Mission (Aftermath #1)

13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Will

T he room is quiet except for the sound of Maria’s voice, calm and steady as she guides me through another exercise. “Lift your leg just a little higher. Good. Hold it there for three seconds—three... two... one. And lower it slowly.”

The muscles in my pelvis and leg burn as I follow her instructions, but I push through it, biting back a grimace. “This is your idea of fun, is it?” I ask, trying to inject some humour.

Maria smirks. “It’s not supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to get you walking again without looking like a new-born giraffe.”

I can’t help but laugh, though it’s cut short as I adjust myself on the mat. “Charming,” I mutter, catching my breath.

Before Maria can respond, the faint sound of the front door opening reaches us. I hear Phoebe’s unmistakable voice, high and bright. “Daddy! We’re here!”

Maria glances toward the door, raising an eyebrow. “Company? ”

“Only the best kind,” I reply, smiling despite the ache in my body.

Moments later, Phoebe bursts into the room, her pigtails bouncing as she runs toward me. “Hi, Daddy!” she chirps, throwing her arms around me in a careful hug.

“Hey, Firecracker,” I say, ruffling her hair. “What are you up to?”

“Helping Mummy,” she says, beaming. “She’s cooking and doing your laundry. She said you still need help with it.”

“She’s not wrong,” I reply with a grin.

Katie appears in the doorway then, balancing a laundry basket and a bag of groceries. Her expression is equal parts amused and exasperated as she surveys the scene. “She was supposed to wait until you finished your session,” she says, glancing pointedly at Phoebe.

“She’s got her own schedule,” I say, smiling at Katie. “And it involves keeping me on my toes.”

Katie shakes her head, muttering something about independence and mischief, before disappearing toward the kitchen.

Maria looks at Phoebe with a warm smile. “Hi there. You must be Phoebe.”

Phoebe tilts her head, studying Maria with a thoughtful expression. “Are you Daddy’s PE teacher?”

“I am.. kind off,” Maria laughs, crouching slightly to meet Phoebe’s gaze. “I’m helping your dad get stronger so he can keep up with you.”

Phoebe nods slowly, her gaze flicking briefly to me before settling back on Maria. “That’s good,” she says, her tone carefully neutral. “Daddy’s very strong already, though. ”

Maria chuckles. “I can see that. But even strong dads need help sometimes.”

Phoebe’s lips press into a thin line, and she sidles closer to me, resting her hand on my arm. “He doesn’t need too much help,” she says lightly, her words carrying a subtle edge of possession.

I suppress a smile, pulling gently on one of her pig tails. “Maria’s just here to help me with my exercises, Love. That’s all.”

Phoebe nods but doesn’t say anything else, her eyes lingering on Maria for a moment longer before she climbs onto the mat beside me. “Can I do physio with you?”

Maria smiles, clearly amused. “If your dad doesn’t mind, I can show you an exercise or two.”

Phoebe glances at me, her expression softening slightly. “Only if Daddy wants to.”

“I’d like that,” I say, nudging her playfully. “Just don’t show me up, yeah?”

Phoebe giggles, and Maria spends the next few minutes teaching her a simple stretch while I work through another set of leg lifts. By the time the session wraps up, the tension in the room has eased, though Phoebe’s watchful gaze never fully leaves Maria.

As Maria gathers her things to leave, Phoebe gives her a polite smile. “Thank you for helping Daddy,” she says sweetly.

Maria nods, glancing between us with a smile. “You’re welcome. He’s lucky to have you around to keep him motivated.”

Once Maria leaves, Phoebe turns to me, climbing into my lap with a grin. “You don’t need too much help, Daddy. Just enough. ”

I laugh, pulling her close. “Don’t worry, Love. I’m in good hands—yours included.”

Katie reappears in the doorway, wiping her hands on a towel. “Lunch will be ready in a bit. You want me to bring it here, or are you coming out to the table?”

“I’ll come out,” I say, grabbing my crutches and slowly pushing myself up. Phoebe hops down and picks up one of the crutches, holding it out to me with a flourish.

“Here, Daddy,” she says proudly.

“Thanks, Firecracker." Katie didn't need to come over. I could have done it myself; I am a lot better, and she knows that. But the fact that she is here gives me hope. For once, I don't want to dwell on the mistakes I made in the past. No, now it's time to fight for them. And maybe, just maybe we can have a second chance.

The house is quiet after lunch, the kind of stillness that feels like a luxury. Phoebe had eaten her fill and promptly passed out in her room, her stuffed rabbit clutched tightly to her chest. I’d checked on her briefly before heading to find Katie, wondering what she was up to.

It doesn’t take long. I find her in my bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by piles of neatly folded laundry. She’s holding a pair of my socks, carefully rolling them into a ball and setting them aside with a pile of their mates.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” I say, leaning against the doorway with a faint smile .

She looks up, startled for a moment before her lips curve into a wry grin. “I know. But you’d never match these properly, and it’s driving me mad.”

Chuckling, I step into the room and lower myself carefully onto the edge of the bed. My back protests the movement, but I ignore it, focusing instead on the sight of her surrounded by my clothes. “You’re saving me from sartorial disaster. Truly heroic.”

“Someone has to be the hero,” she quips, reaching for another pair of socks.

