7. Lilah
LILAH
S teele and I are nestled against each other on the couch as the television casts a warm, flickering glow across the room. We’ve somehow gotten sucked into a cooking competition, both pretending we don’t care while low-key rooting for opposite teams.
His arm is draped over the back of the cushions, fingers idly playing with a strand of my hair.
Over the past week, we’ve fallen into an easy and comfortable rhythm. For the first time since my life imploded, I feel like I’m going to be okay.
I’m knocked from those thoughts when my phone buzzes on the coffee table.
Mom.
With a groan, I flop back against the cushion. “Ugh. I was really hoping to avoid this convo for a few more days.”
Or, ideally, the rest of my life.
Steele glances at the screen and then at me. “You don’t have to answer it.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say, nibbling my lower lip. “But if I don’t, she’ll just keep calling. And texting. And emailing. If she figures out where I’ve been hiding, she’ll show up downstairs. ”
Steele snorts. “We can give Tommy her photo and instructions to throw her out if she tries anything.”
That mental image has a laugh slipping out before I can stop it.
“We both know she’d file a formal complaint with the building association.”
Steele reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze. His thumb runs a slow circle over the back of it that’s both steady and grounding. “I’m right here, lucky charm.”
Even though the gesture is a simple one, it means everything.
This man is always there for me. Any time things fall apart, he’s the one standing by my side, holding the pieces with me. No matter how many times I tell myself it’s just who he is, it still makes my heart trip.
After steadying myself, I swipe to answer. “Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“Oh, Lilah,” she sighs. “Honestly? It’s been an absolute nightmare of a week.
The dry cleaner ruined my favorite silk blouse, the neighbors are back at it with their construction, and your father’s golf swing—don’t even get me started.
All those lessons with the country club pro, and he still can’t break ninety.
Sometimes I have to wonder what we’re even doing with our lives. ”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
“And we haven’t heard from you in weeks. Are you alive, darling? Or did you finally run off to join that cult in Oregon I warned you about?”
Across from me, Steele lifts a brow, clearly amused. I shoot him a glare and silently mouth, “ Stop it.”
“I’m alive,” I say, keeping my voice even. “Just dealing with a few things.”
“Oh? What kind of things?”
That’s all it takes for my stomach to knot. Steele slides his hand into mine and gives it a gentle squeeze.
Here goes nothing.
“Devon and I broke up.”
There’s a pause followed by a sharp inhale. “What do you mean you broke up?”
“I mean exactly that. We ended things.”
“Lilah Jane,” she bites out, her displeasure slicing through the phone. “Fix it.”
My jaw drops. No matter what kind of response I was expecting, that wasn’t it.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, young lady. Call him and apologize. Profusely, if necessary. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s nothing that can’t be resolved. Do I need to remind you that Devon Peterson comes from a very respectable family?”
I blink, stunned by her reaction. “Mom, he cheated on me.”
There’s a brief silence and then a huff. “Well, men make mistakes. That doesn’t mean you throw away an entire relationship over a minor indiscretion.”
I glance at Steele and shake my head, unable to believe the words coming out of her mouth. His jaw is clenched, eyes burning like he’s one second away from grabbing the phone and telling Caroline Monroe exactly where she can go.
“Mom,” I say carefully, each word deliberate. “He’s having a baby with another woman. One of the associates at the firm.”
The silence that follows is deafening. It stretches long enough for my heart to start racing and my palms to turn slick. Steele’s hand settles on my back, warm and reassuring. It’s his silent way of telling me I’m not alone as well as nudging me to rip off the Band-Aid and get the rest out.
“And… I’m no longer working there.”
My mother exhales sharply. “Oh my God, you were fired?”
“What? No.” I blink. “Not exactly fired.”
“You just said you’re not working there anymore. ”
“That’s because Devon thought it would be best if I didn’t come back,” I grit out. “And honestly? He wasn’t wrong. After everything that happened, there’s no way I could’ve stayed.”
There’s a beat.
“Lilah, you can’t just throw away your career over something so?—”
“He’s the one who threw it away,” I snap, my voice cracking as emotion claws its way up my throat. “Not me.”
Another silence follows, but this one feels different.
Heavier.
Final.
I grip the phone tighter, forcing a calm I don’t feel.
“I know you liked him and were hoping we’d get married, but it hasn’t been right for a while.
And I kept holding on, trying to force it, because I didn’t want to let anyone down.
” I blink hard against the sting in my eyes.
“But in the end, I was the one left disappointed. I’m sorry if you had this picture in your head of how my life was supposed to look.
But that vision? It’s not yours to shape.
It’s mine. And for once, I’m doing what’s right for me. ”
She falls quiet again before asking gently, “Are you okay?”
I glance at Steele and give him a slight smile. “Yeah,” I say. “I think so.”
She makes a vague noise and mutters something about talking later. And then we say our goodbyes, and I hang up. My shoulders drop as I set the phone down.
Steele wraps an arm around me and gently pulls me against him. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Thanks for holding my hand through that.”
His lips brush the top of my head. “Haven’t you figured out by now that I’ll always be here, holding your hand any time you need it?”
I stay tucked into his side as the TV hums in the background, a blur of sound and color I barely register .
For the first time in what feels like forever, I said what needed to be said.
And it felt good. Freeing in a way I hadn’t realized I was desperate for.
Like I’m finally starting to find my way back to myself.