I rise onto my toes and whisper in his ear, “Daddy, indeed.”
He stiffens before clearing his throat, suddenly finding his cuffs very interesting.
“Behave,” he mutters quietly, but there’s no bite to it.
I drop back onto my heels and smile sweetly. “Oh, I am.”
His eyes flick sideways, landing on me with a look that promises payback, and God, Ihopehe follows through. After the show, parents start drifting outside, but we hang back by the doors.
When Teddy finally spots us, Sebastian’s already dropping to his level.
“You did so good, mate,” he says, ruffling Teddy’s hair. “I saw you up there.”
Teddy blinks, leaning into his side. “You saw the whole thing?”
“Every second,” Sebastian says softly. “Told you I wouldn’t miss it.”
Teddy turns to me next, eyes wide. “Was I… good?”
“Better than good.” I smile, crouching beside them. “You werebrilliant. You remembered all the words!”
That earns the tiniest smile from him, and he leans in to wrap his arms around my neck in a quick squeeze that almost knocks me over. I hug him back, full and tight, still not over the fact that this tiny human called me Mummy the other day and doesn’t seem to regret it one bit.
When I stand again, Sebastian’s eyes are already on me. “Thank you,” he says quietly. No rush. No expectation. Just sincerity. “For being here.”
I nod, though part of me wishes he meant it for more than just showing up to a school concert. I wish he meant it the way I’ve been feeling lately, like I’m not just filling a gap, but becoming something else. Something real.
Before I can spiral further, he leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek. My face goes hot instantly, and I swear I hear someone behind us whisper something, but I don’t care. Not really.
Teddy grabs both our hands. “Can we get hot chips?”
Sebastian chuckles. “Only if Olivia says yes.”
I nod, even though my heart’s still doing laps around my chest. “Sure, kiddo. Let’s go.”
Later that night, back at home, my kitchen smells like yeast, rosemary, and comfort. The kind that settles deep in your bones. I’m leaning against the counter, hands dusted in flour, kneading dough that keeps sticking to my fingers while Mum pours teainto two mismatched mugs she’s had longer than I’ve been alive. She watches me over the rim of her mug.
“So,” she says lightly, “how’s it all going?”
“It’s going okay.”
She snorts. “That’s vague.” Her head tilts, eyes narrowing like she’s seeing straight through me. “Because from my end, you look exhausted. But happy. The confusing kind.”
A quiet laugh slips out of me, though I don’t deny it. I just press my palms into the dough, grounding myself in the motion. “It’s been… a lot,” I say eventually. “But the good kind. Can you believe I’ve been looking after Teddy for four months now? And suddenly, it’s like everything’s shifting. Fast.”
She hums knowingly. “Let me guess. You’re waiting for the catch.”
I nod, even though the admission tastes bitter. “Yeah. I am. Because it’s been so good. With Teddy. With Sebastian.” I pause. “And I guess part of me keeps thinking… this can’t be real. Like I’m not the kind of person who gets this. Not the stuff that matters.”
My mother’s expression softens, and she sets her mug down, stepping over to help me work the dough. Her movements are easy. Familiar.
“You know,” she says, voice low, like she’s letting me in on a secret, “when I was your age, I was dating someone I thought I was going to marry.”
My hands freeze for a second. “Really?”
She nods. “He was charming. Said all the right things. But every time I looked at my life with him in it, I saw less of myself. He didn’t make me better. He made me smaller.”
That word sinks into my chest like a stone.