I watch her for a moment, the comfortable silence stretching between us. Her fingers move deftly, folding and smoothing, but there’s a tension in her shoulders that I don’t miss.

“Something on your mind?” I ask, leaning back slightly on my hands.

She hesitates, her hands pausing mid-fold. Then she sighs, setting the socks down in her lap. “I had a dream about you last night,” she says quietly.

I raise an eyebrow. “Good dream or bad dream?”

Her cheeks flush, and she looks away, suddenly very interested in the socks. “Both,” she mutters.

“Both?” I echo, leaning forward slightly. “You’re going to have to explain that one.”

She shifts uncomfortably, the blush creeping up her neck. “It started off... nice,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “Really nice.”

I blink, caught off guard by the admission. But then it clicks, and a slow smile spreads across my face. “Oh,” I say, my tone teasing. “One of those dreams.”

“Don’t,” she groans, covering her face with her hands. “It’s embarrassing enough already. ”

“I’m flattered, honestly,” I say, grinning.

Her hands drop, and she glares at me, though her cheeks are still pink. “I should’ve known you’d be insufferable about this.”

I chuckle, but the amusement fades as I notice the tension creeping back into her expression. “What happened?” I ask gently. “Why did it turn bad?”

She hesitates, fiddling with the edge of the sheet. “We were together,” she says slowly, her voice softer now. “It was... intense, but in a good way. And then everything shifted. You were walking down this long corridor, heading toward a cliff. I kept calling out for you to stop, but you wouldn’t. I couldn’t catch up to you, and then you... you fell.”

Her voice breaks slightly, and she looks down, her hands twisting in her lap.

Without thinking, I reach out and grab her ankles, pulling her gently toward me. She lets out a soft gasp as I draw her closer, her legs now stretched out on either side of me.

“Hey,” I say, my hands resting lightly on her calves. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Her eyes meet mine, wide and filled with something raw and unspoken. “It felt so real,” she whispers. “Like I lost you all over again.”

“You didn’t,” I say firmly. “And you won’t. Not like that.”

She swallows hard, her gaze dropping briefly before flicking back up to meet mine. The tension in her shoulders eases slightly, though her expression remains guarded .

I wait, giving her the space to find her words. There’s something in her eyes, a flicker of vulnerability that tugs at something deep inside me.

“I’ve been thinking,” she says softly, her hands fidgeting with the edge of the sheet. “About everything. About us.”

There is so much I’d like to say, but I stay silent, letting her continue.

“After the divorce, I thought the fear would go away,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. “I thought I’d be able to breathe again, but it didn’t work that way. I still worried about you, every time you went on a trip, every time I saw a headline about something dangerous happening somewhere in the world. It didn’t stop. Because…”

Her voice trails off, and she looks away, her hands still twisting in the sheet.

“Because the love never left,” she finally says, her voice trembling. “And with you gone, all I was left with was the fear. The fear and the emptiness. No late-night laughs, no shared looks when Phoebe did something silly, no...”

She takes a shaky breath, her eyes locking onto mine. “I think we made a mistake, Will. I think I made a mistake.”

Her words hit me like a freight train, and for a moment, I can’t speak. My heart is racing, a swirl of emotions I can barely keep straight flooding through me.

“Do you want to try again?” I ask, my voice low but steady.

Her eyes widen slightly, and for a moment, she just stares at me, like she’s trying to decide if this is real. Then she nods, her lips curving into a tentative, hopeful smile. “Yes,” she whispers.

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I lean forward, my hands cupping her face as I press my lips to hers .

It’s not a kiss of desperation or urgency. It’s soft, full of quiet relief and a tentative hope that maybe, just maybe, we can find our way back to each other.

When we pull apart, her forehead rests against mine, her breath mingling with mine in the quiet.

“If I have to live with the fear,” she says softly, her voice trembling with emotion, “then I want the reward too. I want the love, the laughter... all of it.”

I smile, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You’ll have it,” I promise.

She pulls back slightly, her eyes searching mine. “I swear I won’t ever complain about your tri—"

“I talked to Aaron,” I cut her off gently.

Her brow furrows in confusion. “What about?”

“I’m not going on missions anymore,” I tell her. “Not for work. Aaron and I are hiring more freelancers, shifting the focus to crisis management and training here in the UK. I’ll still be involved, but I’ll be based at home.”

Her eyes widen, her lips parting in shock. “Will, you don’t have to—”

“I’m not doing it for you,” I say firmly, cutting her off before she can protest. “I mean, yes, you and Phoebe are part of it. But I’m doing it for me too. I’ve been running for years—throwing myself into the field, convincing myself it’s the only thing I’m good at. But it’s not who I want to be anymore. I want to be here. With you. With Phoebe.”

Her lips tremble, her eyes filling with tears. “Are you sure?”

I nod, my hands still cradling her face. “I’m sure. I want this, Katie. I want us. You and Phoebe are my only mission from now on. I love you. ”

A tear slips down her cheek, and she laughs softly, wiping it away. “You always know how to make a moment,” she teases, her voice thick with emotion. “I love you.”

I grin, leaning in to kiss her again, this time slower, deeper. When we finally pull apart, she rests her head on my shoulder, her body melting into mine.

For the first time in years, I feel like we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. Together.