Chapter Twenty

It had been a lovely few weeks and Joey had very much enjoyed spending the holidays with Charlie and Ruby. Charlie had even managed to convince her to do some studying and she was almost up to date with all her coursework. Ruby was an absolute delight and Joey had thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her. And Charlie seemed to happy now that she could spend every day with her daughter. It was lovely to see her so calm and relaxed.

Lazing around in the huge back garden, Joey and Charlie stretched out on sun loungers while Ruby splashed around in her paddling pool. She seemed to be having a whale of a time.

"How come you decided to leave Rubes here instead of getting a place for both of you at Uni?" Joey wondered.

Charlie stiffened and stopped holding her girlfriend's hand.

"She's better off here," she said shortly.

Joey sat up and studied Charlie's face.

"I wasn't criticising, Charlie," she said honestly. "I was just wondering."

Sensing the hurt in her voice, Charlie sat up and apologised, reaching again for her hand. Joey smiled and settled back down.

"I wanted her to come with me," Charlie admitted. "But Dad said it would be too difficult to manage studying and parenting and all that stuff. He said it would be easier if I just left her here and came back every weekend."

She sighed, clearly unhappy with the situation.

"I still don't know if I've done the right thing but I guess I can't change it now," she continued. "I'm locked into a contract with the halls of residence and besides, Ruby's just started school here and she's doing so well. She's top of her class and she's made tonnes of friends. I couldn't uproot her like that."

"Maybe next year?" Joey suggested. "If you wanted her to be with you. You could sort something out."

"The same problems would still be there," Charlie pointed out. "I'd struggle with babysitting and everything. And she would have had even longer with her school friends. I doubt she'd want to leave them and Mum and Dad and this beautiful house just for me."

Joey didn't reply. But she was certain that Charlie was wrong. She was her mother after all and Ruby clearly worshipped the ground she walked on. Joey was sure that Ruby would like nothing more than to live full time with her.

"Well, if you did want to have her with you next year then I'd help you," she offered. "You know, with babysitting and all that stuff. I love spending time with her. I think we could make it work between us."

Charlie smiled weakly, trying not to get too interested in the idea. In an ideal world, she would indeed have Ruby with her full time. Only seeing her at weekends and in the holidays was killing her. She missed her terribly and Ruby had asked several times over this Easter break about whether she would be coming home soon.

"Mum!" Ruby bellowed. "Joey!"

Both girls looked up to see Ruby standing in the pool with her hands on her hips.

"Are you going to play with me or what?"

One week later, with Joey helping Ross in the garden in a bid to earn her keep over the holidays, Charlie and Ruby were watching a DVD in the lounge.

"You love Joey," Ruby mused.

Charlie jolted and looked around the room, relieved that nobody else was around.

"Sorry?" she said.

"You love Joey," the five year old repeated. "And she loves you. Right?"

"Um... well, okay, the thing is that love is a really big word."

"It's only four letters," Ruby pointed out, sounding each one out and counting them on her fingers.

Charlie chuckled and tried not to be frustrated that her daughter was wise beyond her years.

"Will you marry Joey?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Charlie said.

"But you love her? And she loves you?"

"Okay, for arguments sake, she might love me," Charlie agreed. "But like I said, in adult relationships, love is a big deal. And people wait until they really mean it to say it. Joey hasn't said it so I think right now, she just likes me a lot."

"She loves you," Ruby insisted. "And you love her."

Charlie chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"What I mean is, you love each other like Grandma and Granddad love each other, don't you?"

"Yes," Charlie admitted. "We have a relationship that's more than friends."

"Because you said you were only friends when you came back," Ruby pointed out.

"I know I did," Charlie said. "Because I wasn't sure if you were ready to hear that Joey's my girlfriend."

"I don't mind," Ruby said. "I like Joey."

She nodded to confirm her point.

"She's funny. And she's pretty."

Charlie smiled.

"She is," she agreed.

"I think I'd like to have her be another Mum," Ruby mused. "Kids at school have Mums and Dads but I don't have a Dad, do I?"

"No," Charlie said, her voice catching a little.

"But that's okay because I have you," Ruby continued mildly. "And Joey. And Grandma and Granddad. I'm lucky."

Charlie hugged her a little closer and kissed the top of her head.

"I think we're the lucky ones," she said. "We've got you."

Ruby beamed at her and, satisfied with the conclusion of the conversation, returned her attention to the television screen.

Next time… Charlie considers losing her virginity and Ruby struggles when Charlie and Joey prepare to return to University…