Moreover, and this was the most important aspect of it for Micky, if, God forbid, anything were to happen to her and Darren, she wanted Amber to take care of her children. Sure, Daisy was Darren’s sister, but she had children of her own—a third on the way at the time—and they simply weren’t as close. Not even Darren was as close to his own sister as Micky was to Amber. He sure saw a great deal more of Amber than he did of Daisy. Amber fitted into their lives better. And she needed it so badly at that time.
There had been some discussions, full-blown rows even, about who would become Olivia’s godmother, until Darren had given in. He knew how important it was to Micky, and in the end, he was that kind of guy. They were at the height of their happiness together—Micky was carrying his second child. Thus, Amber had become godmother to both Olivia and Christopher. Micky had certainly never regretted her decision—and she gratefully remembered Darren’s willingness to acquiesce.
Micky was sure that her children, especially Olivia, told Amber things they would never tell her. Despite their mother’s friendship with Amber, they knew their aunt Amber would never tell on them. The fact that she was that kind of person just radiated off of her. They were both also fully aware of Amber’s sexual preference and had seen a few of Amber’s longer-term partners come and go. Having grown up with it, to Olivia and Christopher, it just didn’t seem to be a big deal. Micky was convinced, however, that when they found out their mother shared the same inclination as their beloved godmother, it would be an issue. How could it not be?
“How’s your girlfriend, Chris?” Amber teased.
“As if he has a girlfriend,” Olivia said with the sort of disdain in her voice only a teenager could muster. “He’s in love with a character in League of Legends more like.”
Micky did sometimes worry about the amount of time her eldest spent in his room. But Christopher gave her much less lip than Olivia and he was, by far, the most easygoing of the two, so she refused to give him a hard time about it.
“Shut up, Liv. You don’t know anything,” Chris said.
Amber didn’t engage them in conversation any more, and they went on bickering in the backseat while Micky drove them to her mother’s house in Mosman—not far from where she, Darren, and the kids used to live. The fact that both Micky and Darren had moved away from the leafy suburb had broken her mother’s heart a little, Micky was sure of that. But should she really have stayed in the same neighborhood she’d lived in all of her life just for her mother’s sake? Micky had definitely contemplated it, but the kids were growing up so fast and spending time with their granny Gina wasn’t so high on their to-do list anymore. A fact Micky’s mother was well aware of and had resigned herself to in the end.
When they arrived, Micky gave her mother an extra tight hug because she was feeling guilty about a number of things. Not only about moving her grandchildren away to the city but also about the fact that, since she’d last seen her mother, Micky had slept with another woman.
✶ ✶ ✶
Micky’s mother was one of the most understanding parents there were, Micky was sure of that. She had never had unreasonable expectations of her only child and had done everything in her power to make Micky thrive. She’d even been understanding about the divorce—”When it’s over, it’s over.”—though Micky hadn’t told her the full truth about it.
Would she ever have to come out to her mother?
Micky shook off the thought and helped her in the kitchen while Amber took Olivia and Christopher’s phones away and put them in the huge handbag she always carried around.
“Come on. We’re going into the garden,” she said, receiving nothing but loud moans from her godchildren. “Get some fresh air.”
“Amber will have them in crow pose in no time,” Micky joked, earning a quizzical look from her mother.
“How are you, darling?” Micky’s mom always made a point of asking as soon as they were alone. As though the kids couldn’t handle the possible answer to that question.
“I’m well.” There was the guilt again. Just like her children had done, Micky’s mother had witnessed Amber’s coming out from up close. There had been the usual comments, especially when Micky’s father had still been alive, of “I would never have guessed, a pretty girl like that” and “How will she ever find happiness being like that in a world like ours?”
Even though Micky had a good rapport with her only surviving parent, she and her mother didn’t have the kind of relationship in which they shared everything. Gina had remained single after her husband had passed, and Micky never questioned her about that. Micky did wonder if her mother would start questioning her once she believed the time was right—but when would that be? One year after her divorce from Darren had been finalized perhaps? Right about now.