In this moment, it’s everything, becauseshejust claimedme.
“That was a little bit scary,” she murmurs against my lips before pulling back and putting space between us again.
I swallow thickly, emotion welling up inside me.
“I know. Thank you for being brave, though. It means a lot.”
She nods, biting her lip once more as she watches me fight to get my feelings under control.
“Thank you,” I say again, because I don’t take for granted what a huge step this is for her—for us. She smiles softly, and I match it with one of my own. Bending down, I scoop Connor up into the crook of my arm before offering her my other hand.
“Shall we?”
She links her fingers with mine, leaning up on her toes to offer me a second kiss, this one to my cheek, further cementing our relationship in the public eye, and making my fucking month.
“We shall.”
I hold the door for her, and we approach the counter hand-in-hand. It’s ridiculous, but I can’t help puffing out my chest as I glance around at all the customers observing us from their tables.
“Hey Tessa,” Steph says brightly. “I didn’t know you were working here.”
The girl, Tessa, blushes. “It’s only my second day. I’m so thankful to Lucy for giving me a chance, you know, since …” she trails off, but Steph seems to know what she’s referring to, simply nodding her understanding.
“That’s so great. I’m sure you’ll do well.”
“Thanks,” Tessa murmurs. “So … what can I get you?”
I place our order, impressing Steph with my recollection of how she takes her matcha, and wait for our drinks while she ducks behind the counter and into the back of the bakery. Lucy’s currently on maternity leave, having given birth just last month, but lives in the apartment above the café, which Steph explains is easier to access from here rather than walking around to the alley behind the row of buildings on this block.
I down my coffee in several large gulps, burning the roof of my mouth in the process, but wanting to keep a hand free to hold Steph’s once more when she returns.
We wait for her outside, Connor tugging eagerly on his leash while I try not to spill Steph’s treasured matcha in my other hand before she gets back. I pass it to her when she joins us, watching intently as her tongue snakes out to lick the bit of whip off the top of the to-go cover, and willing my dick to stay down when she moans at the first sip.
“How’s Lucy doing?” I ask, as we stroll down High Street. I know she and Noah had broken up for a short time over the winter and also that there had been complications with the birth.
She grins, her happiness for her friend evident. “Really well. She and Noah worked things out, and Cece is the cutest freaking baby I’ve ever seen. Well, excluding my boys, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I repeat, with a faint smile, though it hurts to be reminded that I missed out on seeing Matt as a baby. Stephtells me they’re busy packing to move into their new place, then proceeds to describe it in great detail, having been given a tour on the day she first met the baby.
We head down to the waterfront in comfortable silence after that, taking the boardwalk past the marina and down alongside the beach. Despite the sunny day, the water is dark and choppy, the breeze much stronger here than it was in the sheltered buildings of the main stretch. Leftover chunks of ice are still visible floating out in its depths. Steph angrily points out the barely there, new green shoots of phragmites—a type of reed growing in places at the sand’s edge—explaining how it’s an invasive species that threatens to choke out other important native shoreline plants like swamp milkweed, cardinal flowers, and asters.
I let Connor off his leash briefly, thinking it’s safe for him to run for a while in the sand, but it backfires spectacularly when he bombs right through a flock of gulls who screech and scatter initially only to swoop angrily at all three of us. Steph cackles, ducking the birds, and waving her arms while I attempt to catch my rascal dog and hook him back up.
Once we’ve all calmed down and the birds have returned to the fish carcass they’d been picking at before they were so rudely interrupted, we resume our walk.
Taking her hand once more, I ask Steph to tell me about the boys. I’m hungry for any little tidbit about my son, but I’m also eager to get to know Alex, fully aware it’ll require more than afew new video games to win him over. Steph’s been sharing little details about their days with me during our evening calls, but I want to know more. What’s Matt’s favorite food? And Alex’s favorite band? When did my son first learn to ride a bike? Who first threw a football around with him? Okay, so I probably don’t want to know that last one.
“Is he still seeing that girl you told me about?”
“Priya? Yeah. They just celebrated their seven-month anniversary,” she chuckles.
“Ah, young love. Just like we were, huh?” I joke, but she scoffs.
“Hardly. Priya’s an outgoing cheerleader; she’s nothing like I was in high school. Actually,shepursued him, if you can believe it.”
“Good for her.”
“Yeah,” she sighs, hesitating for a moment before adding, “I wish I could be more like that.”
