“I noticed that too, Daddy.” Corey’s blush deepens.
“Can you see yourself living here, sweet boy?” I ask, nudging his cheek with my nose.
“Yes,” he whispers. His lips twitch.
“Is there something you want to say?”
He shakes his head. “No. Not really. Not yet.”
“That’s very cryptic.”
“Daddy, Daddy!” Lexi cries from the doorway. “You’ve got to come see the bath. It’shuge!”
Corey and I laugh and step apart. We hold hands as we follow Lexi through to the bathroom. She’s right. The bath is big. It’s wider where the taps are to accommodate a shower.
“Please can we live here, Daddy?” Lexi asks, clasping her hands together at her cheek. She bats her eyelids and grins at Corey.
“How can you resist that face?” Louise asks.
“It’s hard, but I manage,” Corey replies.
Lexi’s bottom lip quivers. “Is that a no?” she asks, sniffing. “I thought you liked it?”
“I do. I’m teasing. It’s a yes.”
Lexi whoops, jumps up, and punches the air. Then she rushes forward to tackle-hug Corey, her head slamming into his stomach hard enough to make him exhale sharply. He winces and then hugs her back. Lexi stretches her hand out to me, clenching and unclenching her hand until I join them in the hug. I’m honoured, my heart pattering at the knowledge that Lexi wants me to be part of their mini celebration.
“Shall I get in touch with your referees once I get back to the office?” Louise asks.
“Yes, please,” Corey says.
“Wonderful.”
My phone rings, so I excuse myself from the hug to answer it.
“Hi, Em,” I say.
“We’re going out for ice cream. Do you want to join us?” Emily asks.
I’m about to say no because I’m spending the day with Corey and Lexi, but I hesitate. “One sec.” I put the call on mute and look to Corey. “Em and the kids are going for ice cream. Do you want to go too?”
“Ice cream?” Lexi asks. “Yay!”
I give Corey an apologetic look.
“I guess we’re going for ice cream,” he says.
I return to the call. “Can I bring Corey and Lexi along?”
Emily makes an annoyed clucking noise. “Do you even need to ask? Also, it’s about time you decided to introduce me to them.” She gives me the name of the ice-cream parlour and a time to meet them. “See you soon.”
* * *
We meet Emily, Aaron, Tabitha, and Robbie in an ice-cream parlour in central London about an hour later. They’ve got us a big booth, but with seven of us, it’s still quite a squeeze. Not that I mind having to sit extra close to Corey. I do a round of introductions, and then we feast our eyes on the menu. They do waffles and pancakes as well as ice cream sundaes, none of them in child-sized portions.
“Should we get the kids one thing to share?” I ask, earning myself death stares from all three of them. “Or maybe not.”
Once we’ve ordered, Emily pulls out colouring books and packs of coloured pencils for all three kids.
