Page 75 of Trust In Me

Hallie’s dressed in a beautiful pink princess dress, with the skirt flowing out wide, thanks to the netting underneath. Her dark, jet-black hair that matches mine is curly and looks like it has a mind of its own. I’ve tried brushing it, but Hallie screams like I’m murdering her whenever she even see’s the hairbrush. Mia’s the one she will sit there for, like a little doll, while she styles her hair.

Once Mia has given me her approval, telling me how fucking cute Hallie looks, I grab a big, baggy t-shirt and I throw that over the top. I also add a bib, just in case. Hallie scarcely manages to go a whole meal without getting food on her, so this protects her outfit, and prevents me from having to change her again. Particularly since we’re running late and our guests will be with us soon.

“I’m going to go and get breakfast started, Flower. See you downstairs.”

When I enter the kitchen, Bree and Liam are already there, and they’ve started breakfast for everyone, which I couldn’t be more fucking grateful for. Bree walks over and takes Hallie off me, putting her in her high chair and giving her the same breakfast she has every day. Hallie morphs into a happy baby, a big smile on her face as she squashes banana pieces in both hands before looking at the spoon Bree presents her with, with utter confusion. She isn’t a fan of cutlery, preferring to use her hands.

“How are you feeling about today?” Liam asks, concern etched across his face as he hands me a mug of coffee.

Taking some big gulps of the delicious nectar that fuels me, I shrug my shoulders and give him a perplexed look. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how I feel. If you had told me a couple of months ago that Shayla would be coming around to visit, and that I’d be inviting her, I would’ve laughed at you. I would’ve thought you were off your tits. I hated her, and I never wanted her anywhere near Hallie. I’m not saying I completely forgive her, and I’m not sure how big of a part I want her to play in Hallie’s life. Now that I know the truth, and after everything she did for Mia, I think she deserves today. Does that make sense?”

Liam and I sit down at the breakfast bar, drinking our coffee, while I keep an eye on Hallie, who’s currently throwing banana at a very annoyed-looking Bree. Naturally that makes my daughter laugh even more.

Liam chuckles, but as Bree gives him the side-eye, he quickly turns his gaze to me. “No, I get it. I think you’re doing a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s too much water under the bridge for Shay to become a permanent fixture in Hallie’s life. But she almost lost her life saving Mia. So, this is the least we can do for her.”

We continue chattering on about random stuff, as I butter toast for us all. Bree comes to get some toast, and I can’t help but laugh. She is covered in porridge and banana, and her scowl tells me she’s not happy. “Your daughter is unruly. She doesn’t listen.”

Rolling my eyes, I stand up and grab a tea towel from the side. Walking over to Hallie, I grab hold of one of her little chubby hands, and I wipe it clean, before repeating the step on her other hand. She grumbles, but I just carry on. I duck down until I’m at her level, and use my hand to guide her chin until she makes eye contact with me. Her cute face is all scrunched up, and her button nose tilts up, like she is annoyed at something—or should I say someone.

“Hallie, unless you want me to take all the food away from you and feed it to you, then you have to stop throwing it about. It’s naughty, and you know you aren’t allowed to do that,” I chastise her, whilst trying to keep the smile off my face.

Obviously, when I’m in bad cop mode, she has to know what she’s doing is wrong, but at the same time she sure knows how to work an audience. Her bottom lip is pouting, and I watch as she tries to drag Liam into the mix with those puppy dog eyes that will win him over in seconds.

“Now, if I give you back your porridge, do you promise to eat it with a spoon and not to throw it at anyone?” I ask, holding her favourite elephant spoon up so she knows what I’m talking about.

Instantly she reaches forward, desperate to grab at the spoon I know she loves. “Dada,” she coos, that beautiful smile spreading across her face, her dimples standing out on both cheeks. Fuck, that is me done.

Ever since she learnt to say her first word, I think she knew the effect it had on me, and how fucking proud I am every time I hear her say it. So much so that she has already started to manipulate me using it.

I hand over the spoon and give her a big kiss on the cheek before handing over the small amount of porridge she has left in the bowl. I’m giving her a poignant stare as she sinks the spoon in very deliberately, as if to prove she can behave if she chooses to.

