“Good morning,” he sings as he rounds the corner.
“Dad,” I hear two excited voices say before the sounds of chairs being pushed back.
“Hey, kiddos.”
Walking in behind him, my heart swells when I take in the scene in front of me. Harrison’s got his arm around each child’s shoulders as he smiles down at them, his love shining brightly in his eyes.
“Alfie, Cass, I’ve got someone I’d like you to meet.”
My stomach drops as everyone’s stare turns to me. My heart races and my temperature soars.
“This is Summer, my wife.”
It’s like time slows down as Alfie’s lips curl up in a smile so like his dad’s it makes my heart ache, while Cassie’s frown clouds her beautiful face, her eyes getting harder with every second that passes. Oh boy, looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.
“Hi, Summer. It’s nice to meet you,” Alfie says politely. His posh British accent melts my heart more than his dark eyes and cheeky smile already have.
“Cassie,” Harrison prompts.
“Hi,” she spits before removing herself from her dad’s arms and sitting back at the island.
The room’s silent as every set of eyes looks between Cassie, me, and then Harrison.
“Cassandra,” he warns. “Be polite.”
“It’s fine,” I try to argue, but the look he pins me with stops me.
They stare each other down for a few seconds before she mutters, “It’s nice to meet you.” It’s anything but sincere but I think it’s the best I’m going to get.
My stomach churns with dread as she turns her focus on her plate. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Harrison’s shoulders drop in disappointment.
Stepping away from his dad, Alfie walks up to me. “Just give her some time. She’ll come around,” he whispers, sounding much older and wiser than his twelve years.
“Thank you. I’m looking forward to getting to know you both.”
“You’d better be quick. I’m sure we’ll be shipped off to Madrid soon, then school will start.” He rolls his eyes before walking away.
My chin drops but I’ve got no response. The disappointment is written all over his face. Harrison’s words from last night come back to me about wanting them to live with him and attend a different school. From what Alfie just said, I think I want the same thing.
“You okay?” Harrison asks, his arm coming around my waist.
“Yeah,” I whisper unconvincingly.
“She’ll come around. Just give her some time,” he says, thinking it’s Cassie’s reaction to me that’s caused the color to drain from my face.
“I know.”
“Come on, it looks like Danni’s made waffles.”
Harrison
I feel sick the second Cassie turns her back on Summer. I bite back my immediate response to drag her back here to greet her properly, knowing that my hormonal daughter just needs a little time to get used to the idea. Shouting at her isn’t going to help right now. She needs to see that Summer’s not just a fling for me. She needs to understand that we’re a family, and this is how it’s going to be from now on.
Placing my hand in the small of Summer’s back, I guide her towards the island so we can join the twins and Danni for breakfast.
I was nervous as fuck the entire drive here. Not knowing how Alfie and Cassie were going to react to Summer had apprehension racing through me. Something told me laid-back Alfie would be okay, but Cassie has a little of her mother in her.
I can’t help the smile splitting my face as I look at the three most important people in my life all sitting having breakfast together.
“We’re spending the weekend as a family,” I announce as every set of eyes turns to me. “Summer wants to walk down Royal Mile and see Buckingham Palace—”
“And she gets what she wants,” Cassie mutters under her breath. But unfortunately for her, it wasn’t quietly enough.
“That’s enough, Cassie. We’re going to do something for everyone this weekend. What would you two like to do?”
“It’s Chelsea vs. Arsenal tomorrow. I’d love to go,” Alfie says excitedly. I want nothing more than to agree but as I look between Summer and Cassie I can’t help but think leaving them together could be a bad idea.
“I need a new school bag, and I’m not going to any bloody football match,” Cassie says.
“Language, young lady.” Her response is to just roll her eyes at me. Her attitude resembles Rebecca’s more and more—one of the many reasons I hate them spending time with her. I don’t need her raising a little mini-me. One Rebecca is more than enough.
After thanking her for keeping an eye on the twins overnight, Danni disappears back down to her flat. She hot-footed it out as soon as she could; I don’t think she wants to be stuck in between Cassie and me if things kick off.
“Right, go and get ready. We’re going out in thirty minutes.”
“Do we really have to?” Cassie complains.
“Yes.”
She begrudgingly heads upstairs and I’m not stupid enough to think I’m not going to have a fight on my hands to get her to come around to the idea of having a new stepmum.
“We can do Buckingham Palace another day. I’m not bothered,” Summer says once we’re alone.
“No. Like I said earlier, we’re doing something for everyone this weekend.”
“What are we doing for you?”
“Spending the weekend together. There isn’t anything else I need.”
Stretching up on her tiptoes she presses her lips against mine. “You’re too cute.”
“I’m anything but cute, beautiful. Are you ready for this?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she admits, slipping her feet into her trainers, looking about as apprehensive as I feel.
