Page 95 of Brian
They cleaned up the kitchen together, moving around each other with the easy rhythm of two people who had learned each other's spaces. Brian washed while Tessa dried. He bumped her hip with his; she flicked water at him with her fingers. Ordinary moments. The kind of moments that built a life.
Later, they sat on the deck, watching the moon rise higher over the bay. Brian's hand rested on her stomach, protective and wondering.
"We should think about names," he said.
"We have seven months."
"I like to plan ahead."
"Since when?"
"Since I have something worth planning for."
She leaned into him, breathing in the salt air, feeling the steady beat of his heart against her back. Somewhere down the beach, a dog barked. A boat horn sounded in the distance. The world went on, vast and indifferent, but here in this small corner of it, everything was exactly as it should be.
"Hey, Brian?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you let me stay."
He laughed, and she felt it rumble through her. "I'm glad you stayed.”
The copper moon climbed higher, casting its warm light over the cottage on White Gull Lane, over the town that had become home, over the two people who had found each other against all odds.
Tessa closed her eyes and let herself be happy.
She'd earned it.
They both had.
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