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And though I know it might be years before we have another, I marvel at how far we’ve come. Somehow we’ve made it through the first months of Max’s life by the skin of our teeth. Battered but not broken. It makes me proud. Lucky. Not everybody gets second chances at love, at life. But we’ve got it and we’re taking it, letting life lead us where it wants to.
And it feels good.
It feels amazing.
It’s everything.
EPILOGUE
2 months later
I hold up a chipped mug with the words ‘Aussies do it better’ emblazoned in red across the front. “You want to pack this?”
David grabs it from my hands. “Of course. It’s my favourite mug.”
“I’ve never seen it before. And what exactly is it that you do better?”
“Oh, surfing, sex, life.” He gives me a smile that’s full of happiness. He’s only back for a few days, just long enough to finish packing up his flat. Then everything’s being shipped back to the northern territories. To Mathilda. To home. He’s finally got a custody agreement and he’s chomping at the bit to start it.
“So…” I wrap glass in bubble wrap and glance across at Max. He’s sound asleep on a pile of cushions. His fingers are bunched in his mouth and he’s slurping rhythmically. “Have you seen Andie since you’ve been back?”
It’s none of my business, I know that, but I’ll be seeing her on Sunday and I don't know what to say. Since David left six weeks ago she’s not mentioned him once. But there’s been this expression on her face that makes me want to cry. She looks so sad.
“She won’t talk to me.”
“Have you tried?”
He looks resigned. Eyes downcast. “Yeah, I’ve tried calling her. Texting her. I even wrote her a letter. Nothing.” His shrug does nothing to make me feel better. There’s too much emotion bunched in those shoulders.
“Maybe she needs time.”
His smile doesn’t meet his eyes. “I’m going to be nearly ten thousand miles away. If she’s not talking to me now, I can’t see that helping much.”
“Maybe I can talk to her?” I offer.
He smiles again, bumping his shoulder against mine. “Just because you’re all loved up, doesn’t mean everybody else has to be. You can’t sort out everybody’s lives, Lara.”
I sigh. “But you were here for me when I needed you. I want to help you in return.”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“Well, it should.”
The door opens and Alex walks in, carrying a corrugated cardboard tray of coffees. Placing it down on the bare table in the middle of the room, he pulls out a Styrofoam cup, passing it to me. As much as I want to carry on the conversation, I know I can’t, because this is Alex’s sister we’re talking about, and Alex is blissfully unaware of her relationship with David. That sort of thing will only ruin the small entente that David and Alex have managed to build.
I may be nosy, I may be well-meaning, but I’m not an idiot.
“How’s it going?” Alex asks. “Do you need any more boxes?” We have a stash of them upstairs. It’s in disarray. Half our things are packed, while the other half is in piles where we’ve been trying to empty the drawers and cupboards. Max has been wearing the same three outfits for the past few days. I wash an
d dry them when he’s asleep.
I don’t care. I’m so excited to finally be moving into a flat with two bedrooms, I’d happily live out of boxes for years.
“Better than yours, or so I hear.”
I try not to grin.
“Kids have a lot of stuff,” Alex says.
