Page 91 of A December to Remember
“Cheeky shit.” Evette laughed.
“It’s good to see you again, Aunt Evette.” Patrick grinned.
“You too, sweetheart.”
“And what was your role in this little deception, young man?” Simone asked, smiling, still clinging to her wife as though she might disappear if she let go.
Patrick waved his phone at her. “Paparazzi.” He grinned. “Aunty Star wanted to see your face when you saw Evette.”
She rolled her eyes. “Heavenly-Stargazer inherited the North mischief gene.”
“Aren’t you glad she did?” Evette asked, squeezing Simone’s hand.
She looked at Evette. She couldn’t believe she was here. It had been a long time since her heart had been full of anything other than melancholy, but right now it was singing a glad tune. “Yes,” she replied. “Yes, I am.”
Patrick wandered back out onto the high street. His whistling “Let It Snow” carried on the crisp night air and could still be heard even as Simone, smiling, pushed the door to the cottage closed and turned to face her wife.
“I’ve missed you,” she said.
“Me too,” Evette agreed. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Not yet.” She was hungry for her wife, and she was gratified to see Evette’s lips twitch into a wicked smile.
“You’re right,” Evette said, yanking her coat off and slinging it over the banister. “Talking can wait. Where’s the bedroom in this joint?”
Later, after theyhad reacquainted themselves, they lay spooning, Simone’s big spoon to Evette’s little, the duvet pulled tight around their bodies to keep out the chill.
“I told you it was a big bed,” she said sleepily. She felt Evette smile.
“We’d never fit a bed this size into our tiny flat. There wouldn’t be room for anything else. Only bed.”
“I think I could live with that.” She pulled Evette closer.
Evette laughed softly. “Not with your clothes-buying habit. Wardrobes are essential.”
“We could get a bed this size if we had a bigger place.”
“I think that’s above our pay grade.”
“Not if we moved out of the city.” She felt Evette shift away slightly and cold filled the gap.
“What are you suggesting?”
The words seemed to have come of their own accord, but now that they were out, she realized she meant them.
“Maybe we could move here. Star’s going to stay at Dad’s place for a while; Maggie too while she gets sorted.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. What do you think?”
“I think that so long as you’re not using Rowan Thorp as a place to hide from the problems we’ve been facing, it’s worth considering. You know my home is wherever you are.”
“I can’t be hiding from things if you’re with me, can I? It’ll simply be a fresh environment for us. I feel more relaxed here. Believe me, that’s as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. You were right, I need my sisters. You’re always right.”
“Oh, no, don’t put that pressure on me.” Evette laughed softly. “It’s only that sometimes I can see what you’re too close to notice. You do the same for me.”
“Thank you.” She nestled her head into the pillow, reveling in having Evette so close.
