Page 133 of My Mistake To Make

As she opens the door and we step inside, his grip on my hand tightens.

The soft gray walls, broken up with empty white shelves ready to be filled, have him curious. I know that.

‘What is this?’ he asks, and I gaze up at him, but Bowie pulls on his other hand.

‘Daddy, Merida asked me if I would like for me and you and Harley to live here at the big house, with her, instead of having two houses, and I said that I would.’

He exhales as he bends down to pick her up and hug her to him.

‘You did, huh?’ He pinches her ribs, making her squeal and laugh before he puts her down, and she scowls up at him.

‘Don’t tickle me, Daddy. I warned you.’

I laugh as her little hands come to her hips, and I know she means business.

‘Well, you’re out here making decisions for me. What if I don’t want to live here in the big house, huh? Did you think about that?’

Bowie rolls her eyes and walks out of the room.

‘Uh, men,’ she announces, and I laugh as Doug’s mouth falls open. ‘If the baby is a boy, we’re not keeping it.’

And as she shuts her bedroom door behind her, Doug turns to me wide-eyed, and I step into the middle of the empty room, opening my arms out to the side.

‘Well, it’s perfect for a nursery, right?’

As the man I love rushes forward to wrap me in his arms while the firecracker we adore turns on her music, filling the house with the sounds of our happy family, I close my eyes and send up my thanks to those who came before me: my mum, Roberta, every Reynolds woman who built a life and raised a family in this house because I feel it. I feel the love, the joy, the hope, and I know there’s no such thing as a mistake… every step that every one of them took led me to this moment right here, and nothing has ever felt more right.

The End

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