Elena gave me a look that saidof course you will, but there was a hint of relief there too.
She hesitated, then said, “Oh—by the way. I ran into William and Astrid last weekend. They invited us for lunch tomorrow. Astrid texted me earlier too.” She paused. “But if you’re not up for it, I can tell her we’ll pass.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, Will told me.”
Then I looked at her more closely. “Are you okay with going?” I asked, more carefully this time. “If you are, we can go. If not, we can just skip it.”
She went quiet for a moment.
“I’m okay,” she said finally. “We can go. Haille will probably have fun with their kids anyway.”
I nodded, accepting it without pushing further.
Haille yawned against my shoulder, her grip loosening just a little.
“Alright,” I murmured, adjusting my hold. “Let’s get you ready for bed, princess.”
She hummed sleepily, already halfway there.
And for that moment—just standing there, holding my daughter, Elena beside us—it almost felt like everything was still intact.
CHAPTER 22
Elena
We had just arrived at William and Astrid’s house. It had been a long time since the last time I was here. I glanced around as I stepped out of the car. Not much had changed. Their house was spacious, but in a grounded, unpretentious way—the kind of place built for noise, mess, and growing kids.
Astrid was already there to greet us, waiting by the door, smiling wide. Her eyes immediately dropped to what I was holding.
“Oh wow,” she said, inhaling dramatically as she reached for the dish in my hands. “That smells incredible. Cinnamon?”
“Banana bread pudding,” I said, handing it over carefully. “I hope it survived the drive.”
She laughed. “Are you kidding? Perfect. We’ll have this after lunch.”
Behind me, Adrian followed, lifting Haille from the car and settling her easily against his chest. Haille wrapped an arm around his neck, already half-distracted by the unfamiliar place, her curls bouncing as she looked around.
William stepped out next, grinning. “You guys made it.”
He glanced at the dish in Astrid’s hands and nodded approvingly. “Nice. Also—just a heads up—Jeremy’s already here, with his new girlfriend.”
I blinked. “New girlfriend?”
William grinned. “Yeah.”
“Beatrice,” he added.
Adrian let out a small laugh. “Last time I saw him, I’m pretty sure her name was Stacy.”
William smirked. “That was weeks ago.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in quiet amusement. “Guess some things never change. I haven’t seen Jeremy in ages.”
William huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, you are.”
Astrid waved us in. “Come on, come on. The boys are inside.”
Inside, chaos was already brewing. Two small boys hovered near the living room rug, clearly eyeing Haille like she was an unexpected guest they hadn’t ordered.
