Page 84 of Riding the Waves

“If you haven’t found anything before I get there, I can help you look.”

“Thanks. I’m hoping I find somewhere really quickly.” The thought of house-hunting didn’t appeal at all. Everyone knew moving was stressful, and she could do without extra stress at the moment. Damian didn’t respond but continued to lazily stroke her hair, apparently having forgotten about his plan to move to the couch. As her eyelids grew heavy, she murmured his name and asked if he’d sleep there with her.

“Yeah,” he said, shifting his weight and repositioning his head on the pillow.

She smiled into his chest. “Are you just waiting for me to fall asleep before you sneak out?”

“No,” he said, his smile evident in the soft lilt of his voice. “I’m too comfortable. I’ll get up early, or make up some story for the kids if they ask questions.”

Every muscle in her body relaxed and she fell quickly into a blissful slumber.

CHAPTER 42

Returning to Oxford wasn’t quite the wrench Amy had built it up to be. Diving straight back into the school and work routines was busy enough, and she also had a few house viewings as well as embarking on decluttering the house to prepare for downsizing. With all that on her plate she barely had time to contemplate much else.

Missing Damian also wasn’t as heart-wrenching as she’d expected. After spending years missing him, a few weeks apart felt relatively easy, and her excitement about seeing him again overshadowed any negative feelings about the situation.

“Is Daddy here yet?” Marty asked, dashing out of school on Monday afternoon, three weeks after they’d returned to Oxford.

“Not yet, but he’s on his way.” Amy gave Marty a quick hug and he slipped his hand into hers as they set off on the walk home.

“What time will he get here?” Billy asked eagerly, falling into step at her other side.

“Soon, I hope.” She’d felt impatient for his arrival all day, which was annoying since it was her first official day working for Hope Cove Press. The bulk of her morning had been spent on a video call with her new colleagues, which had left her feeling inspired and motivated to jump straight into the tasks she’d been given. It was difficult to concentrate, though, when Damian popped into her head every five minutes.

“How long is he going to stay at our house?” Marty asked, pulling on her hand.

Amy frowned, bracing herself to supply vague replies to their questions. “Maybe a few weeks,” she said. “He doesn’t have much work on in Hope Cove now, so he can stay for a little while.”

Billy’s eyes held a hint of suspicion. “But he’s not going to live with us forever?”

“No.” Apparently her attempts to explain the situation hadn’t been effective so far. Possibly because she wasn’t clear on the situation herself. “But he’ll be at our house a lot more now.”

“Because Anthony doesn’t live with us any more?” Marty asked.

“Partly,” she said.

“So you need someone else to help you?” Billy said innocently.

“Not really, no. I don’t need help.”

Marty dragged his feet as usual, a weight on Amy’s arm. “When I talked to Daddy on the phone, he said he was coming to help you because you’ve got a new job and you need some help for a while.”

“Yes.” Internally, she groaned, wishing they’d just told the boys the truth. “It’s always good to have help and support, isn’t it? Anyway, shall we hurry up in case Daddy is already waiting for us?”

She’d only said it to change the subject and get Marty to move faster, but when they rounded the last corner onto their road, a figure was perched on their garden wall.

Amy’s heart sped up as the boys dashed away from her, crying out in delight as they ran.

It was an effort not to fling herself at Damian as the boys did, and once again she wished they’d told the boys the truth about what was going on. That way, she’d have been able to greet him as affectionately as she wanted to, instead of settling for the tight embrace he gave her. After being impatient to see him, it felt anticlimactic.

“How was the drive?” Amy asked, sounding stilted as she opened the door.

“Fine,” he replied, grinning down at the boys who bustled around him and his bag, making it hard to move in the hallway.

“Why don’t you go and wash your hands?” Amy instructed the boys. “Then you can have a snack and play with Daddy. Off you go.”

As soon as they were out of sight, Amy stepped into Damian’s personal space and pushed her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her eagerly against him.

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