Copper Creek: The Complete Boxed Set

by Smith, Wendy

  “No. This is it.”

  “Owen, we’ve known each other two months.”

  “I’ve known it all along. You were who I was meant to meet.” I run my free hand through my hair. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

  Ginny smiles.

  “I’m serious, Gin. The wedding, meeting you, the accident. Fuck, my heart was broken seeing that car, and knowing Ava had no one. But you were there when I needed you, and you stuck around. Now, what I have with you is unlike anything I’ve ever had before and that was before I knew Ava was mine.”

  Tears form in her eyes.

  “You have no reason to believe this, but I don’t even have to try with you. And I don’t mean that I’m not going to do what I can to show you how I feel, but being with you is so easy.”

  She squeezes my fingers with hers. “Is it me? Or was it that everything else seemed too hard?”

  That wasn’t a question I’d anticipated, and I stare at her, unable to formulate an answer.

  “You might have met me that same night, but when you came back to the wedding, you’d lost someone you cared deeply about. And I was there.”

  I shake my head. “That’s not it.”

  “Maybe not, but how do I know? What if it had been someone else. Would you feel this way about them?”

  Letting out a loud sigh, I shake my head again. “No. I saw you before I left the wedding. You were so sweet and charming, and your laugh made me smile. It was easy with you from the start. That’s how I know.”

  Tears roll down her cheeks, and I reach out to catch them with my finger. “No one else. It’s you. You’re so deep in here, I couldn’t get rid of you if I wanted to.” I pat my heart.

  Despite her tears, she chuckles.

  “That’s better. Don’t ever be sad with me. I’m not expecting you to jump in and be a mother to Ava—that’s not why I’m with you. But I do appreciate everything you’re doing for her. I’ll need all the help I can get.”

  Her lips twitch. “I’ll do whatever you two need me to.”

  “We both just need you.” I wrap my arms around her as she leans into me, and brush my lips against her temple.

  “You have me,” she whispers.

  “Let’s go to bed. I’ll show you how much I need you.” As I stand, our earlier conversation springs to mind. “After you tell me what’s going on with Nathan Webster?” Reaching for her hand, I help her to her feet.

  “Nothing’s going on. He’s just a bit too friendly at times.”

  “Define ‘too friendly’.”

  She shrugs. “He gets personal. Just enough to make you unsure of whether he’s being creepy or looking out for you.” Licking her lips, she sighs. “He spoke to me about you.”

  “He did what?”

  “I can’t run away from your reputation, Owen, even if I know you’re different with me.” She places her hand on my chest. “I’m not going to listen to anything other than my heart, and it tells me that what we have is something special. I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t.”

  I pull her into my arms and close my eyes. It pisses me off that other people have stuck their noses into our business, but at least it’s because they care what happens to Ginny.

  But I’ll hurt Nathan Webster if he goes near my girl again.

  15

  Owen

  In the morning, we all have breakfast together before Ginny goes home to get some marking done and have some time to herself.

  While she’s not moving in, she’ll spend tonight with us to help settle Ava in, and we’ll have breakfast together again. I’m loathe to tackle the subject of her living with us again as she’s made her views clear. And she’s right. I do need to work out how to take care of Ava by myself.

  Even if I think Ginny’s the one.

  The last thing I expect is Drew and Hayley on my doorstep in the middle of the afternoon.

  “What are you two doing here?” I haven’t seen them since their wedding day, it’s so good to have them here.

  He grins. “I’ve got something exciting to tell you. Wanted to do it in person.”

  I usher him in, and he walks into the living room, followed by Hayley. As she draws level, I grab her arm and plant a kiss on her cheek. “I’ve got news for you too.”

  Drew spins back to face me before sitting on the couch. “If it’s that you’re with Ginny Robinson, I already know that news.”

  Hayley laughs as she sits beside him. “Lily’s really excited about that one.”

  I shake my head. “No. It’s not that.” Sitting opposite, I lean forward.

