Page 81 of Plot Twist

Just then, Jackie came back with two black bin bags, packed full of my stuff, and my suitcase and dumped them on the ground in front of me.

‘Ivy, in you go and play for a second.’ She smiled, and Ivy toddled off, grinning to herself.

‘I just popped it all in, some of it’s probably dirty.’ Jackie shrugged. ‘But I guess you can wash it at Bridget’s. Or when you get home.’

‘Thank you,’ I replied through gritted teeth, lifting my suitcase into the back seat. ‘I’ll be off then.’

‘Becca,’ she called as I slammed the boot.

I looked up as she folded her arms across her chest.

‘I know you’ve got a little bit of a crush on Riley, but most women do.’ She smiled, as though it was all a bit silly. ‘Trust me, it’s always been the same. But we’re working things out. Riley wants us to be a family again. It’s what he’s always wanted. So, I think it might be best if you go back to England and leave us to it.’

‘Scotland,’ I corrected her.

‘Whatever.’ She smiled.

I narrowed my eyes.

‘I’m planning on it,’ I stated. ‘I just need to attend the opening party for Bridget and Ellie’s business and then I’ll be out of your hair.’

She replied with a thin smile as I turned on my heel.

I grabbed the keys from my bag and hopped in the car. I switched on the engine and drove away as quickly as I could, turning my head away from Jackie so she couldn’t see the tears in my eyes.

38

I didn’t tell Bridget or Ellie about my conversation with Jackie.

The next evening was the grand opening night of their business. The moment they’d dreamed of had finally arrived and I knew Bridget wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to hear about the pair reuniting. I wasn’t about to spoil it for them.

Since I’d left Bellinder Cottage, a whole new wave of heartache had consumed me. I wandered around in a trance, wishing it had turned out differently but knowing everything was exactly the way it should be. I was just a fleeting fancy to Riley, but Jackie was the mother of his child. And Ivy was his priority, his everything.

Just like it had been with me and my dad. But the three of them had the chance of a happily ever after and I had to respect that, no matter how much it hurt.

Bridget was on the verge of hysteria. She walked around, clutching an anti-bacterial spray in one hand and a banana in the other, claiming she didn’t have time to eat. Ellie had written down a full set of instructions to help ‘keep Bridget on track’ but it didn’t seem to be working.

‘She’s so nervous, she’ll just run from room to room doing nothing ’til the party starts. This will help focus her attention,’ Ellie explained.

They shouted orders from Ellie’s to-do list as they passed each other.

‘Is apartment seven’s light working yet?’

‘What time is the food arriving?’

‘Where are the scissors?’

‘Did you remember to invite that reporter that your friend knows?’

Everything had to be just perfect.

‘It’s almost like if we get this right then the rest will just fall into place. The twins will settle, they’ll love their new life, and we’ll all live happily ever after,’ Bridget confided in me. ‘And we’ve made the right decision, you know?’

‘Of course you’ve made the right decision,’ I said. ‘How can two beautiful children ever be the wrong decision?’

She smiled and squeezed my hand. ‘I’m so glad you’re here, Becca. I don’t know what we’d do without you. Thanks for all your help.’

‘Thanks for letting me stay in your guest bedroom,’ I said. ‘I promise I’ll be out of your hair after tonight so you can get ready for the twins coming. I’m not sure it would go down well with the agency if you told them you also happen to have adopted a thirty-something-year-old woman.’