“Again.”
She shook her head, welling up. “Saffron barely even knows who he is.”
He pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on the crown of her head. She smelled like Mum’s house, like home, but it didn’t bring the comfort it once would. It was just another sign that she was struggling. She’d done everything she could to avoid moving back in, and constantly worried she was too much of a burden, but there’d been no other option. She couldn’t work when her kids needed her. Saffron was still so tiny. With Sky being autistic and non-verbal, he’d need all of her attention and care until they could find him a school that suited his needs. Fraser tried. So hard. But there was only so much he could do, and he hated it.
“I just don’t understand why he doesn’t care,” she whispered. “Three kids, and he barely sees them. Never thinks to give me any money towards their food and clothes.”
“If you’re struggling—”
“That’s not what I’m saying, Fraser.” She pulled away, glassy-eyed and taut with pain. “I know you like to fix things, but it isn’t your job this time.”
He wouldn’t accept that. Couldn’t. “I can give you some money, anyway. You know that. I have more coming in with Harper’s rent. And if you need me to babysit more, I’m always here.”
Eiley sighed, brushing her tousled fringe from her eyes. “I know. Thank you.”
“I’ll come round later. See if there’s anything I can do. Didn’t you say Brook’s bed is falling apart?”
She nodded glumly. “Everything’s falling apart.”
It broke his heart. Eiley had always struggled, but he’d once been able to solve every problem with a silly joke or a long, tranquil drive around the woodlands. He wished it was that easy now.
Still, he rubbed warmth into her arms and promised, “I’ll fix it.”
“You should be spending time with Harper, anyway,” Eiley said. “She’s just inside, helping out with Dot and Sorcha. The kids adore her, and so do the rest of us. So do you, I bet.”
He let out apfftthat he hoped sounded natural. “We’re just mates.”
“Didn’t say you weren’t,” she said with a sly glance, clearly seeing right through him. She always had been able to.
So, he didn’t bother hiding it anymore, instead dipping his head.
“Sky’s taken a shine to her,” she continued. “You know how long it usually takes him to warm up to people. That’s proof she has a good nature if you ask me.”
That was true. Sky didn’t like being cuddled the way Saffron and Brook did. He rarely made eye contact with any of them and was usually lost in his own little bubble. Eiley and the local support workers were doing an amazing job, and he progressed every day, but it was still difficult for him to adjust to certain people and changes. If he was comfortable with Harper, that could only be a good thing.
Or a bad one. What if he got too attached, and then one day Harper was gone?
Sky, that was. Not Fraser.
NotFraser.
When he said nothing, she elbowed him lightly. “You’re allowed to admit you like her. It’s not like you aren’t making it obvious.”
“Idolike her. Very much…” He fidgeted with his collar, a weight pressing in on him. “Too much, maybe. It’s not a good time for either of us to be getting into something, and we agreed to keep things casual.”
“Casual.” Eiley rolled her eyes. “Finlay and I were casual once. Now we have three kids.”
“That’s different.”
“Yeah, because I fell in love with a selfish prat. You have a bonnie wee girl in there who cares about kids and family and makes everybody around her happy. Don’t be a plonker and shut down a relationship because it’s out of your comfort zone.”
He whistled, rocking on his heels. “Ouch. When did you get so blunt?”
“When I realised that my kids and I are getting walked all over.” She winced, running a palm over her tired face. “Sorry. I’m low on patience these days.”
“You’re exhausted. How about I babysit this weekend? You can have some time to decompress. Watch those sitcoms you like with Mum.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, straightening up.
