I stash Rose’s car seat in the boot of the car, along with the bags of shopping. Ava’s ended up with an extensive wardrobe thanks to Ginny, and I’ve barely paid for a thing. It’s irritating, and I’ll find a way to pay Ginny back, but it makes my heart sing to see both Ginny and Ava so happy.

The salesperson from the baby shop shows me how to fit Ava’s new seat, and once it’s in, Ava sits in it, presiding over the car like a queen.

“This is my seat?” she asks.

I laugh. “It’s all yours. We can take Rose’s seat back and maybe you can meet her.”

“Who’s Rose?”

I smile. “She’s your cousin. My brother’s little girl.”

“Can I play with her?”

“Sure. She’s only one though, so she’s smaller than you.”

Her eyes widen, and my heart warms to see her excited and happy. It’s a far cry from the little girl sitting in the chair and swinging her feet only yesterday.

“And you can meet Max. He’s quite a lot older than you, but I bet he’ll be really happy to meet you. He’s got a pet dog, Lucky.”

She claps, and I stand as I finish buckling her in.

“You’re not bad at this,” Ginny says.

“I don’t think I’m good at it yet either.” I laugh.

“You’ve accomplished more in the past day than a lot of people probably would have. Ava’s happy. That’s what matters.”

“I love that you two have bonded too. The whole thing’s such a shock, but everything seems to be slotting into place.” I peck her on the cheek, opening her door for her.

She smiles as she climbs in, and I close the door behind her.

Time to go home.

Ava falls asleep on the way back, only to wake as we pull into Adam and Lily’s driveway.

“Just in time.” I laugh. “We’re at Uncle Adam’s place.”

Her eyes widen, and I’m not sure if it’s in excitement or fear.

I open the boot of the car while Ginny lets Ava out of her car seat. Ava hugs her teddy-bear tight as we walk toward the house.

“That didn’t take long.” Adam opens the door, and steps back to let us all in. “Lily’s in the living room. Just put the seat by the door, and I’ll take it out a bit later.”

Lily sits on the couch, and smiles as she sees us. Adam follows us in.

“Ava, this is Uncle Adam and Auntie Lily.”

Lily smiles. “Hi, Ava. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Ava wraps her arms around my waist, hiding behind me and peeking out at Lily.

“Ava.” Adam squats in front of me. “Would you like to meet Max and Rose? They’re your cousins.”

She takes a step forward, looking up. I nod. Ava holds her arms up for me to pick her up, and I scoop her into my arms.

Adam stands. “Fair enough. Rose is having a nap, but she should be awake soon. I’ll go and get Max.”

He disappears up the hallway, returning with my nephew in tow.

“Max, this is your cousin, Ava,” Adam says.

Max stares at her. “Cousin?”

“This is my daughter,” I say.

He grins. “Hi, Ava.” His gaze shifts to me. “You never said you had a daughter.”

“I just found out myself.”

“Like my dad did with me.”

Lily places her hands on his shoulders. “Just like that. Why don’t you introduce Ava to Lucky? I bet she’ll love him.”

“Come on, Ava,” Max says. Ava scrambles to be let down again. Max holds out his hand, and Ava takes it without question, only turning when they get to the back door. I nod.

“He’ll take good care of her. Want a coffee, you two?” Adam asks.

“I’d love one,” Ginny says.

“Take a seat, and I’ll bring some in.”

He winks at Lily before heading toward the kitchen. I flop down on the couch beside her, Ginny sitting on my other side.

“She’s gorgeous. I love how she had no problems with Max,” Lily says.

“Kids always seem more comfortable with other kids.” Ginny leans forward. “She’s quite shy, but I think she’s met a lot of people these past few weeks, so maybe it’s made it easier to come out of her shell a bit quicker.”

Lily fixes her gaze on me. “It’s still weird to think of you being a dad. I wonder why Cara didn’t tell you.”

I shrug. “If I’d known the truth, I would have been happy for her.”

“Maybe she thought you would have wanted to be involved.”

I nod. “Maybe. It makes me sad she didn’t confide in me, but she could have.”

Ginny leans her head on my shoulder, linking my fingers in hers. “At least now you can do right by her.”

“I can. It’s not going to be easy, but I’ll do the best job I can looking after Ava,” I say.

“Well, you’ve got our support too. Don’t ever forget that,” Lily says.

A shriek comes from outside, and I’m on my feet in an instant.

I race to the door, and laugh when I see what the problem is. Ava’s met Lucky.

From what I can see, he’s knocked her over in the excitement of the kids playing, given the way he’s panting over her and nudging her arm.

“What happened?” I ask.

“We were playing with the ball and Lucky accidentally ran into Ava,” Max says.

She’s not scared, she’s shrieking with laughter, and I shake my head, walking down the steps and holding out my hand for her to take.

“Looks to me like you’re doing just fine,” Lily calls from the door.

