'Can Miles read us a story?' Evie asked.
There was no way Daisy was comfortable enough to let Miles in on reading a story. She shook her head. 'I think Miles has probably had enough of us for one day.'
'I don't mind.'
Daisy looked at him and tried to work out if he was just being polite or if he actually meant it. His expression was open and genuine, but really, she didn’t know what he was thinking. She made the decision for him. She wanted bedtime to go quickly and smoothly, which meant doing it on her own. ‘I tell you what. We’ll go up for a quick shower instead of a bath and get your pyjamas on. I’ll read you a story and then we’ll come down to say goodnight.’
Miles took the hint. ‘I’ll wash those pans that couldn’t go in the dishwasher.’
Upstairs, there was the usual negotiation about who got which towel and whether they really had to wash their hair. Daisy zoomed through it with military precision. She’d developed her own systems for managing the twins, and while they weren't always pretty, they generally worked.
'Story time.' Evie announced once they were in their pyjamas and had brushed their teeth with only minimal fuss.
'One very quick story and then you can go down and say goodnight and then bed.'
After the story, they went down and said goodnight as if they’d said goodnight to Miles every night of their lives. It all just felt simple, natural, right and good, which was better than some of the alternatives Daisy had cooked up in her head.
When she came back down, the kitchen was spotless. Daisy smiled. ‘Let’s go in the shop. It’s lovely in there in the evening.’
After taking in a bottle of wine, they sat in the wingback chairs. Miles smiled. 'That went well.'
'You think so?' Daisy asked, though she knew he was right. It had goneverywell, almost suspiciously well.
'They're amazing, Daise. Really. You've done such a good job with them. I have to admit that I did wonder how this was going to go…'
Daisy felt heat in her cheeks. 'They're pretty okay, aren't they? Most of the time, anyway. You caught them on a good day.'
'I doubt that. I think they're probably incredible most days from what I’ve seen.'
'So, what did you think? Honestly.'
Miles thought for a bit, looked out the window at the street beyond and then back again. 'I think I understand now why you were so concerned.'
'What do you mean?'
'I mean, they're not just your children, are they? They're your whole world. I can see how hard you must have worked. That's a lot of responsibility for one person and you had them when you were very young. Yeah, impressed.'
Daisy nodded and swallowed.
‘They're happy and confident and curious about everything. They feel safe enough to be themselves, even with a stranger. That's not an accident, Daise. That's because of you. I know I am not a stranger, but I’ve really only met them a couple of times.'
'It doesn't always feel like I'm doing a good job.'
'I bet it doesn't. But from where I'm sitting, it looks like you're doing an amazing job.'
Daisy tried to process everything that had happened that afternoon. The twins had taken to Miles like ducks to water, which made her happy if a little confused as to what happened next. 'What happens now?'
'What do you want to happen now?'
'I don't know. This is all new territory for me.’
'For me too. I think we just go with the flow. That went okay and now I feel as if I am not skulking around hiding stuff all the time.'
‘Good, I just hope it stays this way. Sometimes things go wrong for me.’
'Nah, you've just had some bad experiences. Sometimes you get to be happy with a bloke one of your children threw ice cream at.'
Daisy giggled and looked at Miles sitting there in her bookshop, in the space she had created for herself and the twins, looking like he belonged there. It made her feel pathetically fuzzy and as if all was well in the world. ‘They’ll never live that down, will they?’
