But monsters didn’t need a reason. Monsters just waited and bided their time for permission, and Janet had takeneveryinch Billie ever offered her, then punished her for offering it at all.
Billie drew in a slow breath, held it for a moment, then let it out. Janet going to prison meant something she’d never dared to imagine. It meant it wasn’t just Billie’s story anymore. It meant the world had seen Janet for what she was, even if it took too long…even if it wasn’t because of Billie.
It meant she didn’t have to carry the question of whether she’d exaggerated any longer, or whether she’d deserved it, or whether she’d somehow been the catalyst.
The guilt wasn’t hers. The shame wasn’t hers. The kneeling wasn’t hers.
It had been donetoher.
Billie blinked back tears, refusing to let them fall. Not because she was ashamed, but because she didn’t want to be split open by emotion tonight. Not when shefinallyfelt something else beginning to grow through the cracks.
Relief.
Freedom.
An astonished lightness that made her feel almost weightless.
My life has finally changed.
Billie no longer braced herself. Not for anger or punishment. Not for the shrill sting of a voice demanding she explain herself. She no longer tried to anticipate moods, or read the air, or shrink herself into a safer shape. She was just standing there in Debra’s kitchen…with the very woman who loved her nearby.
And that, in itself, was one hell of a feat.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Debra hadn’t feltthis nervous inyears. Sure, she’d survived those nerves from difficult conversations when her divorce was on the horizon…she’d even felt nervous when she knew she would be building a life alone in a new home, but this? Oh, she hadn’t felt anything like this before.
She’d warned Billie more than once about the reception either of them could potentially receive. She’d explained that they could both be pleasantly surprised, but she’d also hinted at her kids being blunt or maybe needing time to accept that Debra was dating a woman now.
But Billie had just listened, nodding as though she’d already accepted every possible outcome. She’d squeezed Debra’s hand and told her she could handle it, and that if it went badly, they would deal with it together.
Still, Debra had woken up that morning braced for resistance. Or at the very least, confusion. Questions she potentially wasn’t ready to answer. Mostly because she didn’t know why she’d fallen in love with Billie from the moment they’d met, but also because she needed time to understand what her life was now.
There will be a backlash!
Her kids were adults now, yes, but they wereheradults, and this was the first woman she’d ever brought into their orbit. To expect everything to run smoothly would be a mistake on her part.
Billie stood beside her in the kitchen, fixing the cufflinks on her shirt, her posture relaxed but alert. Debra could still feel the tension under the surface, though. The way Billie’s fingers flexed and unflexed, the way she repeatedly took deep breaths. Still, she would insist she was fine if Debra asked. She’d told her she was fine all morning.
“They should be here any minute now,” Debra said as she scanned her space. “They’re not often late.”
Billie smiled. “Okay.”
And then came the knock on her door.
Debra inhaled and reached for Billie’s hand. Billie squeezed back, grounding her in a way that Debra still hadn’t quite learned to expect. But that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that Billie was here, and she was staying.
“Ready?”
Billie blew out a breath and smiled. “As I’ll ever be.”
“If things get a little…awkward, just remember that it’s not about you. They just won’t be expecting me to introduce them to thewomanI love, that’s all.”
“Debra, I’m okay. It’ll go well or it won’t.” Another knock at the door. “But we won’t find out unless you let them in.”
“Right, yes.” Debra stepped towards the door, squared her shoulders, and opened it. Seeing them both standing there together was a slight surprise, but she was more than happy they’d both shown up when they’d said they would. “You both actually made it!”
Charlotte stood there with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder, while Caleb hovered behind her, his hoodie zippedhalfway and the headphones he seemed unable to part with looped around his neck.
