I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is… in that moment, when they were surrounding me, I thought that was it. I was done.”
“But you didn’t,” she says softly.
“No.” I swallow. “I didn’t. And I’ll never forget what you told me in the hospital after.”
She furrows her brows. “I don’t remember.”
“I told you I’d been texting and driving,” I say. “And you said-”
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” she finishes, voice barely above a whisper.
I nod. “Yeah. That. It freaked me out. Because I realized it wasn’t just me anymore. It was you. If anything happened to me, my family had each other, but you…” My voice cracks.
“You only had me. Genesis was still a kid, you were barely holding everything together, and I-” I drag a hand down my face. “I knew I couldn’t risk losing you. Not even a little. So, when you wanted to break up, I thought giving you… options… would protect you. And me. Take some pressure off the both of us.”
Lore’s mouth parts, eyes softening. She puts the fork down and puts her other hand on top of mine
I finish quietly, “I wasn’t trying to ‘play the field.’ I was trying to make sure if anything happened to me, you’d be okay.”
Her breath hitches. “You… did that for me?”
I nod, eyes dropping to our hands. “Well… not just you. But yeah. Mostly you.” A small, tired smile pulls at my mouth. “I thought if I wasn’t always thinking about you, I’d make detective faster.” I huff out a small laugh. “Didn’t work.”
Lore’s fingers are still on my wrist. Her lashes flutter like she’s trying to process the words sitting between us.
Then, she pulls her hand back. Not harshly. Just… retreating.
She nods toward my plate. “Finish your dinner.”
Quietly, I pick up my fork and do exactly that. She eats with me, both of us silent except for the soft scrape of utensils. It’s not awkward, it’s comfortable.
When I’m done, she reaches for my plate and hers, stacking them neatly. I watch as she rinses each one, movements slow,careful. Then she slides them into the washer and presses the button.
I stand there with my arms folded, waiting. I don’t know what for.
When she finishes, she turns around.
And steps right up to me.
I barely have time to inhale before she takes my face in both hands and pulls me down for a deep kiss.
My body freezes for a second, my mind racing. It's been a month since she's kissed me like this. I've been living in a self-imposed wasteland of my own making, and this is the first sign of rain.
Then my instincts take over. My arms unfold, wrapping around her, pulling her small frame against mine. My hand automatically goes to the familiar curve of her waist, but I stop just above the swell of her belly, a line I haven't been allowed to cross in weeks. Her belly, round with our child, presses gently between us.
Pulling back, Lore grabs my hand and leads me upstairs. We’re quiet as we pass by Milo’s room, his door cracked open with the soft glow of the nightlight spilling into the hall. Once in our bedroom, I close the door behind me, flicking the lock.
She moves to the edge of the bed, a silhouette in the moonlight, but I'm not satisfied without seeing her expression. I flick on the bedside lamp, and a soft, golden glow fills the room.
Lore turns back to me with a look I never thought I'd see again, a mix of love and want that makes my chest ache.
I cross the room to her, taking her cheek gently in my hand. My heart warms when she leans into my touch, her eyes fluttering shut for a second. "Are you sure?" I whisper.
She smiles, a real, genuine smile that reaches her eyes, and pulls me in. "I love you."
I groan as our lips touch, a raw sound ripped from my chest. I trace her lower lip with the tip of my tongue, gently biting the soft skin. "I love you too," I whisper, before my tongue finds its way inside her mouth.
Chapter Fourteen
