Page 115 of Barging In

Clem squeezed her hand. “Let’s not focus on things not working out but instead put some effort into ensuring they do.”

“I can get behind that,” Victoria said, turning to face her. “Will you stay?”

Clem put an arm over her. “Try stopping me, but don’t be offended if I leave early. Baking duties await.”

Victoria nodded. “He would always leave afterwards and sleep in another room,” Victoria said quietly. “And he never was one for cuddling. It made me feel like a… prostitute. If I were one, at least I’d have received payment for my efforts.”

Clem brushed a strand of hair behind Victoria’s ear.

“I’m sorry,” Victoria murmured, looking down, hereyes inadvertently drawn to Clem’s breasts. “I shouldn’t be talking about him, especially not now.”

“It’s okay,” Clem said gently. “You can talk to me about anything. We’ll always carry our memories with us; they shape us, but we have to ensure they don’t control our future.”

She hoped the old memories would fade as new hopes and dreams took their place and she rebuilt her life.

“What I mean to say is, well, sex was never like this before,” she added wistfully, her hand beginning to stroke Clem’s breasts. “I lost interest eventually. It wasn’t that I lost interest in sex, only the sex I was going to have with him.”

“Ah, yes. The tale of many women, I expect. But he’s in your past now. Try to leave him there and focus on the future.”

Victoria nodded and leant in for a kiss. With this beautiful woman before her, how could she not focus on what was in front of her? She’d thrown off her shackles, stamped out her fears, and put herself first. She’d reclaimed her life. As Clem once said,There is nothing that can’t be unpicked and something new sewn in its place — stronger.

She was stronger, and they were stronger for it. A true partnership was about bringing out each other’s strengths, not clambering over one another to get ahead or treating the other like dead weight.

With Clem beside her, she felt she could take on the world, but she also knew she could stand on her own now. She didn’t need anyone to make her whole; that was something only she could do for herself. If Clem wanted to come along for the ride, she would gladly have her.

EPILOGUE

CHRISTMAS DAY

Victoria watched through half-closed, satisfied eyes as Clem’s head appeared from under the duvet. A shaft of cold air hit her warm, still quivering body, and the sudden chill rippled across her skin in a shiver. Clem must have noticed, as she pressed her warm body against Victoria’s and pulled the duvet tighter around them.

“Would you move in with me?” Victoria asked as soon as Clem had settled in. “You practically live here anyway.”

“Move in?” Clem said, pulling back a little to properly face Victoria. “Wow, you’re really desperate to get rid of Florence. You know she isn’t going anywhere. She’s part of the family.”

“Ha! Yes, I’m aware she is forever entwined in our lives,” Victoria said, lowering her tone to add, “every time I look out the window.”

“Hey,” Clem retorted, giving Victoria’s nipple a tweak.

Victoria shot her a wry smile as a ripple of pleasure shot through her. “I’m quite used to the orange blob at the bottom of my garden by now.”

She earned another pleasurable nipple tweak for that, much to her delight.

“Our garden,” Clem corrected her.

Victoria’s eyebrows knitted together. “Ours?”

“Yes. You just asked me to move in, remember? Or did you forget already?”

“Oh! Very funny,” Victoria said, tickling Clem’s side and making her squirm. “Does that mean you will?”

“Of course I will,” Clem replied, as if it were the silliest question someone had ever asked her.

Victoria was so overcome with happiness that words failed her. Instead, she pulled Clem into her and squeezed tightly, sealing the embrace with a long, lingering kiss.

“You really dislike orange, don’t you?” Clem snarked.

“It’s not my favourite colour,” Victoria replied.