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“Ma’am,” Lee chokes out. “That is…I mean, we are…”
Guinevere stands, coming round to my side of the desk and wrap her arms around my shoulders. “Thank you so much.”
I pat her arm awkwardly. “Yes, well. Don’t thank me too much, it’s all part of an elaborate plot to make sure neither of you leave.”
They both chuckle and Guinevere goes back to her seat, reaching for Lee’s hand. “This is incredible,” she marvels. “And I told you, I’m not leaving until you ask me to.”
“Stuck with us for life,” Lee agrees with a bright smile. He then looks to Guinevere with a look I can’t interpret and she nods.
“This might be the best time to tell you then.” She takes a deep breath and levels me with a serious eye. “We’re expecting.”
“Expecting?” I ask, waiting for the end of that sentence. “Expecting what?” A pay rise?
“A baby, Annika,” Guinevere laughs.
My jaw drops. “Oh.”
“But don’t worry,” she adds quickly. “I will manage to keep working, I won’t let you down.”
Let me down? That’s what she’s thinking right now?
I stand, my legs moving without thought and come to a stand in front of her chair. I don’t really know how to do this. “Stand up,” I bark.
They both do and I pull Guinevere into a hug, squeezing her tight and letting her do the same to me. “I’m so happy for you,” I whisper against her hair, and I feel the wetness of her eyes at my shoulder. When we break away, I give Lee a hug too. He’s a bit more awkward but smiles down at me with his own tears filling his eyes.
“Don’t tell my mum,” he warns. “She’ll have my head if she finds out we told you first.”
I laugh. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Back in the kitchen, Guinevere pulls a huge cake from the fridge decorated in greens and yellows with a perfect picture of Princess Tiana on top. Keeley squeals and bounces on Stuart’s lap as the boys clear away the game so the cake can be placed in front of her.
“Don’t forget to make a wish, princesa,” Harvey says, lighting the seven candles.
“What should I wish for?” Keeley asks Mabel.
“Whatever you want, Kee,” Mabel chuckles.
Keeley shrugs. “I’ve got everything I want.”
The room collectively sighs and ahs. But Harvey boos. “Cheesy!” he complains and Keeley giggles.
“Okay, I know what I want.” She closes her eyes, thinking her wish into fruition and then opens them to blow out her candles. We clap and cheer. Lorraine plants a kiss on Keeley’s cheek and Guinevere hands out paper plates, I take one but won’t be partaking.
Harvey comes over to me with a huge slice of cake on his plate and I roll my eyes. He breaks a piece of sponge off with his fork and holds it out for me but I just raise a brow at him.
“You’ll like it,” he sing-songs.
“I doubt that.”
“Do you trust me,rainha?” he asks, his voice dropping to a rumbling bass and his meaning clear that we aren’t just talking about cake.
I feel my face softening, that radiating warmth in my chest burning in the best possible way and I lean in, taking the bite of sweetness into my mouth. “With my whole heart,” I say, kissing him on the cheek. The cake is sweet and coconutty with a zesty lime flavour to cut through the richness. It’s delicious.
Of course it is, because Harvey told me it would be and I trust him with all that I have and all that I am. As I stand in what was once an empty house and watch my newfound family laugh and play, it finally settles like a good, hot meal on an empty stomach. My house burnt down but in its stead, I’ve built a home. One built on love and trust.
