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He pushed Ayden in his pushchair as we all made our way round the zoo to the café because Ayden was due a feed and my tummy was grumbling at the thought of food.
    As we reached the café, I was disappointed to see it had a sign saying ‘Closed for a Private Function.’ But Drake just went in anyway.
    “Drake,” I called.
    He turned to face me and beckoned me to follow him. I followed even though I thought it was rude to crash somebody else’s function.
    I walked into the room behind Drake and saw balloons everywhere. Such a beautiful setting lay in front of us. Someone had good taste, as the balloons were purple and pale pink. It was a sign hanging above that caught my eye though.
    ‘ Congratulations on your engagement, Drake and Annalise’ it read.
    “This is for us?” I whispered behind my fiancé. It would take a while to get used to calling him that.
    “It sure is, baby,” he answered as he pulled me further into the room.
    The room started to fill up behind us and I wasn’t sure what was going on if this was a private function. It took me a minute to realise that the people were actually family members. Aunties, uncles, cousins…everyone you could possibly imagine. I was stunned. It seemed that the whole family had been in on the secret and had travelled to Devon to celebrate with us. It really was a good job I said yes.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
     
    Drake
     
    I have some annual leave owing from work and I want to get away, to do something other than sit around and mourn the loss of my dad. It’s not that I don’t care, and I’m not running away. I know I’ll still have to face it when I get home. But for now, a little getaway with Anna and Ayden might help me see things clearer, get some perspective. Being around the family only serves to remind me what I’ve lost and for just a few days, I want to forget.
    We’re sitting in the car, singing along to Disney songs. Ayden and Anna both have an obsession with all things Disney. Anna might be thirty but I don’t think she’ll ever outgrow her love of certain things, Disney films and music being right up there on the list. I concentrate on getting safely to our destination in Devon. A smile spreads as my two favourite people sing along to “The Tigger Bop” and other comical songs. Ayden loves to do the actions and I catch a brief glimpse in the rear-view mirror. My boy is so beautiful. Sure, he isn’t biologically mine, but I’ve brought him up and I’m the only dad he knows. I want to be there for him just like my old man was for me. His junkie father couldn’t care less and signed all parental rights over to me.
    “Mommy, I need a wee,” I hear from the backseat. I indicate to pull off at the motorway services, which thankfully aren’t far away.
    Inside the service station, I grab Anna and myself a coffee. We were up with the birds this morning—what some would call the butt-crack of dawn—and if there’s one thing I know about Anna, it’s that she needs her caffeine fix.
    “Can we listen to “Nightmare Before Christmas,” Daddy?” Ayden asks as we get back into the car and pull back onto the motorway.
    “Sure thing, buddy,” I reply as I see Anna reach for the album from the glove box.
    Ayden and Anna are slightly addicted to both the film and the soundtrack and we all know all the words to every song by now. I bought Ayden the soundtrack album as a treat and his little face lit up as he unwrapped it.
    The journey to Devon is taking longer than I thought it would. I had hoped that getting on our way as early as possible, we would miss most of the traffic. But it seems many people had the same idea and we’re sat in a traffic jam with the windows open and the two people I love most in the world singing along at high volume. Some people turn to look at us, but all I can do is smile. We might be a little odd, but as a family unit we truly work amazingly well. Anna loves the bones of both Ayden and me. I