CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
WYNTER
I linger outside Ray’s office for a few seconds after the door closes behind me.
My fingers drift unconsciously to my stomach, my mind still trying to catch up with everything that just happened in there.
I’m already in love with both of you.
The words replay on a loop in my head, making my chest feel tight and strangely warm all at once. I should feel relieved. Happy even.Instead, I feel unsteady. Like one conversation with Ray has shifted the ground beneath my feet, and I’m not entirely sure whether to trust it yet.
Taking a steadying breath, I head towards the kitchen. Voices drift down the hallway before I even reach it. Lucy’s laugh. Catherine’s softer one following after.
The second I step inside, both women look up.
“Well, there she is,” Lucy says, narrowing her eyes immediately. “You were gone for a suspiciously long time.”
Heat creeps into my cheeks instantly. Catherine notices first, her brows lifting slightly over the rim of her wine glass. Oh god.
“Relax,” I mutter, moving towards the fridge. “Nothing happened.”
Lucy snorts. “That sounds exactly like something someone says after something happened.”
I grab a bottle of water just to give myself something to do.
“What did he want?” Lucy asks casually, though there’s nothing casual about the sharpness in her eyes.
“Nothing.”
“Wynter.”
I sigh heavily, twisting the bottle cap. “Can you not do the scary interrogation thing for five minutes?”
“No.”
Catherine laughs quietly into her drink.
Lucy leans back against the counter, her arms folded. “You disappeared into his office looking like you were marching to your execution. You came back looking . . .” Her eyes narrow further. “Confused.”
That is painfully accurate. I take a long drink of water to avoid answering.
“Sweetheart,” Lucy says more gently this time, “what did he say?”
I glance between them both before exhaling slowly.
“We called a truce.”
Lucy’s expression immediately turns suspicious.
“A truce,” she repeats flatly.
“For the baby,” I add quickly. “We agreed we should try to get along.”
“That sounds dangerously mature,” Catherine murmurs approvingly.
Lucy still looks unconvinced. “And?”
“And,” I shrug awkwardly, “I’d appreciate it if you stopped trying to verbally assault him every time he enters a room.”
Lucy gasps dramatically. “I beg your pardon?”
I fight a smile. “You called him emotionally traumatising over lunch.”
“He is emotionally traumatising.”
“Lucy.”
She studies me carefully for a long moment. Then slowly, her brows lift.
“Oh my god,” she breathes. “You like him again.”
My entire body heats instantly. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Catherine outright laughs now.
“I don’t like him,” I argue weakly.
Lucy points at me accusingly. “That was the least convincing thing you’ve ever said.”
I groan, covering my face briefly with one hand. “Can we please not do this? I’m having his baby. It would be helpful if we just all got along.”
Catherine sets her wine glass down with a small smile. “Actually, I think this is progress.”
Lucy looks horrified. “You’ve been infected too?”
Catherine ignores her completely. “Maybe the four of us should have dinner together.”
I blink. “What?”
“It might help,” she says simply. “You clearly care about each other, even if you’re both terrible at showing it.”
Lucy mutters something under her breath about emotional incompetence.
“And,” Catherine continues smoothly, “it’ll give Lucy the chance to get to know Ray properly instead of treating him like a criminal mastermind.”
“I still think he resembles one,” Lucy replies.
I laugh despite myself.
Catherine smiles knowingly at me. “What do you think?”
Before I can answer, Lucy points a warning finger my way. “If this man hurts you, I reserve the right to ruin his life.”
“Noted,” I mutter.
But secretly? The idea of sitting beside Ray at dinner suddenly doesn’t sound nearly as terrifying as it should.
Surprisingly, Ray agreed to dinner.
Not only agreed—he asked where I wanted to go.
It feels like progress.
But now, sitting beside him in the little Italian restaurant I spotted during one of my sleepless walks through the city, nerves twist low in my stomach.
The place is warm and softly lit, tucked away down a quiet side street, all candlelight and dark wood tables. It’s intimate enough that every glance feels loaded.
Lucy stares at her menu, though I doubt she’s absorbed a single word. Her eyes keep flicking towards me like she’s trying to work out what’s changed.
Honestly? So am I.
Catherine browses the wine list far more successfully, sipping from the glass Ray chose for the table. My eyes linger on it longingly.
I’d kill for a large glass of wine right now. Just enough to dull the strange tension humming beneath my skin.
Beside me, Ray inhales slowly before setting his menu down.
“I didn’t realise this place was here,” he says, glancing around before his eyes settle on me. “Good choice.”
