Eva is almost asleep, leaning against me, which is a blessing. Carefully, I gather her up and carry her through to her bedroom. Once she’s in her pyjamas and snuggled in bed, I kiss her soft cheek, smooth her hair and whisper, ‘Sleep tight, my angel.’
‘I love you, Mummy,’ she says.
‘And I love you, sweetheart. More than anything in the world.’
I put out the light and retreat to the living room, curling up in a ball on the sofa to think. If I call the police, what will they say? Will they send someone round now? Perhaps I should drop Eva at school tomorrow, then go to the police station? But will they take my worries about Jaxon seriously?
The shrill sound of the doorbell shakes me to the core. In the terrifying silence that follows, I sit there frozen, my heart beating frantically, bouncing off the walls of my chest.
He’s stabbing at the doorbell now, surely waking Eva up.
I grab my phone, and try to dial 999, but my hands are shaking so much, I keep hitting the wrong numbers.
Hurry up, hurry up!
He’s rattling the letterbox now and calling out my name.
Then I stop dead in my tracks and listen.
Wait, what?
Ending the call, I throw down the phone, race to the door and fling it open.
‘Oh, my God. I can’t believe it!’
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
‘Mum?’
She steps into the hallway, looking tired and a little travel-worn. She drops her case on the floor and holds out her arms.
‘Molly.’
She draws me into the biggest hug and I cling tightly to her, unable to quite believe that she’s real and she’s here. My gorgeous mum, who’s always been my biggest support and protector. We’re both laughing and crying at the same time.
And then there’s a noise and we break apart to see Eva standing in the doorway of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes. She’s staring at us as if she can’t believe it, either.
‘Nanna!’ She shrieks and runs down the hallway, and Mum holds out her arms and Eva jumps right into them. ‘I thought you were never coming back, Nanna. I missed you so much.’
Tears shine in Mum’s eyes but her smile is radiant. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you, too, poppet. More than you can imagine.’ She kisses the top of Eva’s head three times. Then she reaches her hand out to me. ‘I missed my darling daughter as well. And I can’t tell you how good it is to be home.’
I laugh. ‘Group hug.’ And we all pile together, right there in the hallway. Eva starts jumping up and down with the excitement of it all and singing ‘Let it Go’, her favourite song from Frozen. And Mum and I join in, dancing around, still clutching onto each other, and belting out the song at the tops of our voices.
Then I suddenly remember Mr Taylor and start shushing them. ‘Our neighbour will think we’ve gone mad if he can hear us!’ I’m giggling like a schoolgirl as I point next door.
‘Mr Taylor won’t mind,’ says Eva firmly. ‘He’s mad as well.’
Mum makes a fake horrified face. ‘Is he?’
‘In the best possible way.’ I smile. ‘He plays his accordion at four in the morning sometimes, but we don’t mind. Do we, Eva?’
She shakes her head. ‘Mr Taylor is cool. You’ll like him, Nanna.’ She turns to me. ‘Can I stay up a bit, Mummy? To talk to Nanna?’
‘Of course you can. Come on through, Mum, and I’ll get the kettle on.’
She sighs happily. ‘A lovely cup of proper tea! Honestly, love, after you and Eva, that’s what I’ve been missing the most.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’ I ask in the kitchen, assembling drinks, with Mum and Eva settled at the table. ‘How long are you visiting for?’
She gives me a sheepish look. ‘Actually, love, it’s not a visit. I’m home for good.’
‘You are?’ My heart is leaping with joy, but at the same time, I’m worried about her. Something bad must have happened for her to abandon her life over in Greece with Nico. ‘But why? Not that I’m not absolutely over the moon that you’re here. But…what went wrong? Wasn’t it – he – what you wanted?’
She sighs. ‘It was truly wonderful. Nico is amazing. So kind and caring. And I’ll always love Greece. That hasn’t changed.’
‘So why…?’ I stare at her, bemused.
She shrugs. ‘I was homesick every day. I don’t belong there. I belong with you and Eva, although I didn’t realise it until I left. Home is where my little family is, and it always will be.’
‘Oh, Mum!’ I drop the box of teabags on the bench and go to hug her. ‘It’s so good to have you back.’
‘You can have my bed, Nanna,’ pipes up Eva. ‘You can snuggle up with Edward the bear.’
‘Oh, thank you, my love. That’s so kind of you. Although wouldn’t Edward be a bit sad without you?’
‘He’s just a teddy bear, Nanna!’ retorts Eva. ‘He’s not a real person.’
Mum and I look at each other and laugh, and I dash to catch the milk for Eva’s hot chocolate before it boils over.
*****
Later, when Eva is in bed, having finally given in to sleep after a very determined struggle, Mum and I get a chance to talk properly.
‘What are you doing in a place like this, love?’ she asks, looking around her sadly. ‘Have things been that tough?’
I nod. ‘It’s all my fault we’ve ended up here.’
‘But you never said anything when we spoke on the phone. Why didn’t you tell me?’
I swallow, my throat aching at the sadness in her eyes. ‘I didn’t want you to think you had to come back for us. I got us into this mess. I was determined to sort it out myself.’
She shakes her head. ‘You always were stubborn. Even as a little girl. But why here? Couldn’t you find somewhere a little bit nicer?’
‘It’s a long story, Mum.’
She sighs and settles herself deeper into the cushions. ‘Well, you know what, love? We’ve got all the time in the world now that I’m back. So come on, tell me all about it.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
It’s three in the morning before we finish talking and we’re both utterly wiped out.
But I fall into bed feeling safe for the first time in months. I curl up next to Eva with a lovely feeling of contentment, knowing that Mum is sleeping on the other side of the wall. Now that she’s back, things will be okay…
Next morning, Eva’s still up with the lark, despite the lack of sleep. I hear her slip out of bed and dance through to Mum, telling her it’s time to get up. Mum’s sleepy laugh makes me smile, remembering the joy of last night. I haul myself out of bed and go to fetch Eva so that her grandma can sleep.
Eva chatters away as I make her breakfast, and it’s lovely to hear her sounding so relaxed and happy. It makes me realise that she’s been stressed, too, by the atmosphere of uncertainty we’ve endured for the past few months.
When we get ready to leave for school, she frowns at me as she’s putting on her coat. ‘Will Nanna be here when I get back from school?’