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Violet’s in there when we arrive, and she holds a hand in the air as she fiddles with a new coffee maker on the counter.
“It has decaf pods, Sophie. If I can just figure out how to make the blasted thing work.”
She frowns at it, fiddling with the controls before Drew walks past me and Maddy and presses a button, making a green light illuminate on the display panel.
“Ah! Perfect. Thank you.” She smiles and pats Drew on the arm.
He leans back against the counter, his lips curling as he watches his mum and sister fuss around the kitchen, making us all a drink. To anyone else, we’d look like a regular happy family.
And I guess we are, as long as no one brings up Henry.
“Look what we got for the babies.” Maddy bounces on her toes, holding up two romper suits. One says ‘Little Man’ on it, and the other, ‘Little Lady’. “They’re going to look so cute,” she gushes.
Violet encourages me to sit at the kitchen table and hands me a coffee. I thank her as I blow off the steam, watching Drew over the rim of the mug. His face lights up as he takes the rompers from Maddy and looks at them both.
“Thank you,” I say, catching both of the women’s eyes.
They both smile back at me and I relax into my seat, feeling content for the first time since the trial ended. Today’s a new start. We’re going to spend the night in the new house once the moving company have taken all Drew’s furniture over. I’m going to leave most of mine in my apartment for when it’s rented out.
“What’s the news you wouldn’t tell us on the phone, then?” Maddy probes.
Drew places the rompers on the table and glances at me. I nod in encouragement.
“The sale completed on the house.” He grins. “We’re moving in today.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Violet says.
Maddy presses her hands together in front of her chest. “Never thought I’d see the day my brother convinced a girl to live with him.”
“Hey.” He wrinkles his brow at her, a smile playing on his lips.
Maddy goes to say something else but stops as the sound of movement near the front door carries down the hallway.
Drew’s eyes darken as he looks at his mum. “He still has a key?”
Violet’s lips thin. “We’re still married. I can’t stop him. I’m lucky he agreed to move out. He could have insisted on staying here until the divorce is finalized.”
“Mum,” Drew grits, the muscles in his neck going taut, “I told you I’d buy his share of the house for you. We can get his name off it. Just give me the word.”
Violet shakes her head. “I won’t hear of it. You have the babies to think of and your own things to pay for.”
“I’ve got the money,” Drew presses, his eyes intent on her face. But she holds his eyes, refusing to back down.
“Me and Logan offered too,” Maddy says. “She won’t listen.”
The front door slams and footsteps move down the hall.
Drew curses under his breath, his eyes going to the ceiling. Then he moves across the room and stands protectively by the side of my chair.
“You okay?” he whispers.
The corded muscles in his forearms flex as he curls one hand around the back of my chair.
I look up at him, my stomach knotting as the air in the room gets heavy.
I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. His eyes pinch around the edges as he looks at me, then his attention is snapped away to Henry, who’s standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Not interrupting, am I?” Henry says, a lightness in his voice that is a striking contrast to the somber expressions on everyone else’s faces.
