“She having baby?” Murphy scrunched his nose and peered over at Bessie, who munched on grass, her swollen stomach on show.
“Hopefully very soon. You’ll have to ask your dad if you can come visit when it’s born.”
Immediately, Murphy swung around and latched onto Nick’s legs, head angled back. “Can we, Daddy? He’s said we could.”
“Ross, not he,” Nick clarified. At the correction, my heart raced, though with no real idea why that was. “If Ross says it’s okay, then we’ll definitely make it happen.”
Murphy bounced up and down, still latched on to Nick, who immediately held him back. He sent me a wry grin. “Headbutts aren’t fun.”
Laughter spilled out of me, surprising the both of us if Nick’s startled look was anything to go on. “I can imagine,” I said, sobering a little.
“Come on, Murphy, we best get going.” He reached out for his son’s hand, and we turned and strolled towards his Land Cruiser. “Thanks for the goat offer,” he said as we reached the back door.
“No worries. I can let you know when the kid arrives.”
A smile lifted his lips, the gesture seeming a little easier. “Thanks.”
Once they’d got Murphy strapped in, we said goodbye, and I stood next to Dan’s parents as they pulled out.
“They seem like a nice family,” Hazel said at my side.
“Yeah, they do.” It was that knowledge and all I’d learned about Nick that I needed to navigate and get my head around. While I felt more at ease than when I’d first stumbled on Nick and his family, what I knew then compared to today’s reality were at loggerheads.
And only I could unravel that mess.
I needed Dan home, safe and sound, so I could talk this out. Hopefully that would happen tomorrow.
“Come on, let’s go inside and get things sorted.” I made my way back to the house, carrying the bag Hazel had been holding. Maybe then, I’d check on Bessie properly and have some time to myself to think this new development over.
It was probably the safest bet, especially as Hazel hadn’t had the chance yet to grill me about my relationship with her son.
