Page 149 of The Dating Ban
“Love you, Mum.”
The words are soft, natural, effortless.
But everything stops.
Ivy’s breath catches. Her body goes completely still.
I swear, for a second, even my heart stops.
Lucy doesn’t seem to realise the weight of what she just said. She just leans into Ivy again, resting her head against her shoulder, perfectly at ease, like this has always been the way things are meant to be.
Ivy’s eyes flick up to mine, wide and wrecked and shining with tears she’s not even trying to stop.
I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod.
Go on. Say it back.
She presses a shaking kiss to Lucy’s hair, whispering, “Love you too, Lucy.”
Lucy sighs happily against her, and Ivy’s eyes close, like she’s holding onto this moment with everything she has.
I walk over, crouching down beside them, wrapping my arms around both of them.
My girls.
My family.
Ivy
I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, my heart still full.
I’m a mum now. I’m Lucy’s mum.
The thought makes me feel warm and gooey in a way I never expected, like melted chocolate or a perfectly toasted marshmallow. It’s not like anything changed officially—there was no paperwork, no ceremony—but it doesn’t matter.
Lucy called me Mum.
And I am.
I smile to myself, sinking further into the pillows. I hear the faint sound of Theo locking up, followed by the soft creak of the floorboards as he checks in on Lucy.
My heart clenches.
Because I know exactly what he’s doing.
He’s tucking her in.
Even though she’s already asleep. Even though she won’t know.
But he will.
A moment later, the bedroom door opens, and Theo steps in, rubbing a hand through his hair. He’s in pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt, looking effortlessly comfortable, and God, I love him.
He shuts the door behind him, padding over to the bed with a grin. “Still awake?”
I nod, lifting the duvet so he can slide in beside me. “Barely.”
He settles in, rolling onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow so he can look at me. “You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
