“Yes.” My heart does a ridiculous little leap as the word leaves my mouth.
Rory laughs softly, leaning forward to kiss me again. This one is gentler. Slower. The kind that makes my chest feel warm and full.
“Good,” he murmurs.
I rest my forehead against his. “Although,” I add, “I think we should probably talk about the other part.”
He nods immediately. “The kids.”
“Yeah.”
We both fall quiet for a second. Because that part matters. A lot.
“Theo comes first,” I say quietly.
“Same with Isla.”
“And this is all… new.”
“Very new.”
I sigh softly. “I don’t want to confuse them.”
“Me neither.” He squeezes my hand again. “What if we keep it between us for now?”
I look up at him. “You mean… secret?”
“Not forever,” he says quickly. “Just until we figure things out.”
“Things like…”
“Our living situation.”
My stomach flips. “Rory.”
“Not immediately,” he adds quickly, laughing softly. “I’m not proposing we move in together next week.”
“Good.”
“But eventually we’ll have to think about how this works long term.”
I nod slowly. “And the kids should hear about it from us,” he continues. “Not from playground gossip or from seeing us absentmindedly kissing on the school run.”
“Definitely.”
We sit quietly for a moment. Then a small smile creeps onto my face.
“What?” he asks.
I shrug. “I’m just thinking.”
“About?”
“How sneaking around might actually be quite fun.”
His grin appears instantly. “Oh, I’m very on board with that.”
“Secret kisses in the supermarket.”
