I don’t know if I could ever trust him with my heart again, but in this moment, I trust him to back me up and be there for me.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“You don’t have to thank me. I’d do anything for you.”
Except be faithful.
That’s the past, and this is a whole different life. Now he’s back, and it seems like he’s made some promise to Mark. I’ll be asking Mark about that when I get a chance.
I’m not sure how long we stay like that—me wrapped in Patrick’s arms—but we fly apart when the front door opens and Mark walks in.
His gaze hits me and while in the past he would have narrowed his eyes at any man that close to me, he’s calm. A small smile plays on his lips.
“Who’s hungry?” he asks.
“I am.” Sophie bounces in the door behind him. “I’ll get the plates.”
Mark takes the bundle of fish and chips to the dining table and opens the paper. The scent of the food wafts through the room, and it’s bizarrely comforting.
“Everything okay?” Mark asks.
“Fine,” I snap.
He holds up his palms. “How about we eat and then talk?”
“No one likes you when you’re hangry, Mum,” Sophie says.
I can’t help it—I laugh, and before I know it, she’s laughing too while Patrick and Mark look at us like we’re nuts.
She places the plates on the table, and we all gather around and help ourselves. As usual, Mark’s gone overboard. There’s nothing he likes better than having a late-night snack of reheated fish and chips.
And as we usually do on Fridays, we sit in front of the TV with our plates. It’s usually relaxing, but as Patrick takes a seat across from the couch, tension builds in my shoulders.
Sophie sits on the floor. It’s her usual spot. By the time we watch a movie, she’s stretched out and has usually got her pillow from her bed so she can lie down comfortably.
She fixes her gaze on Patrick, and my heart sinks.
“So, you knew Mum when she was young?”
He nods. “I did. We grew up together.”
Sophie’s brows knit. “Why haven't I met you before?”
My mouth goes dry.
Patrick shrugs. “We went our different ways. I became a doctor, and now I’m surgeon.” He shifts his gaze to me. “Ineed to catch up with your mother to find out what she got up to.”
“She’s a store manager,” Sophie says.
“She is?” His gaze hasn’t moved off me.
Sophie nods, her ponytail flying. “That’s where she met Dad. He’s not my bio dad, but he lets me call him that because he moved in with us when I was a kid.”
A bemused smile plays on Patrick’s lips. “When you were a kid, huh?”
Her grin lights up the room. “You know what I mean.”
Patrick chuckles. “Yeah, I do.”
