She tilts her head. “Like… really happy?”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “Really happy.”
There’s a pause. “Do you love her?”
Straight in. No hesitation. I let out a small breath. “Yeah,” I say. “I do.”
She looks down at her hands then, her shoulders dip just slightly. That quiet processing. “Will she leave?”
I shift slightly closer. “Hey,” I say gently. “Look at me.” She does. And I make sure I don’t rush this. “She’s not going anywhere,” I say, holding her gaze. “Not if I can help it.”
Her eyes search mine, like she’s testing that, weighing it. “And you?”
“I’m definitely not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me forever, bug.”
Something settles slightly in her. “Okay,” she says.
She leans into me then, resting her head briefly against my shoulder, and I don’t move, just let her have that.
“I like her,” she murmurs.
Relief moves through me slowly. “I’m glad.”
“And Theo.”
“He’s a good kid.”
She nods. “Does that mean we’ll see them more?”
“Yeah,” I say. “If that’s okay with you.”
She nods again. “It is.”
And just like that, it’s done.
Chapter sixty-four
Freya
We walk through the door and I take a deep breath. I don’t want this to feel heavy. I don’t want him to feel like something is about to change without him understanding why.
“Theo,” I say gently.
“Yeah?”
“Come sit with me for a minute.”
He looks at me straight away. Suspicious. “Why?”
I smile slightly. “Because I want to talk to you.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“No,” I say softly. “You’re not in trouble.”
He slides off the chair and walks over, climbing onto the sofa and curling into the corner like he always does. I sit beside him, snuggling him in under my arm.
“You know Rory,” I start.
