“Later. I’m picking her up from school.”
Folk drew back to meet my gaze, his lit up with enthusiasm I hardly dared believe. “Are we swimming?”
I glanced at the window, taking note of the grey sky. “If it’s warm enough—”
Folk opened his mouth.
“Forme,” I clarified. “You two can do what you like.”
“It’s not cold if you keep moving.”
“Maybe we should take Liliana then. So I have someone I can keep up with.”
“Sounds good.”
“Really?” I couldn’t help staring at him, joy and disbelief warring with each other. “This is fun for you? All this domestic shit?”
Folk’s humour faded. “It’s not shit, Seth. It’slife, and it’s worth living however it comes my way.”
“You’re not bored?”
“Of course not. I love Ivy.”
Do you love me too?Fucking hell. What a question. And I wasn’t sure I even wanted the answer right now. Because I fuckingknewI loved him, and it terrified me.He’s still a soldier. He could take a bullet tomorrow.
Or worse. He could die like Rocco, alone at the hands of people who lived to fucking hurt him.
“Hey.” Folk crooked two fingers under my chin. “I know we need a conversation we’re not ready to have yet, but never doubt that I want to be here with you and with her. Honestly, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and I’d kind of given up on it. I’m a gay soldier with half a picnic.”
It wasn’t a joke, but a startled laugh escaped me all the same. “You’re not half of anything, trust me.”
Folk smirked. “I know. But on paper, a three-bed semi with a bunch of kids running around wasn’t really on my radar.”
“A bunch? Are you saying Ivy makes enough racket for an army of tiny humans?”
“More that it’s just Ivyfor now, if that’s a conversation you ever want to have.”
“You want more kids?”
“I wantloadsof kids.” Folk mussed my hair. “I’m from a big family, man. A loud, cosy mess of people. I want it to stay that way and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather do that with than you.”
No one had ever said anything like that to me. Not even Lauren when we got married.
Especially not Lauren, and the mark she’d left on me made Folk’s sincerity hard to accept. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him. More that it felt like a dream I’d wake up from with my face in the fucking dirt.
“I have to go away again soon.” Folk changed the subject. “Tomorrow, actually.”
“What? Where?”
He shook his head.He can’t tell me.“That’s another reason we shouldn’t get into it too deep right now. I could be gone a while.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Yeah.”
