Chapter One

 

  Two months had finally arrived.

   Emilia was waiting for her flight to London. She had researched a little about England and learned a lot more than she expected. Soccer, or football, was their most popular sport, but she was there whilst Wimbledon was on. That was exciting, as she enjoyed watching tennis, more than soccer anyway. She also discovered that there was a lot of differences between the North and the South, and there was more than one British accent.

   Emilia had Robbie on her knee who was getting quite restless. Eight hours on a flight with an eight-month-old was not Emilia’s ideal day. Far from it. She had tried to tire him out as much as possible, but she had to make a lot of last minute checks. Did she have the passports? What was her hotel called? She hoped he was not on the verge on a tantrum, that wouldn’t make her very popular on the flight. Robbie spat out his pacifier onto the floor, then his bottom lip started to quiver.

  ‘Oh, Robbie.’ Emilia had less patience than usual as she hadn’t slept well the night before and was worried about being completely alone in a new country with a baby. ‘Please be good for mommy.’ An old woman picked up Robbie’s pacifier and passed it to her. ‘Thank you so much.’ She placed it into her bag for cleaning later and found him a new one. ‘We have a long flight, but we just have to be patient. Okay?’ She kissed his forehead and snuggled him into her arms. Thankfully he was settling down.

 

  Logan Evans was nervous to say the least. He always hated flying especially at night, so an eight-hour flight from New York to London was not his cup of tea. He was finally leaving America for good. He had experienced living abroad and had dealt with his misfortunes, but now it was his job to be where his family needed him. Even if his family was very small. He had an aunt with Alzheimer’s, a brother in the navy, his sister-in-law – the mother of his nephew and niece. He was extremely excited to see them after so long. 

  The queue for boarding the plane was huge. He had his music, his book, and some films on his iPad. He could it through eight hours of hell. He hoped. He heard a speaker ask for babies and children for priority boarding, seeing the array of toddlers made him miss his niece and nephew more. He couldn’t wait to see them. The youngest he spotted was a baby with his mom. Though she herself seemed quite young, and beautiful, he noticed. Wavy, blonde hair with a special smile reserved only for her son. Where was his dad? He wondered. Anything to take his mind off the flight. 

 

  Emilia had bought two seats for Robbie and her, a window and the middle. She hoped someone nice had bought the aisle. She didn’t want some creep sitting next to her, especially since she was still breastfeeding. She had had trouble with it in the past. Rude and inconsiderate people complaining to her that it was rude of her. Rude to feed her baby? She could only hope for the best. That elderly woman would be a nice choice.

   Logan searched for his seat. He had booked an aisle. He didn’t need a window to remind him he was in the air, where he could possibly plummet to his death. He reached his seat which revealed he was sat next to the blonde and her baby. The mother was sitting in the middle seat with her baby on her knee and a bag on his seat. 

  ‘Urm, excuse me, love. Sorry to disturb you.’ He scratched his neck nervously. ‘But I think this is my seat.’

  ‘Oh, no. I must apologize. I’ll just move it.’ The woman frantically moved her bag and placed it on the window seat. ‘Babies have so much stuff for something so small.’ She smiled, looking up at him, but something in her faltered.

  ‘I’m afraid they do. My nephew and niece have their fair share.’ He chuckled to himself. ‘Thank you for freeing up my seat.’

  ‘It was my pleasure. I hope you don’t mind sitting next to an eight-month old for eight hours. Sorry for any future inconvenience.’ She smiled. Logan decided that he very much liked her smile, especially when he was the one to make her do it. It was bright, but something in her eyes said otherwise. Maybe he was being ridiculous. Maybe he was just trying to see himself in her. Maybe she was as guarded as he was. 

