But I'm not their mom. No, he agreed. You're not Catherine, but you are someone who loves them and takes care of them and shows up every single day. That counts. Lena wanted to believe him, but there was a part of her, the part that still heard Marcus' voice calling her defective, that worried she was playing house, pretending it's something she could never really be.
The doubt came back full force in July. They were at the community pool, all five of them, and Sophieie was showing off her newly learned dive. Other families were scattered around, and Lena was hyper aware of the looks they got, the questions in people's eyes about who she was, how she fit into this picture. A woman approached while Adrien was in the water with the kids. 50s, expensive sunglasses, the kind of smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Your family is beautiful," she said. Thanks," Lena said, not bothering to correct her. "How old are your children?" There it was the assumption. "They're 8, 10, and 12."
"You must have started young." Lena could have corrected her. Should have probably, but something stubborn in her chest made her just smile and say, "Something like that." The woman launched into a story about her own kids, and Lena half listened while watching Adrien toss Sophieie into the water, her shrieking laughter carrying across the pool. When the woman finally left, Adrien climbed out and sat next to her, dripping everywhere.
"What was that about?" he asked. She thought I was their mother. "What'd you tell her?" "I didn't correct her." Adrien was quiet for a moment.
"How'd that feel?" "Weird, good, scary." She looked at him. "Is that okay that I didn't correct her?" Lena, you can tell people whatever you want.
If you're comfortable with them thinking you're their mom, that's fine. If you're not, that's fine, too. There's no script here. I just don't want to overstep. You couldn't overstep if you tried.
He took her hand. The kids adore you. They'd be thrilled if you wanted to be more than just Adrien's girlfriend. The implication hung in the air between them. Are you?
Lena's voice came out scratchy. Is that a hypothetical? Depends. Would you want it to be? Before she could answer, Marcus came running over, soaking wet and excited about something.
The moment passed, but it stayed with her for days after, more than Adrien's girlfriend. What did that even mean? She found out 3 weeks later. They were having dinner. Nothing fancy, just pasta and salad.
When Adrien cleared his throat in that way, that meant he had something important to say. So, he started, "I've been thinking." Dangerous, Thomas quipped. Hilarious. As I was saying, Adrien shot his son a look.
I've been thinking about the future, about what this family looks like moving forward. Sophieie perked up. Are we getting a dog? No. Why not?