Page 322 of Safe With You

“You look like yourself again.”

My hand stilled around the bottle. “What does that mean?”

“It means what I said.”

“I’ve been myself.”

“I know.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’m not saying you haven’t.”

“Sounds like you are.”

“No.” She paused. “You’ve been good, Ellis.”

I didn’t say anything.

“You’ve been taking care of Mila. Working. Doing your little pictures.”

“My little pictures pay my bills.”

“You know what I mean.”

I did.

She looked toward the hallway before continuing. “You’ve been good, Ellis. You built a life. A good one.”

“Okay.”

“But for a long time, that was enough for you.”

I looked at her. “It was supposed to be.”

The words came out before I decided whether I wanted to say them.

Tasha’s face softened, and I looked down at the bottle in my hand.

After Elena died, enough became a word I used a lot.

Mila was enough. My work was enough. Family was enough. The house, the routines, school pickups and editing pictures after Mila went to sleep.

None of it was a lie.

I loved my daughter more than anything in this world. I loved what I did. I loved the life I managed to build after losing one I thought I’d have forever.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped asking whether I wanted anything else.

Tasha tapped one finger against the table.

“That’s all I’m saying.”

I looked at her.

“You said a lot more than that.”

“I usually do.”

“That I agree with.”

She smiled.