Page 85 of The Wisteria Tree Cottage

‘Bear grew up thinking he wasn’t good enough, just like you did. It’s got to hurt him that you didn’t think he was enough either.’

Meadow swallowed, tears pricking her eyes again. ‘You know?’

‘Of course I knew. You and Heath had never ever looked at each other romantically. It just didn’t make sense that you would end up in bed together. I don’t blame you for doing what you did, not for one second. As you know, I was fourteen when I got pregnant with Bear’s dad and his twin brother and was forced to give them up for adoption. I have never ever forgiven myself for it. If a knight in shining armour had come along and offered to marry me and help me raise my boys, I would have leapt at the chance if it meant I didn’t have to give them up. And I know, for you, giving up Star for adoption would never have even entered your head, but I know you would have struggled without a home or a job. You absolutely did the right thing. But I did wonder why you didn’t choose Bear instead of Heath and I think he must wonder that too. Was it his age? I know he was only sixteen but he would have moved heaven and earth to give Star the best upbringing he possibly could.’

‘Bear knows too?’ Meadow asked quietly.

‘I would imagine so. I don’t know for sure, it’s not something we’ve spoken about. But I can’t see that he would get that upset about you and Heath sleeping together eight years ago, he’s slept with his fair share of women over the years and you two weren’t together at the time. When Bear said you chose Heath over him because he wasn’t good enough, I’m guessing he means that you chose Heath to be Star’s father.’

Meadow glanced around to see that Star was on the other side of the grassy field, placing sausages in the trees. There’s no way she could have heard.

Meadow shook her head. Christ, she’d had no idea that anyone outside her and Heath knew the truth. All this time, she’d been so fearful that people would judge her for her deceit or not accept her or Star into the family when the Brookfield brothers had always been there for her, giving her the family that she had missed out on for so long. To think that Bear knew and was hurting over herchoiceeight years before, that made her heart break for him.

She was still angry over his lie about AstralSurfer but she had lied to Bear for the last eight years.

She really needed to talk to him.

CHAPTERFIFTY-EIGHT

Meadow was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. It was gone two in the morning and she couldn’t sleep. She had gone to Bear’s house as soon as Indigo had got back but there was no sign of him and she still had no idea what she was going to say to him. Then she’d got caught up in the normal night-time activities of cooking Star some dinner and watching a movie together. Heath had gone out to his weekly pool night so she hadn’t even had a chance to talk to him about the whole thing, not that they could have any kind of real conversation with Star around. She had hoped Bear would come to see her but she guessed he was still hurting over the whole thing and she hated that.

She picked up her phone and was just about to send him a text when a scream from Star made her leap out of the bed. She ran to Star’s bedroom. Her daughter was sitting up in bed, her breathing heavy, visibly upset.

Meadow switched on the light, quickly moved over to the bed and picked her up. ‘Hey, what’s the matter?’

‘There was an alien,’ Star snuffled, wrapping her arms tight around Meadow. ‘It had lots of arms and legs and big teeth.’

‘It was just a dream, baby,’ Meadow said, stroking her head.

‘It ate Bear.’

‘Bear is fine, I promise you. It was just a dream.’

Star’s breath shuddered as she buried her face in Meadow’s shoulder. ‘Can we go and see Daddy?’

‘Of course we can,’ Meadow said. She grabbed the blanket from Star’s bed, wrapped it around her and carried her downstairs. Whenever she had a nightmare, which thankfully wasn’t that often, it was always Heath she wanted to cuddle. Although when Star stayed with Heath, she always wanted Meadow if she woke with a nightmare.

Meadow slipped outside onto the rope bridge and walked across to Heath’s treehouse, letting herself in. She’d got halfway up the stairs when Heath came running down them – obviously she’d just woken him up, judging by his dishevelled sleepy state.

‘Hey, is she OK?’

‘Just a dream about aliens,’ Meadow said, passing her daughter into her dad’s arms.

‘Hey,’ Heath murmured into Star’s ear. ‘You OK?’

Star nodded against him as he carried her back up the stairs. Meadow followed them up. She watched as Heath settled Star in the bed next to him and then held up the duvet for Meadow to come and join them.

Meadow climbed into bed behind Star, curling her body around her as Heath held Star against his chest.

Star let out a sigh of contentment and within minutes seemed to drift straight back off to sleep. It occurred to Meadow that it wasn’t Heath Star wanted when she had a nightmare, it was both of them cocooned around her protectively like this.

‘How you doing?’ Heath whispered, when Star started snoring softly.

Meadow sighed. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Bear loves you, you know that.’

‘He lied to me.’

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