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CHAPTER ONE

‘JUST LOVE HER, OKAY?’ E birth ripped through her aching, painful body and threatened to tip her into sleep Sleep, where she could hide for a while Then she’d wake up and still have to face up to the fact she’d had Abbie’s baby for her and now her own arms were empty

Abbie didn’t raise her eyes froainst her breast as she replied, ‘I already do I’m besotted Completely And I love you with all my heart’

A, sniff More damned tears ‘I know you do’ There’d never been any doubt Love had been why she’d done this crazy, a in the first place ‘This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t, and if I didn’t reciprocate those feelings’

Sitting carefully on the edge of the bed, Abbie leaned into Emma, mindful of the baby cradled between the and now here she is’ She brushed a kiss over Eain’

Ehtly wound her ar that, okay?’ She didn’t want gratitude; she didn’t need to be thanked That they’d coument said a lot for their friendship, but then, it’d been strong since the day they o But at theshe knew for certain was a few minutes to herself were iiven birth ‘Go be a et some shut-eye’

She needed to fall into the haze filling her head to forget the pain of the birth and reone well, despite the baby arriving early Happiness and sadness wound together in her heart at the wonder in Abbie’s eyes as she gazed down on the tiny, beautiful little girl tucked into a pink hospital blanket A child who’d never know her father; who had been created through artificial insemination

One of the two irls in the world E ‘Rosie’ Suddenly,in the world, Ehter, barely five and full of energy and mischief

No! Don’t go there Grace is Abbie’s Always has been, alill be

Snatching up the phone, she texted her mother

It’s over Baby’s gorgeous Please bring Rosie to me Xx

Abbie looked up, her eyes filled with awe and trepidation ‘This is for real, isn’t it? This is where I get to step up to theher myself’ Tears streaave ift To be a mother’ Her voice trailed off in a whisper, the last words barely audible

‘Isn’t it the best?’ Emma whispered back around a luret Abbie deserved good things If there’d been a ht’ve been difficult, Eo when the midwife had handed Abbie the baby, not her But no She’d been fine about it, hadn’t had a sudden change of heart, so she now reiterated, ‘Grace has been yours since conception’ Abbie’s and Michael’s, though he would never get to see his daughter, never hold her or know her His only role in the pregnancy had been to leave sperm in the bank for this very day

Emma bit down on a soft smile

I did the right thing by them

Abbie and Michael had stood by her through the hideous, violent days of her e as much as her family had They’d helped pick up the scattered pieces of her drea love for each other that she couldback That they c

ould be a family without a man in her life Not that she’d ever been in the market for a new husband No, thank you very much Been there, had the bruises and fractures to show for it

Her friends had also hter This had been her way of returning the love Knowing the baby would be living next door in the adjoining apart easier to co out of Queenstown to sohter to herself Though who knehere she ht end up if the Scotsman pulled his head out of his backside and found he couldn’t live without Abbie Right now, she wanted to throttle hi Abbie with his uncertainties

They’d always been there for each other on the days when Rosie wouldn’t stop crying and Emma needed a break, or other days where Abbie couldn’t cope with losing Michael Their friendship was solid, and it would take a hurricane of massive proportions to break it Today, with a baby and a broken heart to deal with, Abbie needed her support more than ever

‘If only I had that with a man’

‘Had what?’ Abbie asked without taking her eyes off Grace

‘The sahs—and tears—you had with Michael’

Abbie’s head shot up, surprise widening her eyes ‘That’s a shift in your thinking’

‘Told you I needed sleep Must be baby brain’ She did not want a man in her life The only man she’d loved unreservedly had developed a pair of fast and hard fists along with a cruelto repeat that experience in an attempt to find love Only the unwise didn’t learn from their mistakes, and Alvin had been a mistake Definitely better off without a man in her life, and the reason she turned down any—the few—date invitations Her body was safe, and, more importantly, Rosie was protected There was already plenty of love in her life—Rosie, Abbie, and her fiercely protective brothers and father, and her ever patient mother Who needed souys? Talk about greedy Not everyone got so lucky

‘Any ency specialist by any chance?’ asked her cheeky friend

‘Nixon and I get on fine as friends I turned him down for a date once’

‘You never told rinned ‘Mr Cool isn’t as uninvolved as he’d like you to think’

Sigh ‘Yeah, right I had enough going on with the pregnancy and Rosie I didn’t need complications with a man’

Abbie s Cal has just dumped me’

Ping!

Saved by the phone

Nearly there Princess couldn’t wait any longer Mum Xxx

Then the baby—

Grace, Emma, her name is Grace

The baby gave a shtened painfully Breasts that did not have a role to play in feeding this gorgeous infant

Abbie looked up, panic in her eyes ‘What now?’

‘You feed her Food, warainst the urge to reach for the baby to place her on her breast No surprise here Her body didn’t understand it was no longer the es from her brain All it heard were the calls from her heart

The midwife bustled into the roo to be fed’ Her eyes flicked to Eave an almost i?

Emma nodded back Okay, she mouthed

But take them away so my breasts can settle down

‘She’sat the baby, only noith trepidation

‘You’ll be fine, Abbie’ Thewords and actions The baby hadn’t latched on when first placed against herto the nursery and I’ll start you learning to breastfeed Emma needs to rest’ She helped Abbie to her feet