Ava grins as she takes my hand and pulls herself up.

Maybe this will all work out.

At home, Ava eats her spaghetti and meatballs with enthusiasm, smears of pasta sauce and cheese everywhere.

I shake my head. “I think you might need to have a bath to get all that off.”

She laughs.

“You sort that out. I’ll clear the dishes,” Ginny says.

“Are you sure you don’t want to do it?”

She shakes her head. “I can’t be here for every bath time, and you need to get used to doing these things for her.”

“Fair enough. “Come on, Ava. Let’s get some of those new pyjamas.” Her new clothes were all washed and dried when we came home, ready and waiting for her to start using them.

Ava licks her hands, and I roll my eyes, chuckling at the sight. My flat is usually spotless, though that’s aided by me either working or not being here. I’m going to have to get used to a little mess.

She picks out her new pink pyjamas and Disney Princess underwear, and we head into the bathroom. The bath doesn’t get used a lot, but I guess that’s another change.

“Do you want a shower instead?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t like the shower.”

Great. I thought I could get through this quickly.

I run some water in the bath while she puts the lid down on the toilet and sits on it, swinging her feet. How many other aspects of normal life have I not thought of? It’s not like this is going to be her one and only bath.

“Is everything okay in here?” Ginny appears in the doorway.

“Just waiting for the water to be deep enough.”

“You’re doing a great job, Dad.” She pokes her tongue out at me. “You okay, Ava?”

Ava nods.

“I’m just going to go and load the dishwasher. Call me if you need me.”

She disappears before I can say another word. Ginny’s doing the right thing in pushing me to do this. I can’t depend on her for everything. It’s up to me to get all these everyday things under control.

I run my fingers through the water. On the rare occasion I have a bath, I like it steaming hot, but I have to think about Ava’s safety. It seems warm enough, but not too warm.

“Ava, put your hand in here and tell me if it’s okay.”

“Can I have bubbles?”

I shake my head. “Not tonight, but next time I go to the supermarket, we can get some bubble bath.”

Her lower lip wobbles.

“I usually have a shower, sweetheart. But I promise we’ll have bubbles next time. Is it warm enough? Not too hot?”

She grins. “It’s good.”

“Then let’s get your clothes off and hop in.”

When she struggles with her T-shirt, I help pull it over her head, and hold her hand as she steps into the bath.

She looks down at the water and pouts.

“I’m sorry, Ava. There are some things you’ll have to teach me about, like the bubbles.”

She sits, and I grab a flannel from the cupboard and give it to her before collecting the body wash from the shower. At the scent, she wrinkles up her nose.

“Okay. Little girl body wash, too. I’m not used to females being in my house.”

Ava laughs. “Ginny’s here.”

“Ginny only stays sometimes. Maybe she’ll stay more with you here.”

“I like Ginny.” Ava hands me the flannel, and I take a breath. She’s still covered in sauce and has barely cleaned anywhere.

“Me too. Come here.” I gently rub the red, drying sauce from around her mouth, and tap the tip of her nose for the blob that made it there.

She giggles as I wash her jawline, collecting the last of the mess. “Does that tickle?”

She nods.

I rinse out the flannel in the bath water, and add some more body wash before rubbing her back and then her legs. “Wanna get your tummy?”

Ava grabs the wash cloth from me and rubs it all over her chest. “All clean.”

“Are you? Shouldn’t we wash your hair?”

“Will it smell yucky?”

I laugh. “Tell you what—how about we add shampoo for you to the shopping list.”

She nods.

After a bit of splash time, I help her out of the bath and wrap a towel around her. She giggles as I dry her off.

“Are you ticklish?”

Ava nods.

I tap her on the nose. “I’m sorry.”

She shivers.

“Let’s get you dry and dressed. You’ll be warm, then.”

I hold her clothing as she steps into it. Buttoning up her pyjama top, I grin. “Did I do a good job?”

She nods.

“Let’s go and see what Ginny’s doing.”

Ava sprints from the room, leaving me standing there. It’s clear she adores Ginny. The two of them have become close in an insanely short amount of time.

When I reach the living room, Ginny’s standing in the middle of it. Ava’s arms are around her neck, and she’s got her legs hooked around Ginny’s waist.

“That looks comfortable.”

Ginny laughs. “I heard her call my name, and she launched herself at me. How could I say no?” She kisses Ava’s temple. “Are you ready for bed?”

“Can I have a story?” Ava asks.

“I’m pretty sure I can think of one.”

My heart swells watching them. To think I was worried that Ginny would change her mind about us when she found out about Ava. Of course she didn’t. We’re in too deep for her to do that.

“Say goodnight to Owen, and I’ll put you to bed.” Ginny walks toward me, and I can see the discomfort in her face.

“Want me to carry her?” I ask.

“It’s okay. It’s not far.”