The day is pretty much as I expected. We walked around the city, Summer’s eyes darting everywhere as she took everything in while Alfie and Cassie trailed behind us. Alfie looked bored but tolerant whereas Cassie looked downright pissed off the entire day.
“I thought we all got to do what we wanted today?” she sulks as I let us into our house later that evening.
“I said this weekend, not today.” I rustle her hair but she shrugs me off and goes to climb the stairs. “Where are you going?”
“To hide.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Haven’t we already had enough forced family time?”
“Not even close. Go and get changed, do whatever, but be back down here in thirty minutes.”
She rolls her eyes at me and continues up the stairs. I get a sympathetic look from Alfie before he follows, hot on her heels. I can only hope he’s on my side and talks some sense into her.
Summer’s busy making coffee when I fall down onto one of the stools in the kitchen. “She’ll come around,” she says, sounding a lot more confident than I feel.
“Cassie’s just as stubborn as her mother. We’ve got our work cut out.”
10
Summer
“I’ve already said I’m not spending the day watching football,” Cassie sulks when she sees her brother in his Chelsea shirt with a matching scarf wrapped around his shoulders.
“You’re not coming. You’re going to get that school bag you want with Summer.”
She rips her dark eyes away from Harrison’s and they turn on me. My insides quiver with anticipation.
“Maybe football wouldn’t be so bad,” she mutters.
“CASSIE,” Harrison shouts. She’s not expecting it and flinches away from his booming voice. Her eyes instantly fill with water and her bottom lip trembles, showing me that she does in fact have a softer side. “I’m not asking you to start calling Summer Mum or anything, all I want is for you to get along.”
“Fine,” she mutters before disappearing from the room.
“I’m so sorry. I—”
“Don’t, it’s fine,” I say, cutting off Harrison’s apology. It’s not his fault that Cassie
is struggling to accept me into her life. I can’t imagine how hard all of this must be for her.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
I can’t say I’m excited about what the day is going to hold, but there’s no time like the present. There’s no point in putting off getting to know Cassie because of her attitude. I don’t have any intention of going anywhere any time soon, so I may as well start as I mean to go on.
Harrison drops Cassie and me at the end of Oxford Street before him and Alfie continue on. Sucking in a huge breath, I turn to Cassie. “Where did you want to go?”
“Selfridges.”
“Selfridges? For a school bag?”
“Yes,” she states.
“Just remember you’ve got a budget.”
“Whatever.”
Silently, we walk side by side along the busy London street until we’re standing outside of the iconic department store. The thought of getting to experience everything it has to offer has excitement licking at my insides, even if I’ll refuse to spend the kind of money I’m sure they’ll be asking for.
I follow Cassie inside and she begins wandering through the purses. My eyes dart everywhere, looking at the stunning designs, the bright colours and the extortionate price tags.
“This is the one,” Cassie announces, pulling a pale blue Michael Kors bag from the display and placing it over her shoulder.
It’s stunning, but a school bag? Really? Memories of the tatty old rucksack I used to stuff my books into floats through my mind and I’m reminded of the many differences between my old and new life.
As Cassie stands in front of the mirror, posing, I quickly grab the label to check the price.
“How much?” I balk. “Your dad said no more than £150.” Which I still think is utterly insane, but it’s not my money.
“I know it’s a little over, but he won’t mind.”
“Cassie, you can’t have it. You’re going to have to pick a cheaper one.” Glancing around at the display. “What about this one?” I ask picking up what is essentially a smaller version of the one over her shoulder.
“That won’t be big enough.”
“Well, how about a different designer?” I don’t want to come across like the wicked stepmom, but Harrison set a budget and I won’t allow Cassie to think I’m a pushover. Letting her have the bag would be the easiest thing to do but it won’t help me in the long run.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes. Your dad said no more than £150, so we’re not spending a penny over that.”
She huffs out a giant breath but she doesn’t look as pissed off as I was expecting her to. Her eyes actually flash with something else entirely.
It takes us over an hour for us to find a bag that we both agree on, which just so happens to be the one I originally suggested as a cheaper option.
With her new purchase swinging from her fingertips in a bright yellow bag, we take the escalator up to the ladies department and make our way through the lavish clothes.
“What the hell is that?” I ask in amazement when I round the corner and see some ghastly yellow and orange dress.
“Disgusting is what it is,” I hear Cassie agree from behind me.
Turning the tag over, my eyes nearly pop out of my head when I see the four-figure price. “Does anyone actually buy this stuff?”
I’m not really expecting an answer so I’m surprised when I hear Cassie beside me. “You’d be surprised to see what some people wear just to look rich.”
“Oh?”
“You should see some of the crap Mum owns. I wouldn’t be caught dead in half of it.”
I should probably chastise her for her language but I’m too intrigued to find out a little more about Rebecca from a different perspective.
“She’s into her designer clothes then?”
“You could say that. Everything has to have a label, and the more obvious the better. She wants everyone to know she has money. She puts so much effort into worrying about what other people think; it’s exhausting to watch.”
