“Don’t be. He’s the one who should apologise.” Amelia would be waiting a long time for Callum to take responsibility. “I’m not sure he knows the meaning of the word.”
“We’ve got each other. That’s what matters.”
Amelia smiled as she brushed her fingers through Jo’s hair. “I’ve got everything I need here with you.” Amelia was saddened that her son could be so cruel. Not towards her, but towards Jo. In one breath, he wanted her back…in another, he spoke to her like that.
Just like his fucking father…
Jo lifted her head and gazed back at Amelia. “Youareokay, right?”
“I’m okay. I just don’t want things to be complicated. I’ve waited so long for someone like you, Jo.”
Jo turned to Amelia fully. “It’s only complicated if we let it be. You and me…this isn’t some mistake or betrayal.”
Amelia’s throat worked around a lump. “I just didn’t expect it to happen like this. That he’d find out like that. That I’d feel…” She shook her head. “So ashamed.”
Jo gently cupped her cheek. “You don’t have to feel that way with me.”
“But I do. I spent years telling myself I could never be seen like this. That the second someone really saw who I was—my past, my mistakes, my scars—they’d run a mile.” Amelia’s voice cracked. “And now I’m here, with you, and I feel like I’m just…waiting for it to be taken away. If anyone is capable of taking it away, it’s Callum.”
Jo stepped closer, touching their foreheads together. “I’m not going anywhere, no matter what bullshit he throws at either of us.”
Amelia drew in a shaky breath. “You say that now.”
“I say it because it’s true.” Jo kissed Amelia gently. “I love being with you, Amelia. I love who I am when I’m with you. I’min lovewith you. And as for Callum?” She shrugged. “I’m glad he knows, and I’m glad he found out the way he did.”
Amelia frowned. “You’re glad?”
“Yeah. Because now we don’t have to hide. We don’t have to sneak around or worry about who sees us. We can go out for dinner together. We can hold hands in the street. We can just…be.”
Amelia sighed softly. “Sounds wonderful.”
“It is. Or at least, it should be.” Jo rested her hand over Amelia’s heart. “You’rehere.I’mhere. That’s all that matters.”
Amelia nodded slowly. “Dinner sounds nice.”
“Good. Because I’m taking you out tonight. We’ll get dressed up and go somewhere posh.”
“Oh, posh, is it?” Amelia teased.
“Well, semi-posh. I still want to be able to walk in my shoes.”
Amelia watched Jo for a moment. The soft lines of her face, those heavenly blue eyes and the wisps of blonde hair falling around her face, the feel of her hand still pressed to Amelia’s heart.
And then Jo reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Amelia’s ear. “Let’s just live, yeah?”
“Yes,” Amelia whispered. “Let’s live.”
Because the truth was, loving Jo didn’t feel like a risk anymore. No, it felt like coming home.
Amelia scannedthe restaurant Jo had chosen. It wasn’t a pretentious spot by any means, but it was cosy and intimate. It was exactly what Amelia needed this evening. This was the first time they’d dared to eat out together and sit side by side in public as a couple. And though Jo hadn’t said it outright, the way her foot brushed against Amelia’s under the table, and the way she’d pulled out her chair with a smirk and called her gorgeous, made it abundantly clear what tonight was.
A date.
Amelia toyed with the stem of her wine glass, watching the golden liquid catch the light. Jo was studying the menu with a furrow in her brow, mouthing words like she didn’t want to get them wrong. She looked painfully beautiful like that. Concentrating but unapologetically herself.
It was easy with Jo. It always had been…even when it wasn’t.
Amelia’s heart ached quietly. Not with regret, but with memory. She thought about how far she’d come and how far she still had to go. Then she thought about how, sitting across from the woman who had kissed her like the world had narrowed to just the space between their lips, she could feel all of it folding gently into something that resembled peace.
