“He wasn’t wrong.”
“I hate that.”
“So do I.”
He turned.
“Julia, if I go to London—”
“Don’t finish that sentence tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because you haven’t decided anything. And I don’t want us to break something real because we’re afraid of a future that hasn’t happened.”
He stared at me.
“You make that sound easy.”
“It isn’t.”
I walked toward him.
“I spent three years arranging my life so nothing unexpected could hurt me. It turns out nothing unexpected could reach me either.”
His hand found mine.
Then he kissed me.
Not tentative this time.
Not hurried.
Just certain enough for that moment.
When we separated, we heard a sleepy voice from the hallway.
“Mommy?”
I stepped away immediately.
Mia stood there in dinosaur pajamas rubbing one eye.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“I need water.”
“I’ll get it.”
She noticed Adrian.
“Hi.”
“Hello.”
She squinted at him.
