“Let’s leave the clearing up for now.” Hannah guided Caroline out of the kitchen and into the living room. She could think of far better things to do than clean right now, and holding Caroline was top of that list. “Thank you for not running away.”
“The way I feel about you…I’d be a fool to consider it for a single second.”
* * *
“Hey,”Caroline stroked Hannah’s shoulder as she lay between her legs. “Did you want to go up to bed? You’re falling asleep.”
Hannah palmed Caroline’s thighs, shaking her head. “No. I’m fine. I’m comfortable.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I am. I could lie here all night. All I need is a blanket, and I’m never moving again.”
Caroline loved that. How Hannah felt so protected by her. Because it was true. Caroline would protect Hannah and Edie until her dying breath. Coming into this, Caroline hadn’t imagined feeling so strongly about another woman, but she couldn’t help the feelings that seemed to be growing more intense every day. Hannah made her happy, Edie made her smile at the most unexpected moments, and Caroline couldn’t imagine giving that up for anything in the world.
“Can I ask you something?”
Hannah tilted her head back on Caroline’s shoulder. “Sure.”
“What happened between you and Dylan? Why didn’t it work out?”
“Oh, we were never together. Dylan was my best friend from the age of ten. I always hung around with the boys. The girls were too bitchy for me once we went to high school. But Dylan always had my back. We went to a party one night with a group of friends, and both got stupidly drunk. One thing led to another, and we slept together.”
“Oh.” Caroline was quite surprised by that. She didn’t know why, but she was.
“Obviously, we both thought nothing of it. Why would we? We were invincible back then.” Hannah rolled her eyes, dragging her nails gently up and down Caroline’s thigh. “And then the periods stopped. And then I realised we weren’t invincible. And then Edie was growing inside me.”
“And look at the beautiful girl she is.”
Hannah sniffled. “You have to stop saying things like that, Caz. It makes me want to drop to one knee and ask you to marry me.”
Caroline chuckled. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want me to be your wife! But back to your wonderful kid. She hasn’t said anything we should worry about, has she?”
“Do you really think Edie has anything on her mind when you’re here? She bloody worships you, Caz. If I didn’t love you, I’d be concerned that you were going to run off with her.”
“She’s great. But then again, she has an amazing mum, so I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Hannah turned in Caroline’s lap, gazing up at her. “You really mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
“I’ve always tried to put her first and give her everything she needed. Not to make her spoilt, but because it’s just the two of us. I know she has Dylan, and he really is amazing, but all her friends have both parents at home, and she doesn’t. I didn’t want her to feel as though we didn’t love her when she was younger. And I know she’d never think that, but I was the one who foolishly slept with Dylan when I could barely look after myself.”
“You wouldn’t change the past, though. I know you wouldn’t.”
“Not for anything. I missed out on the holidays with the girls, nights out with work, but I wouldn’t change anything because Edie has been my everything from the moment I realised I was pregnant. It wasn’t even a question as to whether I’d keep her. Dylan’s eyes lit up, and we decided to do it together while being apart.”
“I admire you both.”
“He’s always on the phone with me, asking if I’ve met anyone. When Kirsty left, he was fuming—seething—because she’d moved in here with me, and Edie wasn’t expecting her to disappear. She was quite upset by it all.”
“I hope you know I’d never do that to you.” Caroline pressed a kiss to Hannah’s forehead. “And I know everyone probably says that, but like I said before…you and Edie are more than enough for me. I can’t wait to see where this goes, and I can’t wait to see Edie grow into an impeccable young woman. Though, if I’m being honest, she’s already there.”
“She really does love having you at ours. When you’re in the shower and she’s having breakfast, she asks if she can make your morning cuppa. And if she can set the table for you. She never did that for Kirsty.”
“She does?” Caroline’s heart fluttered at those words. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s true. I’m surprised she’s not waiting outside the bathroom door for you with your brew.”