I’m curled up on the couch with Marmalade purring against me like a snug little furnace. One arm hugs a throw pillow tight to my chest, the other is pressed flat to my stomach, half because I’m queasy, half because it anchors me. Reminds me what we’re doing all this for.
Aidan’s footsteps are slow on the stairs. Heavy. I glance up just as he rounds the corner, his jaw still tight, his hands shoved deep into his pockets like he’s trying to keep himself from punching a wall.
“How is she?” I ask softly.
He lets out a breath as he drops onto the couch beside me, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “Confused, but okay.” A pause. “I think I need to call a lawyer first thing in the morning. We need something formal in place.”
I nod slowly. “Mm. I figured you might say that.”
Marmalade shifts with a soft huff, unimpressed by the tension crawling back into the room. I run my hand over her fur like it might smooth out the static in my mind.
“I can reach out to Knox,” I say, voice barely above a whisper. “His friend Finn does family law, if you’re serious about it.”
Aidan doesn’t say anything at first. Just exhales like he’s been holding his breath all evening and he’s finally letting himself breathe now that we’re tucked into this safe, little corner where it’s just us.
“Aye. That would be good.” He leans back against the cushions, the stress in his shoulders finally starting to ease. “Emily crossed a line tonight.”
I shift closer to him. “She’s definitely testing boundaries. Seeing how far she can push before you push back.”
“Well, she found out.” His arm comes around me, pulling me against his side. “I’m sorry you had to sit through that. And I’m madder than hell that she did that in front of Isla.”
“She’s Isla’s mum,” I say gently, like maybe if I say it softly enough, it won’t hurt as much. “I keep trying to remind myself of that. That maybe tonight wasn’t meant to happen the way it did.”
Aidan doesn’t respond at first. Just pulls me tighter into his side, his jaw still working like he’s chewing on every word he didn’t say to Emily at that table.
“I don’t think she’s trying to be cruel,” I go on, even though I’m not sure even I fully believe that. “I think she’s just…lost. Or maybe grasping at something. She could be overwhelmed. People do strange things when they’re trying to find their place again.”
His chest rises with a long, carefulbreath. “Or when they’re trying to take something back that was never really theirs to begin with.”
I flinch a little, not because I disagree, but because I’ve been trying so hard not to say it out loud. “I know,” I murmur. “I guess I keep hoping there’s a version of this where she figures out how to be part of Isla’s life without trying to bulldoze yours.”
“You’re so…altruistic.”
I huff a quiet laugh. “Big word, Mr. Reid.”
Aidan smirks but is quiet again. Then, “I just don’t know what she really wants, Lou. She hasn’t been clear about anything.”
I rest my hand over his heart, feeling the steady beat beneath my palm. “I know. But I don’t want to assume the worst, not if it can be avoided. I want to deal with her head-on so that, whatever happens, it’s about what’s best for Isla, not grudges or bad blood.”
He turns toward me, brows drawn. “And I love that about you, but you don’t owe her that, Lucy. Not at your own expense.”
I press my forehead to his shoulder. “Some battles are worth planning for, not running from. This is one of them.”
I know he hears the wobble in my voice when he wraps his arms around me tighter.
“Hey.” His voice is low. “How are you feeling?”
I hesitate. Not because I don’t want to tell him…but because I don’t want to add one more thing to his already overloaded plate.
He pulls back just enough to look at me, his thumb brushing along my cheek. “Don’t do that thing where you downplay it. Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
I press my lips together, trying to keep the dam from breaking,but it’s like his voice unravels all the shaky stitching holding me together.
Truth is, I’mnotokay. I’m queasy and bone-deep tired and everything inside me feels like it’s swelling and shifting and straining.
Then there’s Aidan’s hand on my cheek, warm and reassuring. There’s the way he looks at me like I’m breakable but also brave. Tears sting behind my eyes, hot and fast and completely out of my control. Hormones, sure. But also, this impossible, aching, grateful love that makes my chest feel too small for all the feelings crammed inside it.
I sniff, then laugh through it, because what else do you do when you’re a weepy, sick pregnant woman crying over the way your boyfriend loves youtoo well?
