But Ammy was hanging onto him like she would Josh. Like she would an uncle or… a dad.
A rush of heat ran through Thea, and her breath totally left her lungs. How had she let this happen? She knew deep down that Ammy was desperate for a father figure. Endless hours looking at photos of Phil together was fine, but none of the tales she could tell her daughter would ever replace the fact that he wasn’t there in the flesh.
When Josh and Kitty got together, she’d spent hours playing weddings with her dolls and had questioned Thea why she wasn’t married. It was all so simple in her daughter’s mind and then, when Daniel and Amber announced their wedding, Ammy had taken to wearing a pair of old net curtains on her head, set in place with a plastic tiara.
She’d told her mum that she should get married. That she’d look pretty in white. And then Felix had walked into their lives. Felix with his fancy car and the son that she adored. Judging from the look on her face, she had Mr. Walsh set firmly in her sights for Thea.
Thea wanted to get married again one day and wanted another child. But, surely Felix, the absolute opposite of Phil, wasn’t the right man. She clamped her jaw shut and folded her arms across her body. They were just too different.
“Did you look after my mum?” Ammy asked. She’d let go of Felix’s legs and now had a hold of his hand.
“I hope so,” he said, eyes lingering on Thea’s face. He was looking for affirmation. Seeking confirmation that everything would be okay, but she wasn’t sure she could give it. They didn’t fit together, and it wasn’t fair to Ammy or Felix to drag out the inevitable.
“Come away,” she said. “Felix is just leaving.”
Thea reached out her hand, and as the colour drained from his face, Felix ushered Ammy over to her mum.
“When will you be back?” she asked, threading her fingers through Thea’s.
“I’m not sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Soon, I hope.”
“You and Lucas can come over for tea! Mum can bake something. She’s very good at making sticky buns.”
The edges of Felix’s mouth twitched. “I’m sure she is. It’s a genuine talent.”
At the slightest smile on his lips, Thea’s heart skipped, but she shut the feeling down. “Felix is very busy, darling. He’s got a lot of work to do.”
“But Mum!”
“Go inside, Ammy.”
“Mum!”
“I said go inside. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Ammy turned to Felix with an enormous pout on her lips.
“Listen to your mum. Go inside,” he said with a half-smile. “We’ll see you soon.”
Ammy let go of Thea’s hand and, after glaring at her for a second, stomped off into the house.
Felix turned to Thea, his brows firmly pinned together. “Was that really necessary?”
“Maybe not. But you have to see, it’s not just the two of us we have to think about. I don’t want Ammy hanging her hopes on something that might not happen. I like you, Felix, but I need time to think. To work out how I feel about what you want from me.”
With a sigh, he handed her the corn-on-the-cob-covered bag. As she took it, their fingers met, and his hand wrapped around hers. Thea’s breath caught. His skin was so warm, so soft.
“I meant what I said. I love you.”
Damn, he wouldn’t let it go. Thea looked into his eyes. “I know.”
“Promise me you’ll think about it. About us.”
Thea nodded, and Felix dropped her hand. The sudden chill on her skin felt like she’d lost something precious. She turned and walked into the house, but looked back before she got inside the door. Felix still stood in the yard, watching her, his face drawn and pale.
37
THEA
