But my mother’s gaze lingered on me a second longer than necessary.
“You’ve let your hair grow out,” she said. Not unkindly. Not warmly either. Just… observant. “It doesn’t suit you like this. You always looked more put together when it was shorter.”
There it was.
Another reminder of how little she knew me. Of how much she disliked the person I’d become—the one I’d kept hidden for years just to keep her comfortable.
I opened my mouth, already exhausted by it, but Sebastian spoke first.
“I like it,” he said, taking a small step closer, his eyes still on Amelia.
My heart thudded in my chest.
Surprise flickered across my mother’s face before she smoothed it away. “Oh.”
Sebastian adjusted Amelia on his hip, unbothered. “I think it suits him perfectly.”
The silence that followed was immediate and thick. Henry rubbed the back of his neck. Charlotte’s lips pressed together. Even Thomas seemed to suddenly find the floor fascinating.
My mother smiled, thin and polite, the kind that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “That’s… nice.”
Henry cleared his throat, the sound a little too loud in the stillness. “Okay,” he said, clapping his hands once. “Well. Since we’re all here and nobody’s actually combusted yet?—”
Charlotte let out a tired huff that might have been a laugh.
Sebastian moved then, stepping closer to me without making a show of it. Just enough that his arm brushed mine again. I handed Liam back to Charlotte, and she adjusted him over her hip, palm absently patting his back.
“Plans,” Henry went on. “Because at some point, all of us are going to need sleep. Or at least showers.”
Right on cue, Oliver appeared from down the hall, phone still in his hand. “He’s okay,” he said. “Stable. Still sedated, but they’re happy with where he is right now.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, dragging out a breath with it. Some of the tightness in the room eased. Just a notch. “We should do shifts,” Oliver added. “No reason for all of us to crash at once. I’ll take the first one tonight.”
Henry nodded immediately. “Yeah. That makes sense.” Then to Oliver and Charlotte he said, “Why don’t you guys head over to mine, get a nap in, shower?”
Oliver turned to my sister. “You go with the kids. I’ll come over once we get the okay later.”
Charlotte hesitated. “You need sleep too.”
Oliver sighed, shaking his head.
“The nanny’s already there,” Henry said, “getting everything set up. We’re all close, Oli. Ten minutes away.”
Oliver looked at him like he wanted to argue.
“It’s just a couple of hours,” Sebastian said quietly beside me. “You’ll still be right here.”
“Exactly.” Henry squeezed Oliver’s shoulder. “They’re fixing up the office for E. Another room for Ash. And I have a driver there; you can come over whenever…”
My gaze snapped to Sebastian. He was rocking Amelia gently in his arms, but his eyes were on me. I lifted my brows, just enough to ask the question.
Is that what you want?
His lips curved, and he gave me a small shake of his head.
“Hold that thought,” I said, turning back to them.
Every pair of eyes landed on me.
“Ash and I are staying at his apartment.”