“So you’re not the same then?” I ask, thinking about her need for a designer school bag.
“Not as much. I like designer stuff, it’s what everyone at school has and I want to fit in, but it’s not who I am.”
Relief washes through me. I didn’t realise I was worried about her being a miniature version of her mother, but hearing her say those things allows me to see my fears, my concern that we’d never get on if she was like that.
“I’ve never bought designer anything,” I admit, much to Cassie’s surprise.
“Not even a bag? Shoes?”
“No. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. I knew my parents couldn’t afford it so I never really worried about it. The money your dad spends on stuff blows me away.”
“You don’t want him for his money, do you?” she asks, her eyes narrowed slightly.
“No, not at all. It actually makes me uncomfortable.”
She nods at me and I see her lips begin to twitch at the edges.
“Shall we get a coffee?” That soon stops her smile as her lips turn down in disgust. “You don’t like coffee?”
“No, it’s gross.”
“It seems like we’ve got a lot to learn from each other. Come on.” I thread my arm through hers and to my surprise she doesn’t pull away as we head towards the café, the scent of the dark roasted beans guiding the way.
I order her a mocha and myself a cappuccino along with a cupcake for each of us. I’m much more relaxed after our little bonding session while standing next to arguably the most hideous dress I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“Let’s give this a try then,” she says, lifting her mug up to her lips. I watch as she takes a hesitant sip. Her eyelids lower for a beat before she looks up at me. Her dark eyes are full of life and so familiar to me that it has my heart twisting. “That’s good.”
“Really?”
“Really. I think I’m a convert.” I can’t help laughing as I take a sip of my own coffee. “You’re not too bad either,” I hear whispered from behind her mug. My heart starts to race as a feeling of acceptance washes through me.
“What was that?” I ask, thinking I must be hearing things.
“Nothing.” But I know she’s lying; I can see it in her eyes.
Nothing more is said but the air around us is much more relaxed and I can genuinely smile for the first time since meeting Cassie yesterday.
“Okay so…” Cassie starts, and suddenly I’m not feeling quite so relaxed. “You’ve taught me that coffee isn’t so bad. Now I’m going to teach you something.”
“What?” I ask, nerves evident in my weak voice.
“How to shop, designer style.”
“Cassie, no. I—”
“Oh shush. You can’t tell me that you don’t have one of Dad’s credit cards in your purse, and you also can’t tell me that he hasn’t told you not to spend anything.”
“Shit.” I mutter under my breath, but it’s not quiet enough.
“Exactly. Now hurry up, we’ve got a busy day ahead.”
Harrison and Alfie are already home when we get back hours later with more bags than I ever expected to be carrying. We find them in the living room watching the football highlights. Dropping the bags at my feet, I fall back onto the sofa, exhausted. Cassie does something very similar on the chair the other side of the room.
“You two had a good day?” Harrison asks hesitantly.
“It was all right,” Cassie mutters, and I fight to keep in my smile.
“It looks like it was better than all right,” he says, eyeing the bags around both our feet.
“Okay yeah. It was amazing.” Her smile lights up her face as she tells her dad all about our day. About the clothes we both tried on and the things we bonded over. I sit there listening, my cheeks hurting with happiness.
It may have taken Cassie a little longer to accept me than it did Alfie, but once we found level ground, our relationship was soon of
f and running.
When she eventually finishes talking and Harrison is able to look away, his eyes meet mine. They’re full of tears and his smile melts my heart.
When I crashed into him all those weeks ago, I never expected he would be anyone I’d think about after that night, but being here sitting with him beside me as my husband with his kids filling the room with laughter, I can’t think of anywhere in the world I’d rather be. We’ve still got a few hills to climb to get our lives exactly as we’d like them, but I’m so excited to have someone by my side as we write the next chapter.
Epilogue
Summer
Two Months Later
“Are you ready? We’re going to be late,” Harrison shouts up the stairs.
I stare at myself in the full length mirror and run my sweaty palms down the front of my skirt. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, my nerves and excitement about today not allowing my brain to settle.
I blow out a slow breath before turning, slipping my feet into my shoes and picking up my purse.
Waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs is, of course, Harrison, but either side of him is Cassie and Alfie in their school uniforms ready to start the day.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I grab the portfolio I left by the front door last night.
“The first day at school is always the worst,” Alfie reassures as we make our way out of the house.
They should know, I guess. It was only a couple of weeks ago that they started at their new school. They understand what it’s like to be surrounded by new people in a totally new environment.
Life hasn’t exactly been plain sailing over the past few months. I could see Harrison’s dread as the days passed. He knew he’d have to send the twins back to a school they all hated but Rebecca insisted on. That was until the day before we were due to take them.
Harrison’s phone had rang a couple of times but each time he saw her name he cut the call. By the fifth attempt, he hesitantly answered it in the hope it would get rid of her.
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