Still learning.
But alive.
And when my phone buzzed in my clutch, I glanced down.
Dan:You look unreal tonight.
Dan:Also I miss you.
Dan:Also come home soon before I start texting you things that will get me in trouble with the girls.
Heat rushed up my neck.
Clara leaned over immediately. “What does it say.”
“Nothing,” I lied.
Freya narrowed her eyes. “He’s sexting you, isn’t he.”
I bit my lip.
Hannah shrieked. “SEND A FILTHY ONE BACK.”
I typed before I could overthink it.
Me:Behave.
Me:Or don’t.
Me:I’m wearing my black lacey underwear again.
Three dots appeared instantly.
And I realised something.
Watching Freya fight for hers relationship. Watching Eleanor change into something softer, more vulnerable after her divorce. Watching women around this table laugh and rage and survive.
Love doesn’t look the same for any of us.
But tonight?
It felt possible.
For all of us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
EMMA
The house is too quiet.
Which is ridiculous, because on any other night I would sell a kidney for this level of silence. But tonight? Tonight Emma is out for their monthly girls night.
And I am alone with three sleeping children and my own thoughts.
Dangerous combination.
I load the dishwasher like a man who has something to prove. No ulterior motive. No scoreboard. Just… doing it. I wipe down the counters. I even clean the hob.
