A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell Page B

She was my child and I’ll never know what she was like growing up.”
    â€œOK, how dare you ?” Having expected praise and gratitude, Lara was outraged by the unfairness of this attack. “It’s fine for you to come over all indignant now, but you weren’t in my position. I’ve already told you what happened. I was sixteen, you didn’t want a baby, and if you’re going to try and tell me you did, you’re a liar and a hypocrite!”
    â€œAm I saying that? I am not saying that!” Flynn’s jaw was rigid. “I’m talking about eighteen years. I know how old you were, I know it was difficult at first, I accept that. But did it never occur to you that maybe, just maybe, your daughter might have quite liked to meet her father when she was three… or eight… or eleven…? Did you not think I might want to meet my daughter while she was still a child… before she was old enough to vote?”
    Unfair unfair UNFAIR. The only thing stopping Lara from hurling the mug of hideously sweet tea at him was the knowledge that she’d be the one left with a ruined carpet.
    â€œSo let me get this straight. You’re calling me a bad mother now? Do you seriously think I didn’t ask how she felt about this? If she missed having a father around? Because for your information she didn’t, she was completely fine with everything the way it was. Her best friend didn’t see her dad either. It’s not unheard of, you know. If Gigi had ever said she wanted to meet you, I’d have got in touch. But she wasn’t bothered. And how did I know you’d be interested anyway? You might not have been. Plenty of men aren’t.”
    â€œYou didn’t even ask .”
    â€œAnd you don’t get to dictate when you might want to meet your daughter.” Lara was on a roll; did he seriously expect her to back down? “You’ve already admitted you wouldn’t have been ready when she was born. You can’t just say maybe when she’s a few years old I might be able to handle it… oh, actually, I’m off to university now, can we leave it a bit longer? You aren’t allowed to pick and choose and decide when it’s convenient for you. This is a human being we’re talking about, not a timeshare apartment.”
    â€œYou didn’t give me a choice. I didn’t know she existed!”
    â€œOh dear, poor you.” Below the belt maybe, but she was seriously losing it now. “And there was me, swanning around Keswick, having such an easy life.”
    â€œHas it occurred to you that Gigi might have wanted to know her father?”
    â€œI’ve already told you she didn’t!”
    Flynn raised an index finger, signaling to her not to yell. Keeping his own voice deliberately low, he said, “Or maybe she only said it because she knew that was what you wanted to hear.”
    Lara stiffened; this was a blow far lower than the one she’d just delivered. Her mouth was dry, her palms slick with sweat. The look on Flynn’s face signaled that he knew something she didn’t.
    Because he’d just spent eleven whole hours in the company of his newfound daughter, hadn’t he? Of course he knew better than she did .
    Now her heart was clattering away inside her rib cage like an alarm clock. Oh God, what had Gigi told him? Lara shook her head and said, “Don’t you dare try and make me feel guilty. I did what was best for my child.”
    But he did have a right to be angry; deep down she knew that too.
    â€œOur child. And I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I’m telling you that maybe you could have shared her,” said Flynn. “I’m not talking about just for my sake. For hers as well.”
    â€œOh right, so now you’re the parenting expert. How did I guess you’d twist everything round so you’d be the hero? Let me tell you I worked my socks off for that