I didn’t know what to do. I clutched the doorknob and looked down at the welcome mat. I was tired of fighting. Her, myself, the past, the future. I knew exactly what I wanted. “Come in.”

“I parked around back and nobody followed me,” she said.

I nodded and walked to the kitchen, switched back to wine, and held up the bottle. She smiled. I grabbed another glass and poured a healthy amount into both glasses. “It’s fine. The news is out or will be tomorrow.”

“Sutton, it’s going to be okay. It’s very amicable. We know we need to be there for our children. He’s happy. I’m happy. And the weight of all of this has been lifted. From his shoulders, from mine. It’s time for me.”

Her fingers were devoid of any jewelry and that scared me. I walked to the other side of the counter to put three feet between us. Even though the papers had been filed, was I okay being the rebound girl? Is that what I was?

“Can I get you some spaghetti?” I asked.

She waved me off and put one of her hands on her stomach. She was nervous. “Let’s go into the living room.” I made Crowbar leave the couch and pulled off his blanket so Parker didn’t get any hair on her clothes. She patted his head before sitting on the spot he just vacated. “So, what’s going on?” Was my voice normal? My chest felt like it was vibrating.

“This is a nice place.” Her tongue touched the side of the glass before she took a sip.

“It’s just to get me through the season. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how the season was going to turn out. I’ll look for something more permanent this spring.”

“It’s very minimalistic. I appreciate that so much. My kids have their toys, games, clothes, and shoes everywhere. This is immaculate.”

“One of the benefits about not having kids. My place is always ready for company,” I said. We sat quietly drinking our wine. She had something to say and I was going to wait it out.

She drained her glass and looked at me. “I think you know why I’m here, Sutton.” The rawness in her voice made my insides turn to mush.

I wanted to fight and tell her no and that I wasn’t ready, but it would be a lie. I’d been ready since the day she left me. “How do you know you’re making the right choice?” The last thing I wanted was to move too fast and lose her all over again.

She stood right in front of me. “I’ve always known. We both have.”