  “So, what’s going on with you two?” They wear the same silly grins they did on their wedding day. Either that hasn’t worn off or they’re up to something else.

  Drew grins. “We’re having a baby.”

  My mouth drops. “No way. That’s awesome.”

  Drew’s always been one who wanted kids. He became an obstetrician because of the complications with Max’s birth, and always harboured a wish to have his own. That it’s with Hayley makes me happy. She really is the other half of him.

  “Two babies.” Hayley raises her palm to cover her mouth as she giggles.

  “Twins?”

  Drew nods. “Turns out I have uber-potent sperm.”

  “Dude, I do not want to know about your sperm.”

  He laughs.

  “I need to show you my news. Hang on a second.”

  Drew’s eyebrows raise as he looks at me, and I walk up the hallway to Ava’s room. She’s playing on the floor with the toys Ginny bought her.

  “Hey, Ava. Want to come and meet Uncle Drew and Auntie Hayley?”

  Her eyes widen, and she nods slowly.

  “Come on.”

  I hold out a hand and she takes it, her teddy bear clutched tight in her other hand. We’ve come a long way, even since yesterday. With Ginny’s help, Ava’s trust in me has grown.

  Drew stares at me as I enter the room, Ava in tow. Hayley beams.

  “Drew, Hayley, this is Ava.” I sit back on the chair and Ava sits on my lap. “She’s my daughter.”

  Neither of them look surprised, and I swallow.

  “How … why is she with you?” Drew finally asks.

  “It’s a long story, but I wanted you to meet her.”

  Haley leans over. “Hi, Ava. I’m Hayley. It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Ava leans against me, burying her face in my chest.

  “What do you have there?” Hayley asks.

  Ava sits back up. “Ginny bought me a new teddy-bear. I’ve still got my old one, but it’s falling apart. And she bought me so many clothes, and …”

  I chuckle. Clearly, she feels comfortable enough to start talking. I’m just not sure if she’ll ever stop.

  “Did you two want to stay for dinner?” I ask Drew.

  He nods. “That would be great. We were going to visit Mum and Dad after this to tell them our news, but I called Dad to let him know we were coming, he mentioned Mum’s not having a good day. I’d prefer not to put more pressure on him.”

  “Ginny should be back soon. She’s trying not to smother us.”

  “I guess you have to get some time together.” Drew shoots a glance at Ava.

  “Yeah. I asked Ginny to move in, but she thinks I’m trying to make her some sort of surrogate mother.”

  He smirks. “Well, it’s not like you’ve ever got as far as moving in with someone before.”

  Ava’s already shifted to Hayley’s lap, and is completely involved in telling her the story of what’s happened since yesterday.

  I lower my voice. “She’s not like anyone else. All this has complicated things, but we’re still seeing each other.”

  “So, you didn’t say why she’s staying with you. It must be weird for her.”

  I take a deep breath, and lean closer to Drew. “Remember that accident I had to leave your wedding reception for?”

  He nods.

  “Car versus truck. Ava was the only su
rvivor.”

  “That was over two months ago, and you didn’t say anything?”

  I grit my teeth. As much as having her has turned things upside down, the thought of her moving from place to place still drives me nuts. “It took the authorities a while to sort their shit out, and I had no clue she was mine. Ava was put into care, and lived with several different people.”

  His mouth drops open. “No. That’s awful.”

  “She’s picked up some weird shit along the way. The first night, Ginny got up and heard her crying. Ava had wet the bed and was too scared to tell us. Someone had told her it was naughty.”

  Drew leans back. “Jesus. I would have thought that given she lost both her parents, that sort of thing would be par for the course.”

  “It must be. Anyway, I’m just going to have to adjust. Having some warning would have been great. I didn’t even know I had a kid.”

  There it is—a flash of guilt in his eyes.

  “Did you know?” How could he?

  His eyes dart from side to side. “That’s a long story in itself.”

  “Tell me.”

  He clears his throat. “Hayley helped Cara deliver Ava.”

