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‘If we’d had s would have turned out very differently,’ Jeled to hide

‘She ripped off your parents, stole your identity and your boyfriend and landed you with a baby,’ Ellie reminded her drily ‘What could she have done as an encore? Murdered you all in your beds?’

‘Julie never showed any tendency towards violence,’ Jeritted teeth ‘Let’s not talk about this any more’

‘Let’s not,’ Ellie agreed wryly ‘It wouldto do with Nicky now You’ve got quite enough on your plate with a full-ti out your parents’

‘But I’m more than happy to look after Nicky as well I love hi relative,’ Jemima pointed out with quiet fortitude as the toraveyard and down the road ‘Obviously I’e somehow’

‘But what about his father? Surely you have to consider his rights?’ Ellie countered iroaned ‘My shift starts in an hour—I have to go I’ll see you tomorrow’

Parting from her friend, who lived in an apartment on the same street, Jemima walked away at the slow pace of someone exhausted—Nicky still only slept a few hours at a ti topic of Nicky’s paternal ancestry Other than the fact that Nicky’s father was supposedly a very wealthyabout him or, h a surrogacy agreeay man in a relationship? Or were he or his partner unable to have a child? Julie had not cared about such details but Jemima cared about them very much indeed

There was no way she could ignore the reality that Nicky had a living father somewhere in the world, a parent who had paid for and planned his very conception But she didn’t know his identity because Julie had flatly refused to divulge it and there was therefore nothing that anyone could expect Jeuilty relief Her sole concern was, and always had been, Nicky’s well-being She wasn’t prepared to hand the little boy over to anyone without first seeing the proof that that person would love and nurture her nephew That was her true role now, she conceded unhappily: to step into the untenable situation Julie had created and try to ensure that Julie’s son was not daed by his mother’s rash choices

Jenised that she was literally agreeing to bring a child into the world for a price Incredibly at the tiree expenses at a time when she was short of cash and needed sonancy did to her body and she had not changed herNicky over after the birth No, Julie had sih rewarded for suffering the tribulations of nine nancy followed by a birth, particularly once she had learned that Nicky’s father was rich

And ere the chances that the , compassionate father? The sort of man ould love and cherish Nicky to the very best of his ability? Je the case when the man concerned had not even wanted to meet the mother of his future child Froed some kind of contact between the various parties involved, at least initially After all, Nicky was half Julie’s flesh and blood as well He had not been conceived fro but from her sister’s body, which meant he was very much Jemima’s nephew and a part of Jemima’s small family, a little connected person whom Jemima felt it was her duty to love and protect

Jealow that was her parents’ current horateful that there was enough space for her and Nicky to stay there Her father was a retired clergyys her parents had one into Julie’s pocket when she had pretended that she’d wanted to rent a local shop and start up her own business Ornot to be judgemental

Quite possibly, Julie had genuinely intended to set up a business when she’d first floated the idea to Jemima’s parents but Julie had been tremendously impulsive and her plans had often leapt enthusiastically fro scheht have seeht have uttered very convincing senti that, Jemima reflected unhappily