Free Meeting Mr Write: Mr Write Trilogy Book One by Cassandra P Lewis Page A

and laugh, as we’re joined by Steve and even more children wanting to play.
    We played, and ate lunch with the children. Read stories, painted pictures and watched, as Jackson handed out toys and treats from the duffle bag. He’s a regular Santa Claus.
    I’m sitting on the floor with two young twin girls. Jean tells me that they have just turned three. They’re playing with the Barbie dolls that Jackson has just given to them and it strikes me that, regardless of the differences in our lives, they’re doing exactly the same as I was doing at that age. I watch them lost in their own little world, and feel calmer than I have in a long while.
    Jackson surprises me, leaning down from behind me and softly whispering in my ear, so that he doesn’t disturb the twins. His breath on my skin raises goose bumps all over my body.
    “I want to show you something, come on.”
    He holds out his hand to help me up, but doesn’t let go as he leads me into a room to the left of the garden. There’s a charge between us that I can’t deny, but he scares me, I know it’s going to end in tears.
    We enter the room and I notice that there are six cribs lined up against the back wall. An older Thai lady is sitting in a rocking chair at the opposite end to where we stand, feeding a young baby, she smiles at us as we walk further into the room. Jackson leads me by the hand that he is still holding and takes me over to the cribs.
    “They’re so young.” I gasp.
    I love babies, I always have. I feel so sad that these young lives are starting here, without family. Then I remember what Jackson said, this place offers a better chance at a good life. I smile as a baby girl wraps her tiny hand around my finger, Jackson has let go of my hand and is now standing at the next crib. He leans in and picks up a young baby boy, who can’t be more than a few days old.
    “You look like you’ve done that before.”
    I am surprised, pleasantly. Men are normally terrified of new born babies.
    “I told you, I love kids.” He is cradling the boy and rocking him back and forth. My ovaries ache!
    “Do you have any?” Oh Rosie! I mentally scold myself…Why the hell did I say that?
    “No Rosie, I’m always careful. I love kids, but I’m not Dad material.”
    He looks almost disappointed as he looks down at the tiny baby in his arms. I pick up the girl and mirror him. We stand for a while, quiet but for the creak of the rocking chair.
    The snap of Pippa’s camera pulls me from my peaceful daze; I hadn’t even heard her come in. She’s in photographer mode, serious and determined. She is as maternal as me and I can see that she is passionate about the images that she is capturing here. Jackson lays the boy down and I follow suit with the girl. He smiles at the lady in the chair and leaves the room. Pippa looks at me and shrugs her shoulders before we both follow Jackson out into the garden.
    While Jackson says his goodbyes to Jean and the children, Pippa, Steve and I wait in the car.
    “Well, that was weird. First he seems over the moon to be around the kids and then when I took that photo of him with the baby, his mood completely changed!” Pippa is worried that she’s upset Jackson in some way.
    Steve looks at Pippa in the rear view mirror, “Don’t worry about it gorgeous. JJ isn’t the hard man he likes to pretend he is and you saw a glimpse of that, he just probably feels a bit vulnerable.”
    Jackson gets into the car and turns around to smile at me. It’s an embarrassed smile, rather than his usual grin, but it’s a smile nonetheless. I return the gesture.
    On the way back to Ao Nang, Jackson asks Steve to drop us at the beach to watch the sunset. Pippa has made plans so wants to go back to the hotel, but I decide to go with Jackson. I am so intrigued by the difference in him today.
    We walk peacefully along the beach and stop in a quiet spot. Jackson sits and pats the sand for me to sit next to him,
    “Thank you, today was really