Chapter 51
Chapter fifty-one
Sitting in Rosa’s room, on the edge of the bed Rosa had slept in alone all these years, was grounding for Billy.
The furniture was different; the bed covers not what they’d have chosen together.
The pictures on the wall were of Imogen and times they’d spent together—times that had included Billy, before they’d parted ways.
Imogen was so tiny. Rosa was just as beautiful, even in her tired, just-given-birth state.
The closest Billy had come to Rosa’s bed before now were the small, snatched glimpses during their late-night video calls. Now, she was planning to spend the night—invited into the sanctuary. She was aware of how important this was—how big a moment they were sharing.
Rosa’s bed had remained empty all these years—not because she couldn’t have filled it if she’d wanted to. God knows there would have been enough admirers, Billy considered. A small wave of jealousy rolled over her at that thought. She sat with it for a moment, acknowledged it, and let it pass.
She heard voices in the hall below. The house shook gently as the door closed. A moment later, she smiled to herself as Rosa called up that the coast was clear.
Billy clattered down the stairs, laughing. “Oh my goodness,” she said when she finally made it to the bottom. “I honestly thought you’d be sneaking me out and I’d have to get a cab home.”
Rosa rolled her eyes. “Thankfully not, but it was a close call.”
Pulling Rosa into her arms, Billy said, “She’s going to find out eventually.”
“And when she does, it will be because we sit her down and tell her, not because she catches us acting like horny teenagers.”
“I do kind of enjoy that aspect, though.”
Rosa stared up into Billy’s eyes, a smile spreading across her lips. “I do too.”
“So…back upstairs?” She turned to pull Rosa in that direction but found herself held fast.
“Not so fast. I want to talk first.”
“Alright. Lead the way.”
Billy sat down where Imogen had been sitting and noticed the still-steaming, untouched cup of tea. She picked it up and took a sip.
Rosa sat at the opposite end, turning to face her. She reached for her own cup and sipped.
“Imogen has a football match tomorrow and I told her I’d ask if you’d like to come along and watch… with me, as her family.”
“Yes,” Billy said instantly. “Absolutely.”
“I thought you’d say that, but I didn’t want to get her hopes up, and I don’t want to give her a false impression—”
“Even if it’s the right impression.” Billy grinned at her. “I understand. You want us to appear as a unit, but be very much two separate parents who are getting along for the sake of their daughter, and are secretly sleeping with each other, with plans of getting back together.”
“Something like that, yes,” Rosa answered.
“Alright, I can do that.” She sipped more tea. “We’ll arrive separately, enjoy a civil couple of hours cheering our girl on, and then go—”
“To the café and let her enjoy an afternoon with both of her parents while she talks animatedly about the game and anything else she wants to share with us.”
Billy smiled slowly. “And if this goes well, we will do it again?”
“I imagine so,” Rosa said. “I want to give her as much of what she wants from us as we can give her.”
“I am open to spending as much time with both of you as I can.”
“Okay.” Rosa placed her mug down. “Now we can go upstairs.”