“Good. It definitely sounded like that last night.” He gave me a grin that could only be described as salacious.
“You’re a perv.”
He grinned even bigger. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Chapter Nineteen
Seph
“Her teacher was really pleased with her. I mean, the fact she took the time to call me and, you know, make a point to tell me that her writing was advanced, and her phonics – I doubt she’s any better than most kids in the class, but it was so nice to hear.”
The look on Georgia’s face was also nice to see. I knew from how Claire and Vanessa talked about their children, that Rose would pretty much always be Georgia’s favourite topic.
Shay’d asked me if I ever tired of hearing about Rose. I hadn’t thought about it before that, mainly because Rose had become part of my routine just like going to the gym was. A couple of times a week I’d leave work just after five-thirty with Georgia, carry a heavy backpack with any files we needed for later that night to work on, and walk the mile or so to Elspeth’s to pick her up. It was her habit now to walk between us, holding each of our hands and occasionally getting us to swing her, because she was still tiny and we could do that. When we got back to Georgia’s one of us would cook, the other would listen to Rose read, check her homework and if there wasn’t any, there were about three million puzzle books that she was addicted to, with word-searches and join the dots or colour by numbers that she wanted ‘help’ with. We’d eat dinner together, then it would be bath time, a cuddle on the couch with some early evening programme on TV and then bedtime with a story. For the last couple of weeks, it’d been me she’d wanted the story from when I was there. Georgia had sent apologetic looks my way when Rose had demanded me, but there was no need for them. I actually enjoyed it; reading stories about unicorns, and princesses who saved the prince, and castles made of sweets, all made real by the tiny pixie of a girl who had started to look at me like I was one of the two things that were all that she needed in the world.
“Do you really think there are many more kids in her class who can read like that?” I had her hand in mine, both of us in suits as we’d spent the morning in court.
Georgia shrugged. “I don’t know. I know she’s reading better and I’m surprised sometimes about what she can read, but I’ve nothing to compare it to.”
“Ask my mum. She’ll let you know.”
“True. I might do. Or I might ask her teacher. We have parents’ evening coming up, I should find out more then.”
I nodded. “You want me to come with you to parents’ evening?” The words were out there before I’d even thought about them. As soon as I finished the question, I wanted to jump into the Thames and sink underwater.
Georgia stopped walking, which meant what I’d said was foolish, and she was trying to work out how to answer.
“Georgia, fuck.” I pushed my hand through my hair. “That was an overstep. I don’t know why I said that.”
She didn’t respond, just stood onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine in the softest of kisses.
“I’ve never been to a parents’ evening with someone else, and I’d love you to be there, but it kind of means we’re really…”
Her pause was pretty much inducing a heart attack.
“Serious?” I gave her the word I wanted it to be.
She nodded. “Serious. I think we are anyway, or at least it feels like that.”
“It feels like that to me.” It felt like more. I’d realised that the last couple of weeks. I’d been in love before, even if it’d been puppy love then I’d too young to see it just for that. “But do we need to tell Rose that I am your boyfriend?”
I caught sight of a small smile. “I think it’s time, if you do. I think she’d be pleased, really. When you’re not there in the evenings, she sulks.”
I couldn’t not grin. “Because I’m better at reading bedtime stories than you.”
“That’s a lie and you know it.” She laughed, her fingers smoothing their way up my suit jacket to my jaw, where she traced it with her finger. “I’m much better at telling bedtime stories than you.”
“You’re definitely my favourite bedtime storyteller.” I breathed the words, keeping them low, just for her ears as I’d learned to do if I wanted her to know anything that wasn’t for Rose’s ears when she was nearby.
Georgia looked knowing, as if that was something she was certain of anyway.
“What shall we say to her? Do we tell her together or do I do it on my own?”
She was going into overthinking panic mode.
“If you were her, how would you want to be told?” I was out of my depth here. I wasn’t a parent, and Rose was the first kid that age – or any age apart from baby and toddler – that I knew well. I wasn’t sure if I should have any say here, but I did think it would be better coming first from Georgia.
Georgia shrugged and we started walking again, her hand back in mine. “Maybe I should put it in a story or find a story that brings it up – there must be something.”
