Page 48 of Anatomy of Us

“We won,” she repeats.

I pull back and lift Wesley out of the high chair. I hug him to my chest while he grabs my hair with sticky fingers from whatever he’s been eating.

“You’re going to spend some weekends with Dad,” I tell him. “Not many. Just some. And Mom’s going to be here waiting every time you come back. And Tess too, okay?”

Wesley stares at me with that serious face he makes when he’s trying to understand the universe.

“Bah,” he mutters.

“Exactly,” I whisper. “Well said, kiddo.”

Chapter 16

Tessa

My phone vibrates again on the counter where I left it hours ago, face down. It’s probably packed with notifications I don’t read. The whole digital ecosystem is reacting to the photo Zoe posted last night at 11:32. Exactly four minutes after she asked me if I’m ready.

No. I’m not ready. I’m never going to be ready for the world to grade us in comment sections. I’m not a star, but I’m back in her life, and I guess this is part of the deal.

So I lie and tell her yes.

Because it turns out there are things worse than not being ready. Like hiding. Like running to Germany the way I did seven years ago. Like being the person who leaves someone stranded because the feeling gets too big.

And because the photo is… good. Really good.

The two of us on the couch, Wesley asleep on my chest. He stayed there after he finally stopped crying, and Zoe pulled out her phone before I could move him.

The lamp light turns everything warm and soft in a way that feels unfair. My hand on the baby’s back, my other hand curved around his head like I’m built to protect him. And most of all, the look on my face that I don’t even realize I’m making. Proof, plain as day, that I love that kid like he’s mine.

The caption is simple. One word: “Family.”

Likes and comments hit right away. A number that feels insane to me. By 12:30 I stop looking.

Zoe watches me from the bathroom, wiping Wesley’s face with a baby wipe while he protests like he’s being assaulted.

“You know your phone doesn’t bite, right?” Zoe calls. “You can open Instagram.”

“I hate social media,” I admit, rolling my eyes and shaking my head.

I force myself to read the first ten comments.

Tina: ?????? See you this afternoon at the barbecue. You both look gorgeous.

Jade Herrera: Cute baby. You too, I guess

Jamie: FINALLY. We all knew. Congrats ??

Sara: ??

Iris Vance: Wow, that kid is everything. You two ruin the photo. I want one with me because I’m hotter. Lol

“You feel better now?” Zoe yells from the bathroom as she changes Wes’s diaper.

“Mostly positive. A few…” I stop, breathe through it. “What we expect. You know.”

“Those are unavoidable.” A pause. “Also, the team gets here in less than an hour. We should move.”

The barbecue. The one Hades “organized,” which really means she suggested Zoe host because “the team needs to bond before playoffs and your backyard is big enough.”