I run my fingers through Ava’s hair and kiss her cheek. “Night, sweetheart. See you in the morning.”

She rests her head on Ginny’s shoulder, and the two of them make their way up the hall.

They both have my heart.

It doesn’t take long for Ginny to make her way back, and she’s got a smile on her face a mile wide.

“I think she was exhausted after the drive, and the food. She fell asleep about thirty seconds into her story. I’ll have to get her some books.”

“What was the story about?”

Ginny sits beside me on the couch, looping her arms around my waist. “It was about a princess in a castle, and the handsome prince coming to rescue her.”

“Is there some hidden meaning behind that?”

She laughs. “Whether you know it or not, you’re saving her, Owen. Saving her from a life of being unsettled and not knowing what’s coming next. I don’t know if she gets it either. We need to make sure she knows the rug isn’t going to be pulled out from under her feet.”

“She’s doing really well.” I look into Ginny’s eyes. “And she loves you.”

“I think ‘love’ is a bit too far. But she’s probably felt safer and more wanted in the last twenty-four hours than she has the last few months. She knows she can trust you, and I’m the lady who gave her cookies at the funeral.”

I laugh. “You’re probably right. Are you sure you don’t want to move in with us?”

Ginny lets out a loud breath, and sucks her bottom lip in. “You need to become her new normal. She’ll become more attached to me if I’m around all of the time, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it has to be you. You have to be the centre of her universe.”

I link my fingers in hers. “You’re more than just an attachment.”

“Maybe. But we don’t know what will happen to us long-term. I don’t want her getting in too deep with me in case things don’t work out, and she has to deal with another loss.”

My chest tightens at the idea of losing Ginny. She means more to me than she’ll ever know. Not only has she brought me love, but she’s settled me in ways I never thought possible. I miss her when we’re not together, and my heart leaps when she walks into a room.

Ginny’s given me a life.

I can’t lose her.

“That won’t happen.”

She looks at me with those eyes that bore into my soul. “You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do. I know you think I just want you to live with us because Ava’s in my life now, but it’s not the only reason. It’s because I want to be with you, and only you.”

Her eyelashes flutter, and it sends my heart racing. “I know you say that now …”

“No. This is it.”

“Owen, we’ve known each other two months.”

“I’ve known it all along. You were who I was meant to meet.” I run my free hand through my hair. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

Ginny smiles.

“I’m serious, Gin. The wedding, meeting you, the accident. Fuck, my heart was broken seeing that car, and knowing Ava had no one. But you were there when I needed you, and you stuck around. Now, what I have with you is unlike anything I’ve ever had before and that was before I knew Ava was mine.”

Tears form in her eyes.

“You have no reason to believe this, but I don’t even have to try with you. And I don’t mean that I’m not going to do what I can to show you how I feel, but being with you is so easy.”

She squeezes my fingers with hers. “Is it me? Or was it that everything else seemed too hard?”

That wasn’t a question I’d anticipated, and I stare at her, unable to formulate an answer.

“You might have met me that same night, but when you came back to the wedding, you’d lost someone you cared deeply about. And I was there.”

I shake my head. “That’s not it.”

“Maybe not, but how do I know? What if it had been someone else. Would you feel this way about them?”

Letting out a loud sigh, I shake my head again. “No. I saw you before I left the wedding. You were so sweet and charming, and your laugh made me smile. It was easy with you from the start. That’s how I know.”

Tears roll down her cheeks, and I reach out to catch them with my finger. “No one else. It’s you. You’re so deep in here, I couldn’t get rid of you if I wanted to.” I pat my heart.

Despite her tears, she chuckles.

“That’s better. Don’t ever be sad with me. I’m not expecting you to jump in and be a mother to Ava—that’s not why I’m with you. But I do appreciate everything you’re doing for her. I’ll need all the help I can get.”

Her lips twitch. “I’ll do whatever you two need me to.”

“We both just need you.” I wrap my arms around her as she leans into me, and brush my lips against her temple.

“You have me,” she whispers.

“Let’s go to bed. I’ll show you how much I need you.” As I stand, our earlier conversation springs to mind. “After you tell me what’s going on with Nathan Webster?” Reaching for her hand, I help her to her feet.

“Nothing’s going on. He’s just a bit too friendly at times.”

“Define ‘too friendly’.”

She shrugs. “He gets personal. Just enough to make you unsure of whether he’s being creepy or looking out for you.” Licking her lips, she sighs. “He spoke to me about you.”

“He did what?”

“I can’t run away from your reputation, Owen, even if I know you’re different with me.” She places her hand on my chest. “I’m not going to listen to anything other than my heart, and it tells me that what we have is something special. I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t.”

I pull her into my arms and close my eyes. It pisses me off that other people have stuck their noses into our business, but at least it’s because they care what happens to Ginny.

But I’ll hurt Nathan Webster if he goes near my girl again.