  The man who asked for his seat took Emilia completely by surprise. He was dark haired, with piercing blue eyes, that she knew just broke thousands of women’s hearts, and to top it all off a light scruff dusted his face. Handsome by all accounts, drop dead gorgeous in fact, but Emilia didn’t have time for that. She had moved her stuff for him and he placed himself beside her. She smiled brightly for him though she wasn’t sure why. He mentioned his niece and nephew and he seemed to light up himself. It was nice, knowing he had a family to love. He seemed the type to deserve one, but she could tell his life hadn’t always been so easy. It was in his eyes. 

  ‘There’s no need to apologize, love. I know how they can be.’ She didn’t usually appreciate pet names, but usually because they were of a condescending nature. For him, it seemed natural. It just rolled off his tongue, particularly because of his English accent. Was he visiting America and retuning home? How she wished she was at home, tucked up in bed reading Robbie a story. However, meeting such a nice stranger, it made her feel hopeful for her adventure in England.

  ‘Have you been to England before?’ He asked, keen to break the ice.

  ‘No, I haven’t. Never been out of America. I’ve flown a lot though, for work.’ She smiled.

  ‘So, what’s made you decide to pack up life in New York and head to the land of great fish and chips?’ He grinned, leaning in a little.

  ‘Work. It’s all I seem to do. That, and look after this little guy. It’s been ages since I’ve had some time to myself. I’m only here for six months though. Have you been on holiday here?’

  ‘No, I lived here for three years for a change, but it’s time I went home. Got some people who need me.’

  ‘A nephew and niece?’

  He nodded, ‘Aye. James is ten, and Ellie is seven. I also have a silly mutt at home who I had to leave with my brother.’

  ‘You must be a proud uncle. They sound delightful, as does your dog.’ She smiled. Robbie looked up at Logan and smiled.

  ‘Hello.’ He put on a quieter voice and gave Robbie his finger. ‘I’m Logan Evans. It’s nice to meet you. What’s your name?’ He smiled. Robbie made noises at him but nothing understandable.

  ‘Robbie. I think he means.’ Beamed Emilia.

  ‘Wow! Hello, Robbie. That’s a great name. What’s your mummy’s name?’ Again, more noises, but Robbie still had hold of his finger. ‘I really don’t think your lovely mummy is called Eyaahhhh.’ He chuckled.

  ‘It’s Emilia. Emilia Ford.’ She had a slight blush on her cheeks. He was definitely charming.

  ‘Oh, not far off then. Well done, lad.’ He put his thumb up at the boy who copied him in turn. Logan turned to her and put out a hand. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Ford.’

  ‘You too, Evans.’ The plane rumbled to a start. Immediately, Logan grabbed his arm rests. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  ‘Aye, love. Just a bit scared of flying, that’s all. I’d prefer to sail.’

  ‘I fear that would take a while.’ She chuckled.

  ‘Worth it.’ A bead of sweat dripped down his face. ‘I’ll be fine when we get in the air. It’s the take-off and landing that gets me most.’

  As they approached the runway, Logan was extremely quiet. His knuckles were white from gripping the armrests and his breathing was irregular. Emilia had no idea how to calm a nervous flier, but Robbie was being as good as gold. The plane’s speed was increasing and eventually they had lifted off. As the plane banked around, Logan closed his eyes.

  ‘It’s okay.’ Smiled Emilia, placing her hand on his arm. ‘They don’t let just anybody fly a plane.’

  ‘Thanks.’ He wasn’t sure if he was more nervous because of Emilia’s hand or the flying, but a pleasant shiver ran through him, indicating it was the former.

 

  When the plane levelled out, the seatbelt sign turned off and people started to pull down their trays and go to the toilet. Logan had calmed down and Robbie was looking at him with a big smile.

  ‘Hey, little man. You’re much braver than me.’ He chuckled.

  Robbie looked up at his mother. ‘M-m-mam-ma.’ Emilia’s eyes widened, and a huge grin spread across her face. Was that his first word? She couldn’t believe it. He was growing so quickly. It seemed like only yesterday he was two lines on a pregnancy test, and she was terrified. This made it all worth it.

