BooksBarbecue
Back Where The Story Starts
Chapters (65)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa felt blessed. Her baby was the most beautiful child that had ever been born. Anyone could see that just by looking at her. Leah’s tiny head was the perfect shape. Her hair was the softest there had ever been and her skin the dewiest. Melissa was totally in love, but more than that, she was in awe. How had she – who was, she had to admit, pretty ordinary – managed to create such a heavenly creature? It was nothing short of a miracle.

Leah was reaching the end of her feed now and struggling to stay awake. Her clear blue eyes, so alert and watchful at the beginning of the exercise, slowly lost their focus as her eyelids dropped. She almost reminded Melissa of the punters from the pub where she worked. Drunk on milk. So sweet.

The baby gave a contented little sigh as her rosebud lips released the bottle’s teat from their vice-like grip, and then slipped immediately into a deep sleep. Melissa knew she should put her back into her cot and go back to bed herself – 3.07 a.m. was neither early morning nor late night, and certainly no time to be awake – but instead she sat and looked out through the window as the pale light of the moon shimmered on the surface of the water. It might only be the chilly, grey North Sea but at night it was as beautiful as any other ocean you could care to name, and Melissa loved it.

She pulled the blanket more tightly round the two of them. Despite being spring, it was still freezing cold. The caravan’s single-glazed windows did nothing to retain the small amount of heat that she managed to generate, and were fitted so badly that the crisp night air easily seeped in around their mouldering edges. She should buy some of that draught excluder tape and stick it on. Or maybe nick some? There wasn’t that much spare in the budget to cover extras like that, but she needed to sort it. It wasn’t just her living here now. There was beautiful Leah to consider, and Melissa was determined that she would do everything in her power to protect her daughter. She was going to make sure that Leah had the chances in life that she had never had.

‘You are so loved,’ she whispered to Leah’s sleeping form. ‘I won’t let anything hurt you.’