‘That’s enough, Maggie,’ he’d said in a stern voice that brooked no argument. ‘What’s done is done. No more.’ He’d grabbed Vanessa by the hand and pulled her along, leaving the crowd behind them.

‘Don’t look back,’ he’d warned. ‘It shows weakness.’ Once they had turned the corner, he dropped her hand. ‘Are you all right? That was brutal. Why didn’t you say anything?’ he’d asked.

‘Because everything she was saying was true. I deserve what’s happening to me. The pregnancy, the basically forced marriage.’

‘You could say no to the marriage, Vanessa, you know that right?’

‘Our parents are pushing for it and I don’t want my baby to grow up without a dad, even if it is Mark.’

Vanessa smiled at the memory. Billy had been so nice to her that day and continued to protect her at school after that. As her stomach had expanded, the bullying had got worse. Then they’d graduated and Billy had moved away, not even knowing if she had a boy or girl. It was a shame, and she had missed him and his caring ways.

Now, years later, here he was, back in her life and still playing the role of protector. It was a good look on him. She so appreciated him and the way he cared for Wren and Ty. Wren loved him, she was sure of it, and she knew that the feeling was mutual. They spent a lot of time together, Billy teaching him how to be a good man, just like he was. Wren already had a good sense of what was right and wrong, but Billy helped him hone it. And Ty, well Ty was loved by them all. He was an amazing kid and she lavished love on him. He too loved Billy. Billy played endless games using the trucks and piles of sand in the sandpit out the back. He would sit, squashed in the corner of the small sandpit with Ty until dinner was ready. Yes, Billy was family. Now she just had to work up a way to tell him. They hadn’t yet worked out how to act on their growing attraction to each other, and she was holding things up, not knowing how to move forward. She knew Billy was a good man, but she was still hesitant after her experiences with Mark. Would she ever get over what he’d done to her?