Free A Liverpool Legacy by Anne Baker Page B

emotional turmoil for several years after that, but it had been a happy marriage and once he was able to think of the future he’d wanted another wife. Hattie had sorted out his house and his family and was eminently suitable but they’d eventually decided not to settle for a marriage based on friendship.
    He was now forty-six and many would consider eighteen-year-old Millie to be less than suitable. He didn’t care, he loved her and she’d had enough guts to tell him she loved him. He’d been surprised at how tenaciously she’d talked about their feelings, it hadn’t seemed to embarrass her. She was his best chance of happiness now and he decided to grasp it. He’d talk to her tonight when he’d got the girls off to bed.

Chapter Six
    It was Hattie’s last night with them and Pete had wanted an especially good dinner of four courses to say farewell. Millie had pushed Sylvie round the shops trying to buy extra food and had helped Hattie with the cooking. Pete opened a bottle of wine and gave the girls half a glass each as a taster. Millie knew he was in high good humour but put it down to the party spirit on Hattie’s last night.
    During most evenings while they ate, Sylvie dozed or kicked happily in her pram in the hallway but tonight the louder sounds of merriment made her howl to join them. It was Helen who picked her up and brought her to the table where she was passed round, wide-eyed and playful, smiling at them all.
    It was later than usual when they finished eating, and Millie then had to give Sylvie her last feed of the night. She carried her up to the nursery to do it and was surprised to find Pete was following her. She started by changing her napkin because Sylvie was usually half asleep when she’d had her feed.
    When she was ready to start she found Pete was standing at the door but making no move to go. She hesitated. ‘You don’t usually like watching me feed her, do you?’
    ‘I do, Millie, very much, too much. I’m staying because I have something to ask you.’
    ‘Oh, what is that?’ Breast-feeding had become a matter of routine to her, she got on with it.
    ‘Will you marry me, Millie?’
    She felt the blood rush up to her cheeks and jerked up so suddenly that the baby lost her grip on her breast and wailed in protest. ‘Marry you?’ She stared at him open-mouthed while she fumbled to settle her baby again. ‘I’d love to, you must know it would be a dream come true for me. Beyond my dreams really, but I thought you said I was too young. And there’s Sylvie, she’s another man’s child.’
    ‘I love you and I can love Sylvie because she’s yours. She’s a beautiful baby and less demanding of attention than my two ever were. I want you both close to me for the rest of my life. It can be arranged. Anything can be arranged so long as you love me.’
    ‘I do,’ she said. ‘How could I not love you? You’ve done so much for me.’
    ‘It’s not your gratitude I want, Millie, that’s not the same thing. It’s full-grown love I’m looking for.’
    ‘I love you very much. You know I do. Heart and soul.’ He came over to sit beside her on the sofa and tried to kiss her, but the feeding baby got in the way.
    It was after midnight when Pete and Millie went downstairs again and found that Hattie and the girls had washed up, reset the table for the morning and gone to bed. Millie had never felt less like sleep, she was excited and it seemed Pete felt the same. He found the unfinished bottle of wine and poured what remained into two glasses.
    ‘We’ve made the big decision,’ he said, ‘but there’s a lot of practicalities to decide. I want you to know that I’ll legally adopt Sylvie. I’ll be her adoptive father if not her natural one, so you’ll know I’ll always have her interests at heart. She’ll know no different.’
    Millie nodded. ‘She’ll have a much better life, here with you.’
    ‘I want you to have a better life with me too. I want to do the right thing for