Warmth creeps unexpectedly into my cheeks. “I passed it one night when I couldn’t sleep.”
His brow furrows immediately. “You were walking around alone at night?”
I laugh softly. “Yeah. I do that a lot when my brain won’t switch off.”
Lucy places her menu down. “She used to sleepwalk too,” she says fondly.
I groan instantly. “No.”
“Oh yes.” Her grin widens. “One time, we caught her peeing in the garden.”
Catherine bursts into laughter. Even Ray lets out a surprised snort beside me.
“I was six,” I mutter, sinking lower in my chair.
Lucy waves a dismissive hand. “Still counts.”
For the first time all evening, the tension eases slightly. Then Lucy turns her attention onto Ray.
“What about you?” she asks, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Any embarrassing childhood stories?”
I glance at him warily, silently apologising in advance.
Ray pauses for a moment before giving a small shrug. “Not that I remember.”
“Of course not,” Lucy mutters. “You’re far too controlled.”
“Lucy,” I hiss quietly.
But Ray doesn’t react the way I expect. Instead, he reaches for his water calmly. “I had to be. I grew up in care,” he says simply. “You learn pretty quickly to take care of yourself.”
Lucy’s expression shifts immediately to guilt.
“And when you spend most of your childhood trying not to be a burden,” he continues evenly, “fun and games tend to come after survival.”
Something aches painfully in my heart at how casually he says it. Like he’s long since accepted it.
“Embarrassing stories require adults who were around long enough to remember them,” he adds with the smallest shrug.
Silence settles heavily over the table, and I inwardly scream at Lucy for ruining the moment.
Then Ray glances up again. “Although Dale could probably tell you a thousand stories from when we were teenagers. Unfortunately, he remembers everything.”
The tension breaks just enough for Catherine to smile. Thankfully, the waiter appears then, and I release a quiet breath of relief as we order our food.
Once he leaves, I turn towards Catherine. “So, how’s retirement treating you?”
She sighs dramatically. “Boring.”
We all laugh.
“It’s nice not constantly working,” she admits. “But I’ve spent so long being needed that the silence feels unnaturally loud.”
Lucy nods knowingly. “If I had to spend every day with Alec, I’d lose my mind.”
Catherine laughs into her wine. “Did you never want children?”
Lucy shakes her head. “Not originally.” Her eyes drift briefly towards me. “No offence.”
“None taken.”
“But then I met my John when I was twenty,” she says softly, her entire expression changing at the mention of him.
“And suddenly I wanted everything with him.” Emotion tightens her voice slightly.
“We found out later I couldn’t have children naturally anyway.
” She gives a small shrug. “Then a year after that, he died.”
Catherine’s face softens immediately. “I’m so sorry.”
“Car accident,” I explain quietly.
Lucy nods once. “And after that . . . I just never looked at anyone else the same way.” Her fingers curl loosely around her wine glass.
“Nobody ever came close to making me feel what John did.” The sadness in her voice aches somewhere deep in my chest. “But I was never short of love,” she adds quickly, reaching across to squeeze my hand.
“After Carol died, I moved in with my brother to help raise this one.” She smiles at me fondly.
“And we’ve been stuck together ever since. ”
I smile back softly. “Losing John is what pushed Lucy into nursing,” I tell them.
Ray nods thoughtfully. “I imagine that’s incredibly rewarding work.”
Lucy looks at him for a long moment before speaking again. “John and I were actually in the process of adopting before he passed.”
I blink in surprise. “You never told me that.”
A sad smile touches her lips. “There are too many children out there who deserve safe homes.” Her gaze flicks briefly towards Ray. “It felt like the right thing to do.”
Something unreadable passes across Ray’s face.
“But after John died,” she exhales slowly, “I lost my fight for a while. I convinced myself I couldn’t do it alone.” Her fingers tighten slightly around her glass. “It’s one of the biggest regrets of my life.”
Quiet settles around the table again, then Ray speaks.
“It’s something I’ve thought about before too.” Lucy’s brows lift slightly. “But with Sebastian and Anika, life always got busy.” His gaze drops briefly to the table before lifting again. “Maybe one day.”
I glance towards Lucy and catch something surprising in her expression. Admiration. And suddenly, my chest feels strangely full. Maybe tonight really is changing something.
“He already does more than most people realise,” Catherine says proudly. Ray visibly stiffens beside me. “He donates to three local children’s homes,” she continues. “And several charities supporting children in care.”
“Catherine—”