  ‘What did you say? Is that Mama? Can you say it again? Ma-ma?’

  ‘M-ma-ma.’

  ‘Robbie, you’re so clever!’ She smiled, lifting him into the air and back down smothering him with kisses. ‘You’re first word!’ Logan was grinning beside them. It was a lovely moment to witness, but he felt as though he was intruding. That was until Emilia gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. A feeling he had not felt in a very long time struck him. Though this time, he didn’t feel panic with it. Just sadness. He was never going to see this woman again.

  ‘Wow, he’s a clever lad. I bet you’re a proud mum.’ He winked, catching her blush once more.

  ‘I am. Wow, his first word. I’m lost for words myself. Would you mind taking a picture?’ Logan smiled and took a picture of the two on her phone. Robbie was looking at the camera chewing his foot, but Emilia was staring in awe at her son.

  ‘Beautiful, love.’

 

  Two hours into the flight, Robbie had started playing up. He decided that if he can’t sleep, then neither could the rest of the plane. He was screaming and crying, they were getting dirty looks from some of the passengers, but she didn’t care.

  ‘Hey, baby. Shh, shh. Be a good boy.’ Robbie was having none of it. She noticed Logan rummaging in his bag and he pulled out a dinosaur teddy.

  ‘This was for James, but he doesn’t need to know. He has plenty more presents.’ Logan put the teddy in front of Robbie and started making silly dinosaur noises. He immediately quietened down and was watching the show in front of him. He started giggling and squirming about, a far better sight and sound.

  ‘You don’t have to give it him, he has plenty of toys.’

  ‘No, I want to. Kindness of a stranger.’ He passed Robbie the toy and he hugged it tight. A bubble of pride swelled in his chest. He had managed to get the baby to calm down, and even laugh. Then it struck him, he missed his family so much. All he wanted was to see them.

 

  For their body clocks, it was two o’clock in the morning. Robbie was now fast asleep in his mother’s arms, and Emilia was nodding herself. Logan never slept on planes. He never could. He didn’t fancy not being aware if they plummeted to their deaths into a mountain.

  ‘Ford.’ He whispered in her ear, so as not to wake Robbie. ‘You look exhausted. Do you want me to hold your boy? So, you can get some proper sleep.’ She went defensive and tightened her hold on her baby. Trusting someone else with her child was not something she did, not after her own childhood experiences. ‘If any issues arise, I will tell you straight away. No harm will come to the boy.’

  ‘You might be trying to kidnap him.’

  ‘On a plane? Thousands of feet in the air?’ He smirked but understood her worry.

  Finally, she agreed to let him hold him, passing him over carefully. It was off to see Robbie in a man’s arms. None of the men at work were interested and Anthony only held him on his hip. No one had ever held him so tenderly before. Logan seemed to be transfixed by him, Emilia smiled at them both, then finally got some sleep.

  Robbie started to stir in his arms. He stretched his little limbs and his eyes opened. His face turned to confusion when he realized it wasn’t his mum staring down at him. He started babbling.

  ‘Looks like you’ve had enough sleep.’ He smiled, it was odd. He never thought he would find a stranger’s baby so cute. His own family, of course, but not a random stranger. Robbie had tufts of dark brown hair and brown eyes. He clearly didn’t take after his mother, she was all blonde and green eyes. He started babbling again and reached up to grab Logan’s face.

  ‘Oi,’ he laughed. ‘What are you doing, little troublemaker.’ Robbie laughed with him. The plane started to shake violently. It was only turbulence, but Logan didn’t care what it was. ‘Bloody hell.’ He didn’t know what to do, he was terrified. Robbie was still in his arms and he couldn’t hold onto anything. He didn’t have the heart to wake Emilia, she was too exhausted. The planed shook again and the seatbelt sign pinged on. Emilia stirred from her sleep.

  ‘Oh dear.’ She saw Logan’s panicked face and took Robbie from him. ‘I’m so sorry.’ He said, grabbing onto the arm rests and trying to ease his breathing.

