Falling

Chapter Twenty-One

Owen wasn't keen to go and see Sarah but Jolie dragged him with her as she went to meet her. He couldn't read Sarah when her eyes landed on Jolie and that unnerved him. It made him worry that he didn't actually know her anymore, then what would he do?

"Hiya I'm Jolie." Jolie extended her arm not wrapped around Owen's towards Sarah. Sarah smiled her halfway smile and accepted the hand. When they let go Sarah busied herself readjusting Mica.

Mica was very exited with the number of people there. The crowd was a bit noisy but she liked noise. Noise was funny.

Mica began to point at Owen with a pudgy little hand. She was wearing a pretty light blue dress that looked gorgeous against her dark skin. Jolie intercepted the hand and shook it lightly with a couple of fingers.

"This is Mica, I'm Sarah." Jolie grinned warmly at Sarah in the infectious way that forced her to grin back.

"I'd love to say I've heard all about you but there hasn't even been a whisper, bloody idiot." Jolie added, looking back to Owen. Mica was reaching out her whole arm now and starting to get fussy as she reached towards Owen. Sarah looked at her daughter in confusion, before having to follow her gaze and see Owen.

"Owen." Jolie chastised, smacking his arm. His neck cracked as he turned it to attention and he released Jolie to rub the back of it. That's when he got a really good look at Mica. Her dark hair had grown out a lot since he'd last seen her but her eyes were as vibrant as ever. She was every beautiful baby girl cliché personified. She gurgled as he took a step forward, avoiding Sarah's gaze. Without saying a word or looking at each other, there was a transfer.

Owen took the little girl into his arms and felt bereft of most of her first year. He could have just taken a gap year and gone later, he'd missed those precious moments. She was a lot heavier than he remembered, but that was to be expected. He finally looked up at Sarah and was blown away.

She'd straightened her hair and plaited it around the top of her head, but left the bulk of it loose. It had gotten so long it went down past her chest. Her eyes were vibrant and alive. She looked like she'd probably been training like crazy the whole year he'd been gone, because he could see the line of muscle in her calves. She looked good, she looked really good.

To be honest she looked more goddamn beautiful than even he had imagined.

#

Eight Months Earlier

"Alyshka slow down." Sarah ordered in a light tone, pushing Mica in her pram and trying to keep up with the excited girl.

"No Sarah, speed up." The little girl ordered, skipping ahead around the park towards the playground. Sarah rolled her eyes and made sure to pay more attention to the girl, she was a slippery one at the best of times, now was not the best of times.

It had been six months since she'd seen him. Six very long months. Six months in which she'd focused on nothing but Mica, school and archery. Only two of which had been going well. Every time she went to the range there was a piece of her begging for him to be there. That piece was a screamer and controlled a vast majority of her thoughts. Every time she set up her bow and there was no sign of him it felt like a little piece of her died.

Alyshka was gorgeous and the terror that had set in to Sarah the day she fell down the stairs was far from lifting. Every step that little girl took seemed fraught with danger.

Sarah knew it was just her protectiveness streak, but she was attached to the little girl, she was her responsibility.

There was a light that radiated from Alyska. It was a light almost bright enough to make Sarah ignore what had happened to her at that park. Almost.