Ethan, I'm not saying I know what this is. I'm not saying I'm ready to call it love, but I'm saying that walking away from whatever we're building feels like giving up on something I didn't know I was allowed to want anymore." Victoria stood close enough that he could see the tears tracking down her face despite her efforts to hold them back. "So, what do we do?" I think we take it slow.
We let Lily adjust. We figure out what this looks like when it's not crisis management. We navigate all the complicated reality that comes when fake marriage ends and real relationship starts. That sounds terrifying. Yeah, it does.
Ethan managed small smile. But I've spent 3 years being terrified alone. Being terrified with someone else sounds like improvement. Victoria laughed. broken sound that was half sob. You're not what I expected when I grabbed you that night.
You keep saying that because it keeps being true. Every time I think I understand who you are, you say something that proves I've only scratched the surface. She reached up and touched his face. Gentle, tentative, like she was afraid he might disappear. I want to try the slow thing, the figuring it out thing, whatever version of us exists after the performance ends.
Then we try. Victoria kissed him, not the desperate kiss from the gala that had started everything, not performance for audience or weapon against Marcus. This was gentle, careful. Two people who'd found each other in crisis and were choosing to see if they could find each other in calm. When she pulled back, her eyes were still bright with tears, but her expression was different.
Hope replacing fear. We should probably tell Lily. Tell her what that Miss Victoria might be sticking around. Something like that. They found Lily in her purple room, carefully arranging stuffed animals on her bed with the serious attention she gave to important tasks.
She looked up when they appeared in her doorway. "Are you done with your grown-up talk?" "We are." Ethan sat on the edge of her bed. Victoria sat on the other side.
And we wanted to tell you something. Lily's expression went worried. Are we leaving Miss Victoria's house? That's actually what we wanted to talk about. Ethan glanced at Victoria, then back at his daughter.
How would you feel about staying here longer? How much longer? We're not sure yet. We're still figuring things out, but Miss Victoria and I have decided we want to keep spending time together, and that means you and I would keep living here for now. Lily absorbed this with four-year-old seriousness.
Will Miss Victoria still read me stories? Victoria answered this one. Every night if you want. Will she still take me to get ice cream? Whenever your dad says it's okay, Lily considered, then looked at Ethan with expression that seemed older than her years.