We head home around one.Warren's exhausted and happy, chattering about the park.Mam walks beside me, quiet now, but I can feel her watching.Making sure I'm okay.
At the flat, she starts on dinner while I help Warren with some coloring at the kitchen table.Normal domestic sounds; pots clanging, water running, Warren humming while he colors.
It should feel peaceful.
Instead, I feel like I'm waiting.For something to break.For Declan to shatter this fragile normalcy.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.I pull it out, expecting...I don't know what.Another blocked number.Another threat.
But it's Tank, I gave him my number earlier when he asked, even though I wasn’t sure if I should have or not..
You home?
My heart does something stupid in my chest, racing and settling at the same time.
I stare at the message for a long moment, then type:Yeah.With Warren and Mam.
The response comes almost immediately.
Good.I'm around if you need anything.
Simple words.Nothing dramatic.But they land like a promise.
Like he's keeping watch even when I can't see him.
"Who's that?"Warren asks, looking up from his coloring.
"Just someone from work."
"Is it the man from the pub?The big one with the bike?"
My stomach flips."How do you know about him?"
"Gran told me.She said you have a friend who looks scary but isn't."
I glance at Mam.She's at the stove, back to me, but I can see her shoulders shaking slightly.She’s trying not to laugh.
"He's not scary," I say finally.
"Gran said he has a motorcycle.Can I meet him?"
"Maybe.Someday."
Warren goes back to coloring, satisfied.But my mind's racing.
Tank's becoming real.Not just someone watching from a distance, but someone Warren knows about.Someone Mam's noticed.
Someone who might actually be part of our lives.
The thought terrifies and comforts me in equal measure.
* * *
I sit on the edge of Warren's bed, reading about dragons and knights, and he's asleep before I finish the second page.I smooth his hair back and press a kiss to his forehead.
"Love you so much," I whisper.
In the sitting room, Mam's settled with her tea and the telly on low.I join her, curling into the corner of the couch, exhausted but wired.