  ‘It’s fine, I didn’t want to wake you.’ He chuckled nervously.

  ‘Oh, don’t you worry about that.’ She said, slapping his arm gently. ‘He’s my responsibility. Jesus, I bet you think I’m an awful mother. I never pawn my child off on strange men. Never. You just seemed so genuine, and I was so tir-’

  ‘Woah, love. Calm down. I can assure you. I don’t think you’re awful, not one bit. You’re just exhausted. Is there anyone to help you?’ He asked, not sure if he was prying too much.

  ‘A father you mean?’ He nodded. ‘No.’

  There was an awkward silence between them which seemed to last forever.

 

  Twenty minutes later, Emilia blurted out.

  ‘He took off. Robbie’s father. The minute I told him, he packed a bag and left. Didn’t even bother to sneak out at night.’ Logan was taken aback. He couldn’t believe. Who would ever want to leave such a beautiful little family?

  ‘I’m so sorry, he sounds like a wanker. Excuse my language, but he does. Who would leave a beautiful woman like you? Idiot.’

  ‘I was the idiot.’

  ‘Did you know his father well? Or was it a one-night stand sort of thing?’ That was maybe a bit too personal.

  ‘I knew him well. It’s a long, sad complicated story. Maybe another time.’ Which was ridiculous. There would never be another time. They were just two strangers passing in the night.

  ‘I’m accustomed to wanting to keep those stories private, love.’ As he was about to ask another question, Robbie started whining.

  ‘I think he’s hungry. Urm, I’m still breastfeeding.’

  ‘Oh.’ He stuttered. What did he do with this information?

  ‘It’s just… if you’re not comfortable with it, I’ll go to the bathroom.’

  ‘Don’t be absurd. That dingy toilet is no place for a baby! I’ll just… read the flight magazine until you’re finished.’ He smiled, giving her a wink.

  ‘Are you always a gentleman?’

  ‘Only most of the time.’ He gave her a suggestive look, which made her laugh. Was he flirting? No, why would a single, handsome man like him be flirting her, a single mother? Though she had to admit to herself, if they were in a different time and setting, she was sure they would have tumbled into bed together.

  ‘I’m weaning him off soon, it’s all getting a bit much.’

  ‘I understand, love. My sister-in-law weaned her around this age.’

  Robbie had had his fill and was soon sleepy again. Logan was a gentleman like he said and kept his eyes averted to make Emilia feel more comfortable. She had clearly had trouble in the past if she was considering going to that disgusting toilet to feed him.

  ‘Is the lad feeling better?’ He smiled, placing the magazine back in the seat. It wasn’t of much interest, selling overpriced alcohol, perfume, and cigarettes.

  ‘Seems so. Thank you for being so understanding.’

  ‘Don’t mention it.’ He waved a hand away, looking down.

  She grabbed his hand, ‘I mean it. Some people are assholes about it.’ His eyes shot to hers. The blue pierced through her, he looked vulnerable and closed off at the same time. She offered him a small smile, and he laughed then blushed. She giggled at him.

  ‘Can you make all men feel like a teenage boy with a silly crush?’

  ‘Most.’ She winked.

  Robbie stirred in her arms.

 

  ‘Two hours left.’ Sighed Emilia, though she felt rather sad about it. She would never see this man again. They had discussed movies, music, TV, the less personal elements of their lives. Although she did tell him she was in foster care all her life, and he told her that his brother was in the Navy but hadn’t seen each other for three years, due to him being in America.

  ‘Seems a shame.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Well, we clearly get on great, yet we will never see each other again.’ Was he a mind-reader? ‘We have similar interests, yet we just happen to be two strangers on a flight.’ Both of them felt a strange sadness that this was the first and last time they would ever meet.

  ‘Why don’t we just treasure these next two hours?’ She suggested. He nodded in agreement. With an hour left, they chatted and sat in comfortable silence, until Robbie started to stir. He was a bored eight-month year old.

