As a military man, I keep a clean house, but now my house is a home. Romantically, we haven’t progressed any further than a peck on the cheek. I’m not even sure if we are a couple. She has her own room—what was Dog’s room is now a shrine to everything pink, fluffy, and sparkly. Candles emitting flowery scents flicker around the house every night, and my sofa is filled with cushions.
“Did you hear Hannah asking about her hair?”
“Yes, I did.” Her lips turning into a sad smile, she places her hand on mine. “You’ve been wondering too, haven’t you? If she’s yours?”
I nod, sorrow filling my chest as I consider the implications of having my question answered.
“Lance, I think you must ask yourself how important the result is to you. Will it change anything? What benefit is there in knowing?” Her eyes are soft and wide, full of emotion as she speaks. “Whatever happens, I’m here for you both. As much as Hannah doesn’t like me, I’ve come to care for her. I hope one day she will see me as a friend.”
Without thinking, I take her in my arms and plant my lips on hers. She freezes but immediately softens to my touch, responding to my kiss and letting my tongue invade her mouth. It’s like tasting forbidden fruit; it’s explosive, and I’m intoxicated again within minutes. Though, I don’t think I ever recovered from the initial hangover of losing her.
“This isn’t a good idea,” she whispers. “We’re not right for each other. I’m too old for you. I shouldn’t even be here.”
“That’s bullshit,” I snap. “I love you, Katie. For God’s sake, let me love you. If you didn’t feel the same way, don’t you think you’d have run back to London by now?”
Her gaze drops away, locking on the floor.
“Tell me why you’re still here,” I prompt. “If you don’t love me, I need to know why.”
“I do love you,” she mutters.
My heart races, and hope bubbles in my chest. She admitted that she loves me; this is progress.
“But I’m in my fifties. We’ve been through this. You deserve someone young with decades ahead of them. I’ll not sentence you to a life caring for me.”
I take her hands in mine.
“Please listen to me,” I plead. “Twenty years with you is better than forty with someone I don’t love. Give us a chance, please. Be my partner, Katie. Be a mother to my children. The mother you always wanted to be. We all need you. David adores you, and you adore him. Hannah will come around; she’s just scared. She needs stability in her life, and so do I. I want you in every way possible. You and my kids are my world. Please, don’t walk away from us.”
She lifts her hands to my face, and I kiss her palm. Tears pool in her eyes, threatening to fall. Her face is a complex mix of emotion. She’s warring with herself, what her heart wants against what her head thinks is right.
Before I met her, I didn’t believe the theory that age is just a number, but when you meet your soulmate, everything else is irrelevant but them. Being with them is the most important thing in your world. Life without them is dull and gray. I want to live in a world of vivid color alongside the woman I love. This woman.
“I don’t think I could walk away even if I wanted to,” she whispers against my lips. “If we do this, we do this forever. I can’t lose you again. I’d never survive it.”
We cling to each other, and I feel myself relax for the first time in weeks. Since she started showing signs of being fully recovered from her ordeal in New York, I’ve been nervous. Terrified, if I’m honest. I thought one day she would announce her exit from my life and be gone, disappearing back to herworld in the south. She would only be a memory to keep me company at night.
“What now?” she asks.
“We need to tell Hannah.”
“Tell me what?” Hannah’s sharp voice cuts across the kitchen. I look at my daughter, and my stomach sinks. This is not going to go down well; a full teenage tantrum is coming on. Visions of glasses and plates being thrown across the room run through my mind. I glance to where Hannah stands, looking for any weapons she may have at her disposal.
“Katie and I,” I begin. Sweat beads on my brow. Get a grip, I tell myself—this is your daughter, who is the bloody adult here? “We are together,” I state firmly. “This is not up for discussion. I want you to have an open mind, Hannah. Katie is a wonderful woman.”
Together. Mine. Sheer perfection. I can’t wait to hold her hand in public. Be official in the world. It’s all I’ve ever wanted since we met. A proper relationship with a future where we are together.
“She cares about you. Please, just give her a chance.”
Hannah’s eyes narrow, her mind obviously whirling with words. I don’t know if she’s going to explode or storm from the room again.She’s vying for her position in the home. She’s scared. Stay calm.
“Hannah,” Katie says quietly. “I’m not here to steal your dad from you. But I do love him. I have for a long time. When we were apart, I missed him immensely. We tried to stay apart, but we can’t.”
“But you’re so old,” Hannah says with a sneer.
Katie smiles. “Yes, I’m quite a bit older, but your dad and I have talked about this. We want to be together. All I ask is that you give us a chance.”
Defeated, Hannah shrugs her shoulders and leaves the room, completely surprising me. I expected more fight. More harsh words.