Page 69 of A Little Bit More

“Well,that didn’t go as planned.” Katy looked crestfallen as she watched Flynn storm out of the house.

Abby placed a hand on her teen’s shoulder. Sixteen was a difficult age—you’re still a child but you felt so grown up it was hard to have people telling you what to do. It was an age that was hard on all of them—especially Katy. “What did you think would happen, love?”

Tear-filled eyes looked back at her. “I thought he’d be pleased. They’re the best team in the world. Dad’s always said I would reach the top, and this is it. I thought he’d be pleased,” she repeated on a whisper.

“If you thought that, why didn’t you tell him about the American team before you came in here?” She swept Katy’s long brown hair back over her shoulder.

“I needed him to talk you into letting me go so far away.” She bit her bottom lip.

“And?” Abby already knew the rest, but Katy had to say it aloud. It was yet another lesson her mother had to teach her—the women in their family didn’t lie to themselves.

“And I knew he’d be upset that I don’t want to play for Arsenal.” She blinked rapidly, holding back tears. “I thought you’d deal with that if I told him in front of you.”

“Upset?” Abby pushed.

“Hurt. I didn’t mean to hurt him. But”—a tear ran down her daughter’s cheek—“I thought you’d fix it.”

“Oh, my baby, this isn’t something I can fix. Only you can do that.”

Katy sniffed. “I don’t think he wants to talk to me right now.”

“Flynn loves you.” A miracle that Abby had thanked God for every day since marrying the man. In fact, there were times when she suspected Katy held a special place in his heart that their other children would never be able to capture. “He still loves you even when he’s upset with you. You’re the terrorist who turned his life upside down. The kid who knows just as much about football as he does, and even better, likes talking about it for hours on end. You’re the one he argues with and hatches stupid schemes with. He’s your dad, baby, and nothing can change that. The two of you have been driving each other mad and plotting world domination together since the day you met.”

Katy wrapped her arms around her mother and quietly cried.

“You know,” Abby said as she held her daughter tightly, “your first dad was an amazing man, and he would have adored you more each day if he’d lived to see you grow. But he wouldn’t have understood you the way Flynn does. It’s almost as though God wanted to soothe the hurt of losing your father by giving you a dad who was even more perfect for you.”

“He isn’t perfect.” Katy snorted, then sniffed.

“No.” Abby grinned. “But he’s perfect for you. Forus.You need to fix this before it festers. You know that, right?”

Katy groaned. “Growing up sucks.”

“Ah, the wisdom of youth,” Victoria said drolly, making them laugh.

Wiping her eyes, Katy pressed away from her mother. “Fine, I’ll talk to him. He’s probably out there venting at the ducks anyway, so I might as well let him vent at me.”

“That’s the spirit.” Abby patted her cheek. “There’s a jumbo bag of his favorite crisps in the cupboard and a family-sized KitKat bar. You might as well go in armed.”

“Thanks.” Katy gave her mum another quick hug before jogging to the kitchen.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about this whole ‘leaving the country’ thing,” Abby called after her. “We’re going to talk about that later. And you won’t be going anywhere unless I’m satisfied with your answers.”

“Yes, Mum,” came the dutiful reply before Abby heard the back door shut.

She turned to her mother, tears biting at the back of her eyes. “My baby girl wants to go to America.”

“Good job you’re rich,” Victoria said calmly. “You can pop over any time you like and fly her home for holidays. I could always watch the rest of the zoo so you can make a quick trip. And there’s video calls too. It’s not like the old days, where someone would get on a ship for the colonies, never to be heard from again.”

“You’re right.” Abby reached for the teapot to refill their cups.

“Of course I am,” Victoria said. “Plus, there’s a very high chance she won’t like it over there and end up in London after all. That girl changes her mind as often as the weather changes during a Scottish summer.”

“True.” Abby smiled at her mother. “And we could always move the family out there for a year or two, so we’re close.”

“Let’s not go that far, darling. It isAmerica.One would hardly consider it civilized enough to spend any amount of time over there.”

With a laugh, Abby curled back up in her chair.