It should be possible to ignore the things people said, shouldn’t it? But she knew from her own experience that wasn’t always possible, and it was clear that for Nicole, Justin’s words had sunk into her like a splinter.

“What if he is right?” Nicole was desperate for reassurance. “What if I do it all wrong? Make mistakes?”

Milly put the jar down. There was plenty she could have said, but Nicole didn’t need platitudes, she needed honesty, and she needed to believe in herself.

“You probably will make mistakes. Everyone does. When it comes to parenthood, we’re all making it up as we go along. But history does not have to repeat itself. You can choose what type of mother you want to be.”

She’d never even thought about it before, but as she did now she could see that in many ways she’d done all the things her own mother had done. Maintained many of the same traditions. Followed her example of offering unconditional love, free of judgment.

And she acknowledged now that her mother’s belief in her had given her a belief in herself. She’d coped with difficult times because it hadn’t occurred to her not to. Her mother had taught her that when you were knocked down, you got back up. Did she sometimes find life hard? Yes, but she still got herself out of bed and did what needed to be done. Just as her mother had.

“I already know what sort of mother I’d like to be.” Nicole said without hesitation, “I’d like to be exactly like you.”

Emotion hit Milly like a thump in her chest.

All morning she’d been feeling like a failure, and with those few words Nicole made her feel better.

She swallowed. “That’s possibly the best thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“It’s the truth. If I’m half as good a mother as you, I’ll be doing okay. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still scared. I didn’t plan any of this.”

How much of life did any of them really plan? You thought you were in control, and then out of nowhere something happened and you realized that control was an illusion.

“Can I ask you something?” The food was forgotten as they both focused on the conversation. “When Justin said he didn’t want anything to do with the baby, did that make you reconsider?”

“You mean did it make me consider not keeping my baby? No.” Nicole rested a protective hand on her lower abdomen. “I decided I’d do it without him. But I’m scared.”