“If she doesn’t want you—I’m available.” She cackles, and Patrick carries her up the hallway and into the spare room. I rush ahead and turn down the sheet so he can place her on the bed.
He backs away, and I step forward again to pull the blanket over her.
“You’re such a good mother, Cassie. Maybe you could be my mum.” Lauren laughs.
“Maybe just for tonight. Get some sleep.”
I pause in the doorway. It only takes moments for soft snores to fill the air.
My heart aches for her, and I’m not sure I can do anything to help that.
When I walk into the living room, Patrick’s waiting on the couch with two coffee mugs on the table. “How is she?”
“Asleep already.”
He chuckles and picks up his mug. “I’m not surprised.”
“I’m so worried about her.”
He takes a sip of his drink, seeming to mull over his reply. “I can tell. She’s really not handling this well, is she? Maybe I can make some enquiries about getting her help.”
I sigh. “That would be good. But I think she also needs to want to help herself.”
“That’s the tough part.” He puts his mug on the coffee table and turns to face me. “Sophie’s in her room. So, now I’ve got you alone, there’s something I need to do.”
“What’s that?”
He leans over and kisses me softly on the lips.
My heart thuds.
“Merry Christmas, Cassie.” He runs his fingers through my hair. “I’ve got something for you.”
“You didn’t have to. I don’t have anything for you.”
Patrick smiles. “Are you kidding? I get to spend time with my girls.”
My throat tightens. It’s too soon. I can’t…
“I know this must be hard.” He continues, “First Christmas without Mark. So I wanted to make things special because he would have wanted you to be spoiled rotten.”
I laugh softly. “I’m pretty sure you’re using that as an excuse.”
“Maybe. But it’s also true.”
He picks up something from the couch beside him and passes it to me. It’s a long black box, tied up with a ribbon and almost too pretty to open.
“Open it,” he says as if reading my mind.
I tug at the ribbon and it falls away before I lift the lid of the box.
Inside is a long silver chain and a pedant in the shape of an infinity symbol. The stones in the pendant sparkle in the light.
“It’s beautiful,” I croak.
He plucks it out of the box, and I turn around and lift my hair out of the way so he can put it on me. When it’s clipped together, he rests his hands on my shoulders and I close my eyes when he leans in and places a kiss on the nape of my neck.
“This is my commitment to you,” he whispers. “For what we had before, what we have now, and what we’ll have in the future—if you let me in.”
