Page 11 of Better Than Expected

It was a warm day, and the warmth of Caroline’s body was only inches away from being pressed against her. But it didn’t make her feel too hot, feel the need to move away.

Instead… she felt safe.

It was so odd. So silly, really, because even if she had fallen, she would have been absolutely fine.

But, as she gazed down at Caroline, who was looking up at her with an indecipherable look on her face, she realized that this safety wasn’t just about this fall.

“I got you, don’t worry,” Caroline murmured, giving her a little smile with just the edge of her lips. “Just take a second.”

It was in that moment, with the sun beaming down brightly, her daughter laughing, and knowing that she had nothing hanging over her head, that she truly realized how free she’d felt.

And in this exact moment, how utterly protected.

And both feelings came at the hands of the woman giving her a small, inquisitive smile.

She was free from Michael, she’d walked away knowing Abbie had her best interests all taken care of, she was getting her own life back and… it was all good.

She was lucky Caroline hadn’t walked away after the divorce, and not just because Abbie loved her, she acknowledged for the first time. But because she’d come to love Caroline, too. She was the best friend she’d ever had.

“You good?” Caroline asked.

Hannah nodded after a long moment, before shaking her head at herself and releasing Caroline from her hold. “I – sorry, yeah. Got a little lost in my own thoughts.”

Caroline gave her a curious look, because she was far from an idiot, but didn’t ask. She rarely asked, and Hannah appreciated that a lot.

She let her arms drop quickly, before giving Caroline a self-deprecating look. “You’re always saving me.”

She shook her head as the words came out; she’d intended them to be playful, but… they rang so true. So true that it almost upset her; if she wasn’t careful enough, she’d rely far too much on Caroline.

She sometimes feared she already did.

“Oof,” Caroline grunted as Abbie skated right into her side.

“Come play with us?” Abbie asked, tilting her head up at Caroline.

Who gave Hannah an apologetic smile. “Duty calls… you good?” She asked again.

Hannah nodded and smiled warmly. “I am good.”

She was.

Her life, thanks to Caroline, was very, very good. And she wasn’t going to let herself get too bogged down in that, not today.

August 9 – Last Year

Hannahhad spent her daughter’s entire birthday party in a fog. The same fog she’d been living in since one o’clock in the morning.

Since that moment, time had seemed to stop and be stamped in her mind. Since the moment she’d come so close to being kissed for the first time in years.

By Caroline.

She hadn’t quite known how they’d gotten to that point in the night, that led Caroline to leaning into her, lips hovering just over Hannah’s own. So close, it had shocked her and she’d moved to push Caroline away by taking a fistful of her camisole, but –

Then Abbie had come running in, thankfully. Because if Caroline had kissed her or if she’d pushed her away first, it could have been disastrous for them.

But she knew that she’d have regretted it big time. She’d felt terrible all night, needing to apologize and move on.

Everything should be okay, she thought, since Caroline had come to the party and they’d apologized and said things could be normal. But it had only been a couple of hours and she could already feel that things were not normal.

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