  ‘Shall I take him for a walk up and down the plane?’ He asked. ‘It might settle him before we land – and me.’

  ‘Be my guest.’ Logan picked up Robbie and stood up. Robbie lay on his chest and he bounced him up and down, causing him to giggle.

  ‘You’re such a good boy, Robbie. Shall we go for a little adventure on the plane?’

  Emilia watched them both walking up and down the aisle, people around her were pointing and whispering, ‘aww isn’t that cute’. She wondered what it would be like. His father being in the picture. Would Daniel have walked up and down the plane to settle him? That wasn’t worth thinking about. Daniel wasn’t here. Logan was.

  ‘Prepare for landing.’

  Logan brought Robbie back with a happy smile. He kept him on his knee for a little while longer until the seatbelt sign came on.

  ‘Oh, do you know where the Turner hotel is in London?’ She asked, how was she ever going to cope here?

  ‘Aye, love. My brother is picking me up, as he’s on leave. Would you like a lift to the hotel, I’m sure Adrian won’t mind?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t want to intrude.’

  ‘You won’t be. Taxis can be so expensive. It would be my honor, to know you and Robbie are safe.’ He beamed. ‘Plus, then I get some more time with you.’ He winked.

 

  They had landed with little trouble and Logan was happy to be coming home, it’s what he had wanted for the last six months, but he wasn’t sure how welcome he would be, after packing up and leaving so suddenly. His family assured him that he would be welcomed with open arms.

  He assisted Emilia with getting her luggage off the conveyer belt, just being a gentleman, he had said, when she gave him an odd look.

  ‘Right, shall we go and see my brother?’ He beamed. He had talked a lot about Adrian on the flight, about how their parents died early, so their aunt took them in, but she was a very busy, no nonsense woman at the time. He also told her about how Adrian joined the Navy and climbed the ranks.

  They pulled their luggage along, Robbie now in a carrier on Emilia’s chest, and walked to the car park. Adrian was leaning on his car, a blue Audi. When he saw Logan, he ran over to him and swept him into a big bear hug.

  ‘Logan!’ Emilia felt awkward watching the embrace, she didn’t want to pry on such a private moment. ‘I never thought I’d see you again.’ She noticed that Adrian’s voce was softer, tinted with other accents, whereas Logan’s was rougher. She also noticed Adrian looked like the gentler man, he was clean shaven with lighter brown, curly hair. They had the same piercing eyes, but Adrian oozed authority, he towered above Logan in height and had more muscle in comparison, though he was well built too.

  ‘I know, I’m sorry. I should have visited when you were on leave.’ He looked ashamed of himself, it was so obvious who was the eldest. She never imagined Logan looking so guilty.

  ‘You had things on, Logan. Anyway, you’re being awfully rude. Who is your friend?’ He smiled at Emilia. The two brothers hadn’t even spoken for years apart from a quick text asking when he wanted picking up, and Adrian was already telling him off.

  ‘Oh, this is Emilia and Robbie. He smiled at the little boy. She waved shyly, and Robbie laughed at Adrian and stretched out his arms.

  ‘Is there a massive part of your life I have missed, bro?’

  ‘Oh, no! We met on the flight.’ Shot Emilia. We’re not together, and Robbie is just my son.’ Adrian breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘Thank God, I didn’t think he would keep that big of a surprise.’

  ‘Can we take Emilia to her hotel?’ Asked Logan, moving swiftly on, before he got a romance talk. He didn’t want to deal with Adrian’s lectures about finding a nice woman and settling down. He tried that, she broke his heart.

  ‘Of course, hop in.’ He smiled.

  ‘I’ll get the bags.’ Said Logan, taking Emilia’s and his own, then hoisting them into the boot. He joined her in the back of the car and gave her a shy smile when they made eye contact. ‘You okay, love?’

  ‘Couldn’t be better.’