It made me feel uncomfortable, all this talk of my daughter being one of them. She was mine. Mine and Dylan’s. I walked over to her and put a protective arm on her shoulder. ‘Good to see you, Oscar.’

‘You too, Gwyneth. Would have been better to see you earlier.’

‘Dad,’ Cole said in a low warning voice.

‘It’s fine,’ I said, pleased the unsayable had been said. ‘Oscar’s right. I should have done this sooner. But it’s wonderful we’re here now, isn’t it, Lumin?’

Lumin nodded, eyes now seeking out her father. Dylan gave her an encouraging smile and she smiled back. As they did that, I noticed Mairi watching me with a serious face.

‘Hello, hello, hello!’ a voice called out.

We all turned to see Glenn walk in with Alison. Glenn looked great, his dark hair longer, his skin tanned.

Alison looked like she’d just returned from a holiday again, face tanned. ‘Where is she then?’ she asked, eyes searching the room before they landed on Lumin.

Glenn smiled. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek before walking over to Lumin with Alison. ‘Right, tell me your favourite Disney song.’

Lumin looked a bit overwhelmed but she still managed a smile. ‘A Part of Your World’.

‘The Little Mermaid, awesome,’ Glenn said.

He cleared his throat and Dylan shook his head, exchanging embarrassed looks with Cole. ‘Oh God, here we go.’

Glenn then started belting out ‘A Part of Your World’ in a stunning voice. Lumin’s eyes widened as he took her hand and swung her around, still singing. She giggled, and Lilly crawled over and grasped her uncle’s legs.

This family was so seductive, every member as fascinating as the next. I felt myself pale into insignificance by comparison. Would Lumin want to be with them all the time?

Dylan came and stood beside me, as though sensing my worries. ‘The McCluskys,’ he murmured to me. ‘They don’t just welcome new members with open arms, they drag them in kicking and screaming.’ We smiled at each other, holding each other’s gaze for a moment before Dylan walked over to his daughter and Rhonda strolled over to me.

‘I imagine this is rather strange for you,’ she said as we watched Dylan swing Lumin around.

‘It is a bit. But then I suppose I brought it on myself.’

‘By keeping your daughter a secret all these years?’ she said.

I sighed. ‘I feel terrible now. But it really felt like the right decision at the time.’

‘I get it, really. Dylan told me what happened, how he just left you with hardly any explanation. He’s been kicking himself ever since, you know, losing the love of his life. No wonder you were worried he’d reject your daughter. But look at them both. Your worries were unfounded.’ She squeezed my hand then went to stand with Cole.