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‘I’m not sure, Tom’ He smiled ‘I think maybe Hailey needs some time to herself and we need to—’
A pounding at the front door interrupted his careful speech He looked at his watch ‘Who could that be?’ he asked Tom
‘Can I go?’ Toaze ‘OK, but then it’s straight to bed,’ he agreed, swinging his son up into his arms
Hailey banged for a second time on Callum’s front door Her heart pounded and her hands shook and she was so nervous she wanted to throw up But there’d been no thought of putting this off Waiting till the
Callu Tom on his shoulders when he opened the door to her ‘Hailey,’ To up and down on his father’s shoulders
To say Callum was stunned to see her was an understatement He hadn’t expected to see or hear from her so soon She looked awful Her eyes were red-rimmed, her nose was red, her face was blotchy and she was still in her uniform ‘Hell, are you OK?’ he asked as he wrestled Tom off his shoulders
‘Why are you crying, Hailey?’ Tom asked
‘Oh, dear, sorry, it’s nothing,’ Hailey dis She must look a state She’d cried on and off for the last couple of hours Her talk with Paul had been heart-wrenching and they’d both shed tears Closing that chapter of her life had been hard, turning her back on Paul when he needed her very difficult But she couldn’t be his eer And he needed to start his life afresh
All three of the at each other Callum felt a slow rise of dread She was on his doorstep and had obviously been crying Was she leaving with Paul? Was that what she’d come to tell him?
‘Do you think I could come in?’ she asked after a few moments
‘Oh, of course, yes, I’ aside ‘I was just about to put Tom to bed’
‘Yay! Hailey can read me a story!’ Tom jumped up and down excitedly
‘Oh, no, Tom, I don’t think Hailey—’
‘Nonsense,’ Hailey interrupted, grinning down at Toto his room
Callum hovered outside the door as Hailey read two books to To here? Surely if it had been as the bearer of bad news she wouldn’t be wasting ti to Tom?
‘Da-a-ady-y-y’
That was his cue He walked into Toht before him Hailey on her back, her arled into her side, his faithful torch pressed to her chest This hat he wanted For hiht