Chapter 97

Jacob is stunned. It’s the first time he’s heard this too. We don’t say anything for a few seconds and wait for the heartbreaking news to settle in.

“We have Liam and Hope,” I say. “They’re more than we could wish for.”

He takes Hope from my arms and cradles her, whispering into her ear, “Yes, much more than we could wish for.”

Liam wants a piece of the action and attaches himself to his dad’s leg, “My turn.”

We laugh and Jacob bends down and grabs Liam by the scruff of his T-shirt, “Okay Buddy, your turn.”

With both of them in arms, Jacob is finding it hard to balance them, “Yep, I think two are enough.”

That night I dream of my mother, the dream as vivid as an oil painting. All my past memories are coming back. It’s as if being given a second lease on life had somehow unlocked a part of my brain I had buried for years.

I remember playing in the courtyard garden at Mellon Estate and going on holidays with my folks. And then there’s the memory of that photo - it’s the very first