“June first, and I may have an apartment. It’s actually pretty close by—walking distance, in fact.”
“That new complex by the train station?” Josh asked with his elbows resting on his knees.
“Yes, we looked at two of the vacant apartments. One has a terrace and one doesn’t, but Victoria will have her own room, plus a spare—”
“‘We’?” Josh’s eyes darted between Drew and me. “So, you both are making this . . . permanent, then?”
“Yes.” My abrupt answer came out just as tense as my sister’s on the way here. Drew rested his hand on my thigh and gave it a squeeze. Why was I so nervous? Josh always had Brianna, so why did it seem as if I had to ask permission to move in with someone? A pang of guilt twisted my gut remembering how I’d purposely made Josh and his then girlfriend squirm whenever they wanted to take my daughter anywhere.
His mouth stretched in a smile as he caught Brianna’s gaze. She returned the same wide grin.
“Good for you.” He nodded at us. “Vic will be happy. She talks about Drew nonstop.”
Drew nudged my leg with his and threw me a wink.
“I’ll be working nights and I’m sure a lot of weekends. I’ll be living close enough that she can go back and forth without too much trouble. I . . .” I lifted my eyes to their expectant but so damn good-natured expressions. “I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you. She’s happy and healthy and . . . you’re great parents to her. The last thing I’d want to do is take her away. I kept her away from you for a long time, and it’s a little hard to forgive myself for it.”
“Sara, we’ll work it out as we go. Not that I don’t think she likes it here, but we aren’t you. She’ll have you back and that’s all we want. She’s got a lot of love, more than I had as a kid.” Josh huffed out a laugh. “There are worse things for a little girl, right?”
“Oh, yeah.” I nodded with a sad chuckle.
“I don’t think we’ve met formally. I was dragged past you on my way in. I’m Denise.” My sister came into the living room and shook Josh and Brianna’s hands.
“Sorry for your loss,” Brianna offered. Denise nodded, unlike me, still getting used to not having her parents around.
“Victoria wants a sleepover, so I guess I’ll be staying at your apartment at least once.” She laughed as she pulled Victoria into her side. My soul sighed, their similarities as they stood side by side overwhelming me. My sister passed her boisterous spirit along to her niece, and I knew if they could only meet, they’d be instant best friends.
“Of course, she does.” I scoffed. “She probably won’t let you leave.”
Drew leaned back on the couch and extended his arm on the cushions behind me. “Lovable as hell, right?”
She smiled and crossed her arms over her torso. “Absolutely. I have a lot of spoiling to catch up on.”
“Mommy!” Victoria barreled over to the couch where Drew and I sat. “Aunt Denise said you got a new apartment!” Her eyes widened.
I pulled her to sit between us. “Almost. I’ll probably move in at the end of May, and Drew is moving in with me. With us.”
She popped off the couch and gaped at the both of us. “Youare?”
“I am.” Drew nodded before she flung her arms around his neck, and the elation on both their faces almost had me in tears.
She ran back over to where I sat, eyes wide and hopeful. “That means I can go home? Let me get my stuff.”
I caught her arm before she made a mad dash to her room. “Not yet, and it’s not the same home. It’s a nicer one, though. Much bigger and nicer.”
“You won’t go away anymore?” Her voice was small and caught me right in the chest.
“Well, I’ll be working some nights, and you’ll still stay here sometimes, too, but yes. I won’t be away anymore.”
“Yes!” She tackled me with a hug so strong my head fell back. I enveloped her in my arms and buried my head in her neck.
My chest flooded with warmth and relief. All this time I worked my fingers to the bone to give Victoria a better home. But she didn’t care where home was—as long as it was with me.
Sara
“THIS IS SILLY,Drew,” I sighed as I shrugged on the chef’s jacket and hat. Instead of the traditional cap and gown, the culinary school students graduated in chef’s jackets and hats in their own separate ceremony from the rest of the college commencement activities. It was the same uniform I’d worn at the restaurant and during class, but it seemed ridiculous to pull it on for the sake of sitting in an auditorium.
“You worked hard for this.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind and dropped a wet, open-mouthed kiss to the back of my neck, causing all the tiny hairs to stand up along my spine “And after the ceremony, maybe you could keep the hat on and lose everything else.”
