him, rocking a distraught Kim in her arms.
Adam appeared to debate with himself; then, sucking in a breath and blowing it out slowly, he turned to face them. ‘He needs to be told, Cassie,’ he seethed, visibly trying to control his temper. ‘If I get hold of him, I swear to God I’ll break the bastard’s neck.’
Kim cried harder at that. Samuel sobbed heart-wrenchingly along with her.
Cassie glanced between them, her own blood boiling. Adam was right. The man needed to be taught a lesson. She doubted whether the police would be able to do much unless Kim pressed charges. Judging by what she’d just said about not wanting to create a backlash for her family, Cassie doubted she would do that. Adam was tall and strong, thanks to his many years of manual work. If anyone could scare the bastard, he could. But this wasn’t the way.
‘Leave it, Adam, for now. At least until we decide what to do,’ she said, her gaze flicking meaningfully towards Kim. ‘Violence will only incite more violence, and Kim and Samuel will be in the thick of it.’
‘Christ.’ Glancing upwards, Adam tugged in another sharp breath, and then bent to gather Samuel from his pushchair, pressing the baby protectively to his shoulder.
Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It’s all right, Kim,’ she said, giving her a reassuring squeeze. ‘He’s not going to go.’
The tension leaving her body, Kim answered with a small nod.
‘Have you decided on a moving date yet?’ Cassie asked her, guessing that Adam was as determined as she was to get her away from her father rather than risk this sort of thing happening again. Or worse. Nausea knotted her stomach as she imagined what might happen to a tiny vulnerable baby in the middle of all this.
‘Next week,’ Kim sniffed. ‘I have a friend who’s going to help me, but she can’t do it until then. I don’t have much, but…’
‘You’re moving today,’ Adam said determinedly.
‘I can’t.’ Kim spun away from Cassie to face him. ‘I have to pay a month in advance, as well as the rest of the deposit. Then there are Samuel’s things. I have to get those organised. I—’
‘How soon can you be organised once the monies are paid?’ Adam cut in, handing Samuel to Cassie, the baby’s bewildered whimpers somewhat placated.
‘Any time. Tomorrow,’ said Kim. ‘But my friend’s at work. She works in a pub. She won’t be able to help me until—’
‘Tomorrow then,’ Adam stated firmly. ‘I’ll pay whatever’s needed and we’ll move you. And if your father has any objections, he’ll have me to answer to.’
Kim’s gaze travelled between them. Her expression was a mixture of bewilderment and fear. Cassie’s heart went out to her. ‘It’s fine, Kim. You need to get out of there, for Samuel’s sake as well as your own.’ She smiled encouragingly. ‘Was your doctor’s appointment after this happened?’ she asked, still concerned that Samuel had been caught up in it. That he might even have sustained an injury.
Kim nodded. ‘Samuel’s fine,’ she said, clearly getting the gist of what Cassie was asking. ‘The doctor checked him all over. She said he was a handsome little boy, just like his father. Josh used to come with me to my…’ She faltered. ‘Oh God, I miss him so much.’
Adam moved quickly towards her, easing her into his arms as a fresh sob shook through her. ‘It’s okay,’ he said throatily. ‘You’ll get through this. We all will.’
Watching Kim bury her face in his shoulder, Cassie felt a ripple of apprehension. Her heart squeezing, she pressed Samuel closer. Adam had given up the chance of having children of his own to be with her. He was still with her, even after all the upset and the heartbreak, the lack of closeness between them. Did he want to be? she asked herself. He had always been a caring man; it was simply the way he was, tactile and affectionate. But, as much as she told herself she was being ridiculous and neurotic, she couldn’t help wondering: had Josh been the glue that had held them together?
Fourteen
Kimberley
Her dad was still stuck in front of the telly while her mum was out working her fingers to the bone. Bypassing the lounge door from the kitchen, Kim curled a lip in disgust as he took a swig from his beer and flicked through the TV channels. He obviously wasn’t about to move any time soon. She headed upstairs to her bedroom to finish packing