All Chapters of The Single Mom's Second Chance: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Daniel:Alice calls me over to the front door. To my shock and disgust I see Hailey standing in the doorway. I never thought I’d have to see her again. I’m full of hatred for this woman because of how she treated me and for leaving Izzy without a mum. Seeing her there now makes me feel sick, I don’t want this woman anywhere near Alice or the children, she’s pure toxicity.“I’ll leave you to it” says Alice as she walks back into the living room, shooting me a look of concern.“What do you want?”“Nice to see you too! I’d like to see our daughter thank you very much”,“Hailey, you left, you don’t get to walk back into Izzy’s life whenever it suits you”,“She’s MY daughter, I can do what I like. I’ve moved just across the road. I knocked on your door, but your old landlord was there and said you’d moved here. Nice of you to let me know you’d moved on!”“I don’t need to tell you anything, we haven’t seen you in years’”,“Yes, well she’s still my daughter and my other children are now enro

After Daniel opened up about his past, I now understand just how much Hailey affects him.“Why don’t we all go on a family holiday”, I suggest. “We could stay in a caravan somewhere close to a beach, where they have children’s entertainment, and we can relax”.“Do you know what, that sounds perfect”.We look online and find a cute little place near Great Yarmouth called Wild Ducklings. We can all fit in a deluxe caravan, and they even allow dogs. They have availability for the following weekend, which gives us plenty of time to pack and get everything organised.The children are super excited to be going away as one big family.The drive to Great Yarmouth was much louder than when we went to Cornwall but nowhere near as long and everyone seemed to enjoy the journey.We pull up to a wooden sign overhead saying ‘Welcome to Wild Ducklings’. The road leading to the reception is lined with logs and we’re surrounded by woodlands. It looks like the perfect place to relax for a week. We get o

Daniel:It’s the second day of our family holiday and I am loving every second of it. I’m so grateful that Alice had this idea. I can’t remember the last time I had a break, and I can already feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders.I’ve asked Alice if I can borrow Joshua for a few hours. I’d like to spend some one-on-one time with him, so he gets the chance to know me better. I think out of all the children he’s struggled the most with the mess his dad has caused. I want him to know that I’m not trying to step into his dad’s shoes or replace him but I’m here for him anytime he needs me.Yesterday Joshua showed an interest in the bikes you can hire so we walk over to the hire shop to get one. As we step inside Joshua notices a wall covered in fishing gear that can also be hired.“Wow, I’ve always wanted to go fishing”“Alright mate, we’ll do that after our bike ride”“Yes! Thank you”.We hire a tandem bike but instead of sitting one in front of the other we’re side by side. We h

Daniel gets home in time to walk to the school with me to collect the children. I love the time we get together on the walk; he holds my hand and asks about my day. I tell him that I facetimed Liana but avoid the subject of Hailey. I know he’s going to be furious, and I want to enjoy this quiet time we have together.It’s a warm September day and being in Daniels presence is calming, however, the closer we get to the school the more my tummy starts doing somersaults. It’s like Daniel knows how I’m feeling as when the school gate comes into view, he holds my hand even tighter. We walk in and the first person I see is Hailey. It looks like she’s made friends with all the bitches of the school playground, why am I not surprised. She see’s us enter the playground together and shoots me a dirty look, says something to her new group of friends and they all laugh. I honestly feel like I’m back at primary school being bullied by the ‘popular’ girls all over again. I had one friend at primary

“Miss Baker, Dylan Baker has been found guilty in regard to arson with attempt to harm. He has been imprisoned for twenty-four months but can make bail after eighteen months with good behaviour. We have already contacted Mr Duggan to inform him. Once Mr Baker is released, we will re visit you to see if anything needs to be put in place to ensure your safety”.“Thank you so much for your call, I really appreciate it”.“Not a problem, please call us if you have any concerns or questions”,“Thank you, good bye”.I hang up the phone. I feel relieved but sad at the same time. Sad for my babies, how am I supposed to tell them that their dad has gone to prison. They haven’t asked about him since he was taken away, but they must be curious. They have been brave little souls.I ring Daniel to see what he thinks to the news,“Hello poppet, I was just about to ring you. How are you?”He’s so sweet, I love that he’s more concerned about how I’m doing.“I’m ok, just worried about talking to the ch