.’ Chloe placed the slither of chocolate at her panda’s mouth before quickly transferring it to her own.
‘Can I have one please, Chloe? They’re my favourite!’ Grace called down, enquiring not because she wanted the sugar, but to test her daughter’s sharing skills.
Chloe beamed up at her mum, waving, happy to see her. ‘No, Mummy, you can’t have one because you didn’t eat all your lunch!’
The trio roared with laughter.
Olive shook
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