  My gaze shoots to my sister-in-law. I should be angry, but she’s got Ava wrapped around her little finger already, and building relationships has to be important for Ava. It’d be helpful if kids came with an instruction manual, but I just have to work this stuff out.

  “And you guys didn’t think you should tell me?”

  Drew lets out a sigh. “I wanted to. But Hayley would get in trouble for breaking patient confidentiality. I felt like I was stuck in the middle.”

  “A heads up would have been nice. If Cara and Ryan were happy, I wouldn’t have done anything. It just would have been good to know. Damn it, Drew. If I’d known I would have fought from day one, and maybe she wouldn’t have been shipped around for two months.”

  He nods, guilt written all over his face. “I know, but I couldn’t. Shit. If I’d known that night who was in that accident …”

  I nod. “I guess I understand. It still pisses me off.”

  “Yeah, I bet it does. At least she’s with you now. I bet she’s real happy to have moved to Candyland.”

  Laughing I shake my head. “She’s not going to live on cookies.”

  “Does she know that?”

  Ava’s still talking, describing our trip to buy clothing, and offering to show Hayley her room. The expression on Hayley’s face is one of complete enchantment. She looks up and meets my gaze. “She’s gorgeous.” She mouths the words before shifting her attention back to Ava.

  The door opens, and I grin at the sight of Ginny.

  As if everything else is forgotten, Ava leaps from the couch and runs to her, throwing her arms around Ginny’s waist as Ginny drops her bag beside the door.

  “Oh, what a tackle.” Ginny laughs. If she’s trying to avoid Ava getting attached to her, it’s way too late for that.

  Ava raises her face and smiles, and Ginny bends to kiss her forehead. “What are you doing?”

  “Talking. A lot.” I laugh.

  “Good.” She smiles at Drew and Hayley. “Hi, guys.”

  “How are you, Ginny?” Drew asks.

  “Good. Things are a bit crazy, but good.”

  Ava runs back to the couch, picking up the conversation where she left off with Hayley, and I shake my head in amusement. I get up and walk toward the door.

  “Hey,” Ginny says. She wraps her arms around my waist, and I give her a tender kiss.

  “I missed you,” I whisper.

  “I wasn’t gone that long.”

  “The more you stay, the more I hate it when you leave.”

  She cups my face. “Coming from you, that’s a big call.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Well, I’m staying tonight, and it should be a quiet one. With how excited Ava is, I bet she crashes early. It’ll be nice to have some time together.”

  “It will be.”

  “How’s she been with Drew and Hayley?”

  I let out a sigh. “She took to Hayley in seconds.”

  Ginny laughs. “It figures. Hayley is such a lovely person.”

  “They knew.”

  She shoots me a confused look. “Knew?”

  “Drew and Hayley knew about Ava. They knew, and they didn’t tell me.”

  “How?”

  “Hayley was there at Ava’s birth. Cara told her.”

  Ginny rubs my back. “I guess she had to keep it confidential.”

  “I get that. It just grates a little that Drew knew and didn’t say anything.”

  She licks her lips. “What would you have done if he had?”

  I shrug. “Maybe nothing while they were alive. It just would have been nice to know. Maybe then Ava wouldn’t have had to float from place to place until she came here.”

  Ginny smiles. “At least she’s here now. And she has everything she could ever need. Give her time and those few weeks until she ended up here will be long forgotten.”

  “How’d I find someone so smart?” I press my lips to hers again.

  “I guess you’re just lucky.” Ginny grins, and I laugh, giving her a squeeze before letting her go. She walks toward Hayley.

  “Ginny, it’s so good to see you.” Hayley smiles. I love how easily Hayley’s slipped into our family. It’s as if she’s always been here.

  “You too. How was your honeymoon?” Ginny sits on a recliner beside the couch.

  “Amazing. So relaxing. I didn’t really want to come home.”

  I plant myself back on the other recliner, and smile as the ladies settle into chatting. Ava takes a run at me, launching herself onto my lap.

  “What are you doing?” I laugh.

