Chapter 44
Lily looked around the garden. The daffodils were still out and around them new colours were beginning to show. She had always loved the flowers in the garden. When she had been younger she had claimed she was going to name her children after them. She was always going to have twins and name them Heather and Lizzie. Then Petunia was going to have a daughter named Rose and they would be best friends. Funny how life works out.
She opened the kitchen door and walked in. Everything was quiet and she didn't mind in the least. She was still annoyed with what she had read. The only one that she could really trust was her father and he wasn't all that happy with the circumstances since she had never been married.
She heard the front door shut and then voices as they headed into the kitchen. Her mother and sister stopped in the doorway looking at her.
"Lily you're home!"
"For a while."
"What?"
"I'm going to be moving out."
"But why?"
She just shook her head. Her sister's voice however changed the conversation.
"Is that it then?"
"No this is the other baby I'm bringing home. What do you think?"
Her mothers shopping was straight on the floor.
"Oh who's my lovely granddaughter then? I'm grandma and I'm going to spoil you."
Lily just watched as her mother held the baby there. Petunia's eyes were on the baby. She looked like she was going to be okay around her. But Lily didn't want Petunia near the baby.
"What do you think you're doing Petunia?"
"Looking at the baby."
"Oh well I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with it if it was a freak."
"What?"
"Yeah and you can tell Vernon that I don't need male attention, I'm not that shallow."
"Why would he want to know that?"
She shook her head and leaning over her mother took Sammie into her hands.
"I'm going to put her in my room. Tell dad to come up when he gets home."
"But Lily –"
"But nothing mother."
Lily's voice was all hard and cold. She didn't care though as she moved upstairs. She opened her bedroom door and smiled. James had been over she was sure of that. A small cot was set up in the corner and there were a bunch of flowers in a vase. Lily took in a deep breath as she placed the baby down.
She knew this wasn't going to be permanent. Living with her parents was never going to work. She needed her own place. Maybe she could get the boys to help her find somewhere. She only needed a small place, one bedroom really. She wasn't going to be leaving Sammie on her own any time soon.
Gently Lily sat on her bed and looked up at her ceiling. She didn't know what to do. She was so use to having people around her lately that having five minutes to herself was strange. She picked up a book from her cabinet and started to flick through it to her spot.
Her eyes glazed over the words as she scanned the pages. She wasn't really taking it in. As she looked at it her eyes began to droop.
"Lily?"
She sat up straight and looked at her father. He was smiling gently at the door and she waved him in.
"Dad I want you to meet Sammie."
She watched as her father went over to the crib. When he bent down and picked the girl up Lily was surprised that she didn't feel anything. She trusted her father with the baby.
"She's gorgeous darling."
"Thank you."
"Your mother said you're going to be moving out."
"I can't stay here now."
"We don't mind you having the baby here."
"It's not that. I know about the newspaper interview."
Her father stiffened a little and looked away from the baby to her.
"Was it really that bad?"
"You weren't but the rest was."
Slowly her father lowered himself onto the bed next to her.
"What was said?"
"Mum made it sound like Larry wasn't the dad, or James. So they now think there's a third bloke. Petunia said that the baby will be a freak so she doesn't want to know. Then Vernon said I need male attention so the father could be anybody."
"I'll talk to them."
"No I don't want you to. I'm just going to find a flat to live in."
"You won't live in a little flat with a baby Lily. You'll stay here."
"Dad it won't be that bad, and it's not as if it'll be for long."
"What?"
He had looked up at her and Lily sighed gently stroking the small amount of blonde hair away from Sammie's face.
"James wants to adopt her."
Her dad smiled gently.
"He's a good man."
"I know. I love him dad. He wants us to live together as a family. He's asked to adopt Sammie and to marry me."
"When's the wedding?"
"I'm not marrying him."
His face turned suddenly as he looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"I want to get myself sorted first. I mean Larry hasn't been dead a year yet. I'm not going to marry him this year. Next year maybe but not yet. Plus I want to give Roberta and Victor some time to get use to Sammie to maybe accept her as family."
"They do need time."
Lily smiled at her father as he gently rocked Sammie in his arms. She felt at ease again. The only thing that was missing from the picture now was James.
Sorry for the delay in posting revision, work you know the drills. Anyway my exams start next week which means no update until the exams are over. So next post will be on the 9th after my last exam (if I can get on before I go to work that is)
Kris
