Letting us in, Cole shouted, “Anyone home?”
Jenna’s car was in the drive, but she often walked to work or took Leona to the park.
“Kitchen,” she replied.
Guess not today.
Cole’s shoulders sagged, making me laugh. Someone wanted us to be alone. I got the impression that he had a lot he wanted to talk about. Neither of us had addressed Australia or my plans after the trial.
He knew I’d planned to go back, but nothing was clearcut anymore.
I wasn’t supposed to get back together with him. I knew we’d run into each other, but none of this was meant to happen. Though it felt inevitable.
“Oakley.” Jenna walked around the island and gave me a hug. “You don’t bring her here enough, Cole. I’ve missed you both.”
“Mum, we spent all of yesterday with you.”
Jenna had been at the court with Mia in the morning. They’d left when Mia had to pick Leona up from Chris and Jenna had work.
She waved her hand, dismissing him. “Before that.”
“We’ve been busy, and you’re often embarrassing.”
“Please, I watched you pee your pants when you were a kid. How much more embarrassing can it get?” I teased.
He turned to me with his mouth open. “I was five, and I’d had a load to drink.”
“Uh-huh.” Jenna laughed.
Cole narrowed his eyes at both of us. “We don’t need to discuss this again.”
That was one of my earliest memories. I was almost four. Wehad all been visiting the Lake District and had taken a long walk. We had been told to keep drinking water because it was hot. Cole had needed the toilet but refused to do it outside in case a bee stung hiswinkie. Bless him, he had to walk back commando in my white shorts—the only spare clothing we’d had.
Mia ran at me as she entered the room. She wrapped her surprisingly strong arms around me.
“Hey, Mia,” I rasped. “You’re breaking my ribs.”
“Hi. Sorry,” she replied, letting go.
“Hello!”
“Oh, hi, Cole,” she said as an afterthought. “Good to see you’ve let her come up for air.”
I shot her a look, but I guess she was right. We’d spent all night and most of the morning in his room. My favourite part being him waking me up with his mouth this morning. Still, not a conversation I wanted to have in front of their mum.
“What are you up to?” I asked, sitting down beside her at the table.
“Looking for a place. It’s time for me to go, too.I want a two-bedroom house with a nice garden for Leona to play in.”
“Where is Leona?”
I would’ve heard her by now, she loud and usually talking for dolls.
“It’s Chris’s weekend again, so she’ll be driving him up the wall instead of me.”
“Do you and Chris get along more now?”
She shrugged. “Most of the time. We’re arguing at the minute because he wants to introduce his new girlfriend to Leona, but I refused. This is the third one this year, and it’s not been that long. I don’t want random women walking in and out of Leona’s life.”
