Read Online Christmas at Lilac Cottage: (#1 White Cliff Bay) by Holly Martin - Free Book Online
Authors: Holly Martin
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downstairs. Why was Daisy in Penny’s front room? He knew she hadn’t been able to sleep earlier and he’d heard her go downstairs, presumably to watch TV or read – quite why she had gone next door he didn’t know.
----
P enny followed him down the stairs and back into her front room. She watched him carefully scoop Daisy up into his arms and place a tender kiss on her head, before he carried her back into the safety of his home.
She wondered briefly if she should follow him but Henry knew how to deal with it; she would only be in his way.
Sleep was a long way off now, especially after what had passed between them in the bedroom.
He had tried to pull her into bed with him and for a moment, maybe a few seconds, she had nearly done just that. What would he have done when he woke properly to find her in bed with him and not some gorgeous model that he had been imagining?
She was pouring some milk in a saucepan to make a hot chocolate, when suddenly there was a noise behind her. She turned to see Henry standing in her kitchen, looking incredible still only dressed in a pair of tight boxer briefs. He had his robe in his hand but he hadn’t bothered to put it on. She quickly looked away.
‘Is she OK?’
‘Yes, she’s fast asleep, and the nightmare seems to have passed.’ He sighed heavily and Penny’s heart ached for him.
‘Does it happen a lot?’
‘More often than I would like, but a lot less now she’s older than when she was a child.’
Penny turned round to look at him, hearing the angst in his voice. He clocked the look of sympathy and smiled sadly.
‘Mainly they revolve around her being abandoned or rejected, despite me doing everything in my power to reassure her that I would never leave her. She had attachment issues for the first ten years of her life, I couldn't leave her with anyone but my parents or Anna and even that was a struggle. She was two months old when her mum walked out and, although Daisy has no memory of her, as a baby it was clearly hard for her to understand why her mum was no longer there. She was three months old when her maternal grandparents left her with me for a weekend and never came back to collect her, just as she was getting used to them raising her instead. She was so clingy for the first few years and understandably so – even putting her down and staying in the same room as her would cause her to cry buckets. I’m sure subconsciously she was waiting for me to abandon her too. For the first six months she lived with me she would only sleep in my bed, with me lying next to her. I couldn't even leave her once she was asleep as she would be completely inconsolable if she woke and I wasn’t there. It took a long time for her to realise that I was in it for the long haul but clearly she still doesn’t totally trust me now if she is still having nightmares.’ He rubbed his face to clear it of sleep and then suddenly looked horrified as he realised he had said too much. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have talked about that with you.’
‘It’s OK, I won’t say anything, to her or to anyone else. But her nightmares don’t reflect badly on you.’
‘Of course they do. She has nightmares because she thinks I’m going to leave her.’
‘You stood by her when no one else did. You raised her when you were no more than a child yourself and you should be incredibly proud of that and of the wonderful girl she is because of you. You put her first above everything else. Don’t ever doubt your parenting skills – you gave her love and she can’t ask for anything more than that.’
He smiled at her. ‘Thank you.’
She watched him, unable to take her eyes off him and he stared right back, the tension fizzing between them like lightning about to strike. She looked away, focussing on the task of making the hot chocolate.
‘I’m sorry she was in your house, I have no idea what she was doing here. I’ll speak to her tomorrow.’
She felt him move behind her, her body
----
P enny followed him down the stairs and back into her front room. She watched him carefully scoop Daisy up into his arms and place a tender kiss on her head, before he carried her back into the safety of his home.
She wondered briefly if she should follow him but Henry knew how to deal with it; she would only be in his way.
Sleep was a long way off now, especially after what had passed between them in the bedroom.
He had tried to pull her into bed with him and for a moment, maybe a few seconds, she had nearly done just that. What would he have done when he woke properly to find her in bed with him and not some gorgeous model that he had been imagining?
She was pouring some milk in a saucepan to make a hot chocolate, when suddenly there was a noise behind her. She turned to see Henry standing in her kitchen, looking incredible still only dressed in a pair of tight boxer briefs. He had his robe in his hand but he hadn’t bothered to put it on. She quickly looked away.
‘Is she OK?’
‘Yes, she’s fast asleep, and the nightmare seems to have passed.’ He sighed heavily and Penny’s heart ached for him.
‘Does it happen a lot?’
‘More often than I would like, but a lot less now she’s older than when she was a child.’
Penny turned round to look at him, hearing the angst in his voice. He clocked the look of sympathy and smiled sadly.
‘Mainly they revolve around her being abandoned or rejected, despite me doing everything in my power to reassure her that I would never leave her. She had attachment issues for the first ten years of her life, I couldn't leave her with anyone but my parents or Anna and even that was a struggle. She was two months old when her mum walked out and, although Daisy has no memory of her, as a baby it was clearly hard for her to understand why her mum was no longer there. She was three months old when her maternal grandparents left her with me for a weekend and never came back to collect her, just as she was getting used to them raising her instead. She was so clingy for the first few years and understandably so – even putting her down and staying in the same room as her would cause her to cry buckets. I’m sure subconsciously she was waiting for me to abandon her too. For the first six months she lived with me she would only sleep in my bed, with me lying next to her. I couldn't even leave her once she was asleep as she would be completely inconsolable if she woke and I wasn’t there. It took a long time for her to realise that I was in it for the long haul but clearly she still doesn’t totally trust me now if she is still having nightmares.’ He rubbed his face to clear it of sleep and then suddenly looked horrified as he realised he had said too much. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have talked about that with you.’
‘It’s OK, I won’t say anything, to her or to anyone else. But her nightmares don’t reflect badly on you.’
‘Of course they do. She has nightmares because she thinks I’m going to leave her.’
‘You stood by her when no one else did. You raised her when you were no more than a child yourself and you should be incredibly proud of that and of the wonderful girl she is because of you. You put her first above everything else. Don’t ever doubt your parenting skills – you gave her love and she can’t ask for anything more than that.’
He smiled at her. ‘Thank you.’
She watched him, unable to take her eyes off him and he stared right back, the tension fizzing between them like lightning about to strike. She looked away, focussing on the task of making the hot chocolate.
‘I’m sorry she was in your house, I have no idea what she was doing here. I’ll speak to her tomorrow.’
She felt him move behind her, her body
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