Page 147 of Tethered

Instead… I think he’s trying to be better.

I hate it. I hate it because I finally decided to cut the toxicity out of my life, and he turns around and does this. It’s not going to bring us back if that’s what he thinks. I will take the money, though. I’m not a martyr. Not anymore.

I tell Hina to sell the house, and she agrees that would be the best choice for me, which I take to mean she’d have suggested anyone else keep it. I agree to have the legal documents signed and sent back to her by the morning, and hang up, dazed.

“Did what I think just happened, happen?” Tanisira asks.

I meet her shocked gaze, and nod.

Vee bounces on his heels. “What? What happened?”

I stick to vague for now. We’re long overdue a proper conversation, and I plan to sit down with him for one later. “Your father’s given you some money, and he’s going to sell the manor for us. He’s trying to make amends.”

“Oh,” Vee says, face scrunched up. “That’s good, right? He wants to be good.”

“Yeah. We’ll see how it develops.”

“I think he’ll be better.” Vee sounds assured in the way only a preteen can.

“You can’t know that for sure,” I say, teasing him slightly.

“Well, I said Tani was gonna be your girlfriend, and you didn’t believe me, but now look.”

“Excuse me, no, you didn’t. You said she alreadywas,and she was not.”

“Whatever,” my intrepid spawn says. “James will be so jealous when I tell him I have two mums. His parents are so boring.”

I burst into laughter and Tanisira joins in, shoulders shaking. My little millionaire takes off ahead, angling his arms so that light shining through the panes makes colourful patterns against his skin. Tanisira carries his coat in one hand, and the other settles on my hip.

“Has he just married us without our consent?” she asks.

“I think so.” I stop walking, turn into her body and loop my arms around her neck. “I don’t want to get married, just so you’re aware.”

She smiles, sending unbridled joy through me. “Presumptuous of you.”

“Well, I’m irresistible; just look at Dominik.”

“I’d rather look at you.” Tanisira presses her thumb into the corner of my mouth. “I’m along for the ride, no matter where it takes us.”

“So…” I drag the word out, barely holding back giggles. “One could call you a stowaway.”

She rolls her eyes and starts walking away, and I feel so unbelievably happy I have to take a moment to pinch myself.

Epilogue

We’re coming up to Mars, and the planet glows red in the distance. It still makes me feel uneasy, but that’s why I have a therapy session scheduled after we dock. Besides, staying with my family for a few weeks is the least of my worries right now.

Vee chooses that moment to come stomping onto the bridge, his huge feet ringing off the deck. He hit puberty like a freight train, and his limbs, though lanky, bear the tightness of a teen beginning to gain definition. He joins me in the gym most days and competes with my deadlift numbers well for a kid who sits on his ass all day. In five years, he’s managed to shoot up somuch that he towers over me, and I’ve been told his scowl now rivals mine.

“Tani, tell her!” he shouts, gesturing behind him.

His green eyes snap, all the brighter for the glasses he now wears. Staring at screens has taken a toll on his eyesight. His long curls fly over his shoulders when he tosses his head in irritation. It’s like watching a puppy bark, but I learned the hard way not to say that.

Marlowe appears, looking equally as pissed. I suppress a sigh. It’s been nonstop arguments ever since they boarded theKyena. Vee’s still quite sweet but since breaking up with his boyfriend, he’s been short tempered and snarky.

“I don’t care how old you are, you’re not coming back alone.”

“What’s the problem?” I ask.