He reached out then, haltingly, and placed his hands so gently on my belly. We said nothing, until he let out a long slow breath and dropped his hands. “It is ever so hard to go, and that’s why I have to.”

“Freddie…”

“Our bond has never just been about sex, or love, for me,” he said. “I’ve been so emotionally dependent on being able to talk to you, to have you in my family and in my life. Not very many people have known me as well as you do. Maybe no one has. But it can be hard to untangle all those things, so even though that chapter is behind us…”

“It still has to change,” I finished for him. “I know. Daphne has to be that person for you now.”

Freddie nodded. “But you never do forget your first,” he said.

He pulled me into his arms for a long hug.

“Thank you for making me want to reach for more,” he whispered.

“Thank you for all the times you held me together.”

“And thank you for not having any pointy bits on your hat or else I’d have just speared myself,” he said. “And then Princess Persil Liquid Detergent and Princess Duracell Batteries will have to be told I’m a pirate.”

I snorted and we pulled apart, smiling. “Okay,” I sniffled. “I need to clean myself up so we can go marry your ass off.”

Freddie chuckled, and then carefully wiped a finger under one of my eyes. “There. Beautiful,” he said. “Have you and Knickers decided what to do yet?”

“No,” I said. “We only talked to Richard last night. I know you did, too.”

“It was a good conversation,” Freddie said. “He told me what he planned to say to you. I hope you know I’m behind whatever you and Nick decide.”

“Even if it involves living in your guesthouse?”

“Especially then,” Freddie said, smiling. “You can earn your rent by doing odd jobs. I’m a very untidy person and I always did think Knickers would make a wonderful maid.”

“Awesome. He already has the costume,” I said.

Freddie guffawed at that. “Right, my girl,” he said. “On that note, time for the tripod to become…a tuning fork? Perhaps you were right to try to use cycles as the analogy.” He offered me his arm. “After all, a bike runs very well on its own without the extra part.”

I put my hand in the crook of his elbow, and we walked out of his room and down the stairs and into the new life that waited for him. For both of us.

* * *

“Bex,” Nick said, the sound coming at me distantly, as if through a haze. “You did it. You made it.”

My eyes fluttered open. “Wow, I really conked out,” I said. “But it’s done. I can’t believe it.”

“You did wonderfully,” he said, stroking my hair as I struggled to sit up. “I know you were really in pain there at the end.”