“He’s downstairs in the office. You can pop down and say hi, but you have to knock quietly in case he’s on the phone.” For the last month, he’d been wrapped up in work. More like the Aiden I had served with divorce papers. Only this time, we talked. He explained his vision for the company and how, eventually, it’d help him with work–-life balance.

He’d recommitted to the company, but he’d also recommitted to me.

I faced another weekend in a quiet house, but I’d take him lunch in the office. If Violet weren’t here, that lunch break might turn into a quickie. If Violet weren’t here, I’d find something to do. I’d been thinking about Aiden’s comment about pets. Maybe I should get a dog. I could even get two. And a cat. I could start by fostering, and then stop if I started keeping too many animals.

Violet bounded downstairs. Her knock wasn’t exactly quiet. Aiden answered right away. Even if he had been on a call, he’d mute it for her. He’d loosened up about the work he did at home. No more business wear in the home office. No more notifications, which I loved as much as he did. And he tried to arrange any virtual meetings during the week, claiming he could do desk work faster if he was uninterrupted.

Violet was already on his lap getting a tour of his desk by the time I entered. His office was as sparse as the one in the headquarters building. I’d put some of Xander’s pictures on the walls, next to his mother’s. But there were no shelves with trinkets. No photos on his desk. Just a computer and a second screen. He could play music from any of his devices but he never did. He worked in solitude, trying to make every second count.

I wished that it helped, but there was always more for him to do. Though I understood the pressure he was under better than I had before.

Violet’s blond pigtails fluttered as she craned her neck left and right. “Where’s the pictures of you and Aunt Kate?”

“Our wedding photo is upstairs,” I answered.

Aiden looked at me when he spoke to Violet. “I noticed that too. We don’t have enough pictures of us.” He beckoned me over and dug his phone out. “Go stand by Kate.”

Violet rushed me. I crouched and smoothed out her hair. Before I could look at Aiden, he snapped a picture.

“I wasn’t ready!” Violet stuffed her hands on her hips for a Wonder Woman pose. I dropped to my knees and did the same.

Violet giggled and struck a red-carpet pose next—turned to the side and looking over her shoulder. Again, I copied her.