Page 56 of ICED
I press my lips together, because if I answer, my voice might crack. And I’ve cried enough for one day.
Outside the window, kids are playing in the fading light. Leaves skitter across the pavement in small whirlwinds. Everything looks soft, safe, gentle.
It’s been so long since I’ve had a day that felt like this.
Maybe I’m allowed to exhale. Maybe we’re not waiting for the next awful thing to drop.
I steal a glance at him. At the way his hands rest on the wheel. Calm. Steady. Present.
“You’re good with her,” I say, because it’s the only thing I can manage.
He gives a quiet laugh. “She’s a joy to be around.”
I swallow hard. “Yeah.”
“So are you.”
My breath hitches.
He doesn’t look over. Just says it like he means it. No games. No pressure. Just the truth dropped gently into the space between us.
I don’t reply. I can’t.
But when we pull up in front of the flat and he cuts the engine, I glance at him and say, “Do you want to come up? For a bit?”
He lifts his eyebrows, surprised. “Sure. If you’re okay with that.”
“I am,” I say. “Hot chocolate all round. Non-negotiable.”
Lila cheers from the back. “Can Bear have whipped cream?”
Owen grins. “Only if you promise not to judge me for using half the can.”
She gasps. “I wouldnever.”
I laugh. Iactuallylaugh.
It feels like the first real one in forever.
And as I climb out of the truck, and open the back door to unbuckle Lila from her brand-new car seat, I realise something that scares me in the best possible way.
I don’t want him to leave.
Not just tonight.
Not ever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
JACKO
Maya unlocks the door and lets us in, dropping her keys in a bowl by the front door. Lila darts ahead, still buzzing from the rink, talking at top speed about her “spin move” and how Cupcake deserves a medal.
“Alright, Miss Tornado,” Maya laughs. “Jacket off first. Boots by the door.”
I help Lila shrug out of her puffy coat and set it over a hook As Maya checks and double checks all the locks on the front door. Then she moves to the kitchen and flicks on the kettle. She glances back at me.
“You serious about that hot chocolate?”