“Oh, please say there’s more coffee left,” Mia pleads as she comes waltzing into the kitchen. Her dark skinny jeans cling to her legs, and as she walks past me to get to the coffee pot, I can’t resist checking out how hot her ass looks in them. She’s wearing a baggy black t-shirt that hangs off one shoulder, and stops just above her belly button, showing off that piercing I love so much. It's so innocent, just a small patch of skin across her stomach and the opposite shoulder, yet she still manages to have my cock standing to attention, straining hard against my jeans, desperate to get free.

As Mia reaches up into the cabinet above the sink to grab the coffee mug, her top lifts up even farther, only this time it exposes the bright pink scar that I hate so much. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I think it makes her look any less than perfect. This issue is all on me. I can’t bear to look at it because I feel like I should have done more. I should have saved her before that monster even had a chance to scar her pretty body.

Mia catches me looking, and her brow furrows. Thankfully, before she can say anything, Bree speaks to her. “You look knackered, Mia. Long night?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows seductively and I can’t hold back the groan. Everyone knows we are together, but I don’t want to be discussing my lack of sex life in front of the group over breakfast.

“I wish,” Mia mutters, and Kian comes bouncing in. He walks over to Hallie like he does every morning and ruffles the hair on her head and she chuckles. He then heads straight for the coffee. He rarely talks until after his first mouthful, but the guy is always happy. No exaggeration, he has a ridiculous smile on his face all the time. Sometimes I really want to punch him for being too jolly.

“Were you about to say you wish you were in my bed rather than that grumpy asshole’s?” Kian jokes, lifting his coffee cup in my direction, like he is toasting me. I grumble something about why the fuck we invited this wanker to live with us, but nobody seems to be listening to me.

Breakfast passes by in a blur, and it’s not long until I hear the doorbell ring, and my heart starts to race. I haven’t seen Shay since she was in hospital, and if I’m being entirely honest, I’m not sure how I feel. I genuinely meant it when I said I didn’t want her to die, and that her risking her life to save Mia was something I wouldn’t ever be able to repay her for. And even though Shayla has explained the past, and I get her reasons, that still doesn’t erase the pain and hurt I felt. I still think she could have handled the whole situation better, if she had put her trust in me, I would’ve found a way to help her. Secretly, I don’t think she would have ever left Jamieson. No matter how pissed she was at him, he was still the one she turned to whenever she was in trouble. He was…or should I say still is, her person, and I can’t deny they are good together.

“Kellan. Snap out of it and go and get the door. I’ll get Hallie ready, okay?” Mia snaps, pulling me out of the trance I appear to have fallen into.

“We will be outside on the patio, Kel. Just shout if you need us and I’ll be in here in a flash,” Liam adds, as we all disperse in different directions.

Kian grabs his mug of coffee and heads towards the stairs, before turning with that cheesy grin of his. “Yeah, I will be in my room. But just holla if I need to kick anyone’s ass.”

Bree tuts loudly before slapping Kian’s arm. “There will be no ass-kicking. Now, get upstairs and clean all the gym stuff out of the room next to yours. Freya will be here in a few days, and if any of your stuff is in her room she will be pissed and you know it.”

Stupid asshole is deliberately trying to wind Freya up. I think that’s why he took the free room beside hers. When he started turning her room into a gym, she was far from impressed. It’s already been decided that Freya is going to come stay with us for a while. I think she’s been really lost in Ireland, just bouncing from one job to the next, not really knowing what to do with her life. So, Liam and Bree insisted she come here so we can help her decide what she wants to do. Luckily, Ryleigh and Shane are more settled, they’ve both got into Oxford University, so they are coming over to London to start university after the summer holiday. Well, they will if they pass their exams and get the grades they need.

Desmond has already promised them a house near to campus, which I think Liam’s secretly pleased about. I think if Ryleigh lived in halls he would spend three years on the verge of a heart attack, worrying about her. He’s obviously worried about them living together, but I’m not. Shane is good for her, he grounds her, which is exactly what a wild child like Ryleigh needs.

“Door! Now!” shouts Mia, breaking up our conversation as we all run to where we should be.

As I stand in front of the door, I take a few deep breaths before opening it. Shayla looks a whole lot better than the last time I saw her, and she’s finally starting to get a bit of colour back to her cheeks. Her long blonde hair falls down her chest. She’s dressed simply in jeans and a black tank top.

---