Page 54 of What Broke First
They stood like that for another long second, the storm of the last year still present, but quieter now. A little less deadly. A little more survivable.
“Okay,” she finally said.
“Okay?” he echoed.
“I don’t know what this is,” she said. “But I’m not ready to let it go yet either.”
Matt nodded, something behind his eyes breaking open just a little. “Then I won’t stop. I’ll be right here.”
And for the first time in a long time, Sarah believed him.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs broke the quiet between them. A moment later, Tommy’s voice rang out.
“Mom, I can’t find my...” He stopped at the bottom step, eyes wide. Emily barreled in behind him and nearly collided with his back.
“What’s wrong, oh!” she squealed.
Both kids froze, their gazes landing on their parents still wrapped in an embrace.
Tommy blinked. “Are you guys... hugging?” Then he crossed his arms and gave them both a look that was too grown-up for his eight-year-old face. “You better not be messing with each other’s feelings. That’s what Ms. Fallon says about her ex-boyfriend. It’s called emotional confusion.”
Sarah laughed, hand over her mouth. “Thanks, buddy. Duly noted.”
Emily skipped over and hugged Sarah’s leg. “Can we have pancakes tomorrow if you’re still in love?”
Matt crouched down and pulled both kids into a hug, grinning. “You’ll get pancakes no matter what. But maybe we’ll all make them together.”
The kids whooped, satisfied with the answer, and darted off toward the front door to grab their shoes.
Sarah watched them go, her throat tight again, but this time, it wasn’t from pain.
It was hope. Warm and fragile, but still alive.
Chapter 28: The Thread Between Us
Sarah took a breath, grounding herself, then gave Tommy and Emily a pointed look. “Okay, syrup monsters. March back upstairs and wash your faces. You’re not going to school looking like waffles.”
Tommy groaned dramatically. “But I already wiped—”
“Your cheek is literally sticky,” she said.
Emily inspected her reflection in the microwave door and gasped. “My eyebrows are sticky!”
“Upstairs. Now,” Sarah said, swatting Tommy’s backpack toward the stairs.
The two of them took off, still bickering about who was stickier.
And then, the house was quiet again.
Matt was still standing there, just close enough that the space between them buzzed with everything left unsaid.
Sarah glanced up at him, and before she could speak, he stepped forward, leaned in, and kissed her.
It wasn’t polite or casual. It wasn’t a warm “thank you” or a light, nostalgic brush of lips. It was deep, deliberate, the kind of kiss that curled her toes and cracked her resolve.
When he finally pulled back, Sarah stayed frozen in place, lips still parted, eyes still closed, like her body hadn’t caught up to the end of the moment.
She blinked, breath shaky. “Where are you going?”
