I'll keep you safe

Chapter 74

Rachel collapsed into bed, fresh from the bath. She sighed contentedly as she sank into the pillows.

She couldn't lie, she was upset.

Tonight she had found out she had a nephew. Her little sister had a son. That should have been an amazing revelation.

But she had missed the first 15 years of his life. She felt guilty. Especially because of the way Melissa, his own Mum, had let him down. Maybe if she'd been there, things wouldn't be the way they were.

She was struggling to comprehend Melissa's actions as a Mother. No matter which way she looked at it, she couldn't justify her sister's actions.

Who just upped and left their child like that? It made no sense to her whatsoever. This probably wasn't the first time she'd done this to Philip either, which made it even worse.

And to top it off, Melissa was married to two different men and was weeks away from tying the knot with a third. There was no sugar coating it, Melissa had committed bigamy. And she didn't seem the least bit concerned. Philip seemed to be the one feeling everything for both of them. The poor kid constantly looked overwhelmed and ready to collapse from stress. No 15 year old should have to be put through that.

The evening hadn't exactly gone to plan.

Rachel had approached the evening, with a little hope that she and Melissa could get back on track with their relationship and maybe take that step towards being sisters again.

But she'd been wrong.

Once again, Melissa had been spiteful. Not just toward her, but towards Eddie too. The snide comments she'd made kept circling round her brain, playing on a loop.

"You probably got so many STD's you made yourself barren!"

"What is it then, Eddie, hmm? Does the fact that she was a prostitute put you off?"

Was her sister right?

Did Eddie not find her attractive because of her past?

Did he see her as damaged goods after what Stuart had done to her?

Would he be repulsed by the scars on her stomach? She was, so why wouldn't he be?

Were they just friends and nothing more?

Of course, their relationship was in the early stages, but they hadn't even discussed sex yet. What were they doing?

The comment she'd made about her not being able to conceive had hurt her most. She had just lost a baby. Melissa didn't know that of course, but it was insensitive. It was also making Rachel panic. What if Melissa was right? What if she wouldn't be able to conceive? What if, when the time came where she was pregnant again, and she lost the baby again? What if she just kept having miscarriages? What if she was being punished for the mistakes of her past?

She hated the fact that her little sister had got into her head and was making her worry about all these things. Especially when it wasn't any of her business! But even so, she had to find out where she stood with Eddie. She knew how she felt. But did he feel the same?

As if on cue, Eddie walked into the bedroom.

He watched her for a moment. She was deep in thought, her eyes burning into the ceiling. He wasn't even sure if she'd heard him come in.

Quietly, he went into the en-suite to clean his teeth, coming back out and changing into his pyjamas.

He climbed into bed beside Rachel. She didn't even acknowledge him, her eyes remaining glued to the ceiling.