the toe of her running shoe. “I’m afraid of only being a mum. I’m afraid if I stay home all the time I’ll get stupid and boring. Dave’s ex-wife was an engineer. She’s running her own company now.”
“And we saw how well their marriage worked out. I’d guess Dave doesn’t care about his wife’s profession so much as what kind of person she is.”
“He and his ex both worked all the time and hardly saw each other. The kids were in day care ten hours a day. Dave hated that.”
Darcy nodded sympathetically. “He’s probably afraid your family will go the same way if you start working too much.”
“It’s all about finding balance, isn’t it?” Alana said. “But he’s got to find that balance, too.”
“The main thing is having the same goals, the same commitment to the relationship.”
“Wow, you are so understanding.” Alana gave him a mock punch to the arm. “Are you sure you’re not a girl?”
Darcy laughed. “As a bartender, I’m an agony aunt to half of Summerside.” His smile turned wry. “Now if only I could sort out my own life.”
* * *
HOLLY WAS SITTING in the stroller, her bright red-gold curls peeking out beneath her sun hat. Emma pushed her around the zoo. They stopped to watch the monkeys swinging between the bare-limbed trees in their enclosure. Holly giggled and pointed at their antics. Emma was happy. They always had a good time at the zoo. Darcy had taken a rare day off and come with them. She glanced around, wondering where he’d got to. Then she saw him, coming toward them holding a bobbing red balloon.
He kissed Emma on the cheek. “Look what I got for the baby.”
“She’s hardly a baby anymore,” Emma said, laughing. She kneeled down and turned the stroller around.
Holly wasn’t in the seat. A baby boy smiled up at her. He didn’t look like Billy, but somehow she knew it was.
“You can’t just replace Holly,” Darcy said. Then he handed Billy the balloon as though nothing was out of the ordinary. “But we can go look at the lions.”
Emma woke up. She kept her eyes shut, hanging on to the image of Holly. She could still see her so clearly as if she were alive, laughing and real. This was the first dream she’d had of Holly that wasn’t a nightmare. It wasn’t even sad. It was...happy. There was even a certain peace.
She opened her eyes and reached for the photo of Holly she’d rescued from the corkboard and put in a frame for her bedside. It still hurt to look at her, but now the pain was tempered by memories of the joy and love her baby had given her. Thanks to Darcy.
Outside her window, birds piped in the dawn and her room slowly grew lighter. She would have to get up soon. Billy usually woke around six. Although her nursing classes were over for the year, exams would begin in a few weeks and she had to study. For the moment she lay there thinking and enjoying the quiet before she had to get on with her day.
Confession was supposed to be good for the soul. She had felt better telling Darcy her awful secret. He’d been wonderful, making her feel that it wasn’t her fault. She knew it wasn’t, not really, but she’d lived with the guilt for so long she hadn’t been able to get it out of her mind until he’d absolved her.
Darcy was buying a house for Billy, for when his son came to visit. That was a big investment, especially when he was already stretched with the renovations on the pub. She couldn’t tell herself any longer that he wasn’t a good father. He’d proven himself beyond all doubt. Unfortunately, now that he wanted to be a father, he didn’t want to be married to her.
Or did he? He’d made love to her as if he adored her. When they danced, he looked into her eyes as if she was the only woman on earth. He showed he cared in so many practical ways. She couldn’t ask for more. So why hadn’t he said he loved her and that he wanted to get back together for their sake?
Maybe he was happy with their present arrangement. They were friends again, a huge advance from where their relationship was a year ago. He could see Billy as often as he wanted. He had his hands full with the pub. The sex, well, she couldn’t see that continuing