“What are you going to do?”
“Well, we made a list. A bucket list.”
“Mom, are you—”
“Everyone is fine, Addison.” She laughs, realizing where my mind was going. “Everyone is healthy and very happy about this. We just made a list of places we want to see and things we want to do. We’ve traveled all over for work, but never really been anywhere. We decided it’s time to start living instead of waiting.”
“You’re really serious about this.”
“Yes.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “Life is made up of moments. I want more of them, especially while we can still climb mountains and take dance lessons without needing a hip replacement.”
I giggle, but something in my chest twists too, because it’s also so unexpectedly romantic.
“You seem so much lighter and happier,” I admit. I’ve never seen Mom this settled before, and I’ve watched her work a boardroom like no one's business. “I’m really happy for you, Mom.”
She sets her coffee down and studies me, smiling. “You also seem… happy and light lately, Addison. Anything going on with you?”
I hesitate, completely aware of what’s making me seem that way, but unsure of how to explain it. I won’t lie to my mother, and she’d pull it out of me by force anyway.
“Okay… don’t read into this too much,” I start, fiddling with the sleeve of my hoodie. “You know, Oliver, right? I’ve told you about him.”
“The team captain, yes?” she asks. I nod, then her smile turns wicked. “And the man whose hoodie you're wearing?”
Shit.
I glance down and realize I completely forgot I’m wearing his hoodie. It’s a soft, gray hoodie with the logo of the pub in his hometown—the one his childhood friend’s family owns.
“Well, yeah.” I laugh nervously. No sense dancing around this now. “So… we’re kind of… dating. It’s casual. Just for the season.”
Her eyebrows lift, and she gives me that sharp, assessing look she seems to have perfected. “Casual, huh?”
“Yes.”
“And you really think you can keep it casual? Just enjoy it for the season and walk away at the end?”
“I do,” I insist. “We agreed on it. Honestly, it feels good to just be together without all the pressure.”
“But maybe it feels good to just be together because you’re right for each other.”
“Mom,” I warn.
She smiles softly. “I won’t press it. If it makes you happy in the now, then I’m glad you have it.” She pauses for a moment. “But I need you to remember this, Addison. Your life is made up of moments too. Don’t wait too long for them.”
I head down the hallway toward Addison’s flat. It feels like mine too sometimes with how often I’m here. I let myself in with the key she pretends she didn’t mean to give me. It sits on my keyring like it belongs there.
The warm scent of something sweet hits me immediately—cinnamon, I think. Whatever it is, it just smells like comfort, and after today's grueling training session, I need it.
I kick off my trainers and drop my bag by the door. Her face lights up when she hears me come in, and I swear I could come home to that every day.
“Did you move at all today?” I call out, teasing as I look into the lounge. Addison is curled up on the sofa in my hoodie, in just about the same spot I left her in this morning.
“Well, I walked to the kitchen,” she says, grinning. “And back. Twice.”
“Heroic.”
“I know.”
I lean over the back of the couch and press a kiss to the top of her head. “Good day?”