  She giggles. “Sitting with you.”

  “She’s gorgeous, Owen,” Drew says. “Clearly, she takes after her mother.”

  I flick a lock of Ava’s hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. The more I look at her, the more I can see Max and Rose in there. She’s definitely a Campbell.”

  “You seem very happy to be here.” Drew smiles at Ava.

  Ava loops her arms around my neck. This whole thing weirds me out, but that she’s that comfortable with me already is going to help a lot down the track. Maybe it’s just the relief of being with someone she now knows, someone who was there for her when she needed it. Whatever it is, she hugs me tight, and it warms my heart.

  “I was there the night …” The sentence doesn’t need to be finished. Drew knows what I mean.

  “Of course.”

  “We hung out together, so little Miss Ava knew me. I think that’s helped.”

  Ava rests her head against my shoulder. While she chatted up a storm with Hayley, she seems a bit more reserved around Drew.

  “Did you know this is your Uncle Drew?” I ask her.

  She looks up at me and nods.

  “You’ve got four uncles and two aunts now. Plus, a couple of cousins.”

  Ava smiles.

  “You’ve got a big family, Ava,” Drew says.

  She clings tighter to my neck.

  “Ava met Adam and Lily yesterday. Today’s probably a bit overwhelming.” I stroke her hair. “I’m so glad Ginny’s here. They’ve taken a real shine to each other, and it’s helping ease the transition.”

  Ava holds up her teddy-bear. “Ginny bought this for me yesterday,” she says to Drew.

  “Did she? It’s a very nice teddy. Did you know you’re getting more cousins? Auntie Hayley’s having two babies.”

  Ava’s eyes widen. “Two babies?”

  Drew nods. “You and Owen will have to come and visit us when they’re born. We’ve got plenty of room, and a pool.”

  “And Ginny.”

  He laughs. “Yes, and Ginny. You’re all welcome.”

  She climbs down off my lap, and within seconds is on the couch chatting with Drew.

  Looking around the room, I smile.

  I never thought
I could be so content.

  16

  Owen

  The first week’s tough.

  I juggle everything. Getting up at four as usual, taking a break at seven to give Ava breakfast. She spends the day between the television in the living room when I take a break and the bakery. I need to sort something a bit more structured out for her, but it’s all a bit overwhelming.

  Thursday’s usually our busiest day. It’s the day the supplies arrive, and when I do an inventory to see what we need for the next week. Lily picks up Ava and takes her for the afternoon. Out of habit, I keep checking the living room to see what she’s doing anyway.

  The countdown to the weekend begins. Ginny will be with us. She pops in during the week, but doesn’t stay, and I don’t ask her to. She knows she has an open invitation.

  On Saturday, the plan is to take both Ava and Ginny to meet my mother and father.

  Hayley’s initial meeting with my parents went really badly. So badly, her reaction to it led to her and Drew breaking up, albeit temporarily.

  I’m wary of taking Ginny there, but introducing Ava to them might help distract my mother. I need to hold onto that hope and be prepared to bail if it doesn’t work.

  My heart’s beating fast as I pull into the driveway. I squeeze Ginny’s hand as I lead her and Ava into the house.

  “I’m here,” I call out.

  The house is quiet.

  “Did you not let them know first?” Ginny whispers.

  “I called Dad. They know we’re coming.”

  I keep hold of Ginny’s hand as I lead her to the door. Ava’s on my other side, hanging back a little.

  When we reach the living room door, Ginny goes through first, Ava trailing behind.

  I’m right behind, smiling at the sight of my parents. Mum sits in her favourite chair, Dad on the couch. “Mum, Dad. This is Ginny. And I’d like you to meet Ava.”

  Dad’s expression warms as I give Ava’s hand a little tug and she peeks around the corner. “Hi, Ginny and Ava.”

  Mum, who’s had permanent resting bitch face from even before she got sick, gives me the biggest surprise with her expression. Her lips wobble as she lays eyes on my daughter for the first time, and her mouth falls open. “She’s yours?”