I sat Leo down at the table outside with his cereal, the coffee machine switched on and brewing, and watched the Ibizan sky as it changed from dawn to day, Leo occupied with his food and the toy trucks that had been left there from the day before.
“Early riser.” Livi appeared.
I’d gotten used to this over the years, Livi seemingly materialising from nowhere. It no longer made me raise a brow or even take an extra breath.
“Leo was hungry.”
“So was Rory by the sounds of it.”
“Shit. Did she wake you?” Rory had a very strong pair of lungs which could easily wake people in an apartment block better than a fire alarm.
“I was already awake. Any plans for the day?” She went to the fridge and pulled out some rich goat’s milk for Leo.
“Sleep. Take the kids to the beach in the afternoon. Make Jameson relax and not work.”
“Good luck with that last one. Coffee?”
“Always.”
I left Leo with his gran for a moment and headed outside, sensing that Jay would be there, which she was, cradling our daughter whose cries had stopped.
Somehow she didn’t look tired, or even if she did, I didn’t notice. Against the backdrop of the sky, with the sea somewhere in the distance, she looked like the woman I’d fallen in love with when I didn’t think I could love anyone.
“Want me to take her?”
“Any chance I get to ogle you holding a baby, I’m taking.”
She passed a now sleeping Rory to me. We’d decided that Rory would be our last, two being enough. Jameson had taken extended maternity leave, although she was still working on designs, one of those being for us and another for Lala.
I smelled Rory, still addicted to that baby scent and smiled as her hand reached out . “What do you want to do today.”
“Visit where our new house will be and show Leo. Sleep. Watch sunset at Es Vedra. It’s been too long.”
It had been too long.
“It’ll be good to see the site.” We’d bought the land and had the building that had been there demolished. “Another place to call home.”
She smiled, hearing Leo shouting for us from the kitchen. “I’ve told you before. I don’t need a place to call home. I just need you.”
I smiled.
She was right.
The End
