Are you guys kissing?" Sophieie asked, delighted. "Yes," Adrien said, not letting go of Lena's hand. "Is that okay?" The kids looked at each other.
Some silent sibling communication passed between them. "Depends," Thomas said. "Does this mean Lena's staying?" "If she wants to," Adrien said, looking at her. Three pairs of eyes turned to Lena, waiting.
She thought about the bus shelter, about Marcus's cruel words and the divorce papers still unsigned in her dresser, about the lawyer's calls she'd never returned and the life she'd left behind. Then she thought about pancake breakfast and snowball fights and Marcus defending her honor, about Sophieie's gap-toothed smile and Thomas's piano recital. About Adrien coming home early just to make his daughter's birthday. About belonging somewhere for the first time in her life. Yeah, she said throat tight.
I want to stay. Sophieie cheered and launched herself at Lena, who caught her out of pure instinct. The boys piled on, and suddenly she was buried under kids and laughter and the overwhelming feeling of being exactly where she was supposed to be. Adrien's arm came around her shoulders, pulling her and the kids into a messy group hug that shouldn't have worked, but somehow did. "Welcome home," he said quietly, just for her.
And for the first time since that December night, Lena believed it might actually be true. The divorce papers finally got signed on a Tuesday in late April. Lena sat across from Marcus at a coffee shop halfway between his office and the house, Adrien's house, her house, she still wasn't sure what to call it, and watched him slide the documents across the table with the same detached efficiency he'd used when ending their marriage. "My lawyer says this is fair," he said, not quite meeting her eyes. You're not asking for alimony, so it should be quick.
I don't want your money, Marcus. I know. You made that clear. He tapped his pen against the table, a nervous habit she'd forgotten he had. So, you're really staying with him, the billionaire.
The way he said it made it sound like an accusation, like she'd trade it up instead of just found somewhere she fit. I'm staying with a family that wants me, she said carefully. There's a difference, is there? He leaned back and for the first time since she'd arrived, he actually looked at her. You look different.
I am different. Happier? It wasn't a question, but she answered anyway. Yes. Marcus was quiet for a moment, staring at his coffee.
I'm engaged. The words should have hurt. Should have felt like betrayal or vindication or something sharp. Instead, Lena just felt tired. That was fast, she said.
We've been seeing each other for a few months since before he stopped. She's pregnant. And there it was. The real reason for the rush. The reason he'd had his lawyer calling every week pushing for signatures.