Tilly’s grip tightened. “I may be confused about a lot of things but I know that I love you. Isn’t that enough?”

Kate’s heart twitched painfully. “It is. But we’ve already made so many bad decisions. We need to start treating this the way it deserves and this is the right thing to do, the smart thing to do.” With all the strength she could summon, she released Tilly’s hand. “I’ll call you in February. Okay?”

“Okay,” Tilly said, her voice wavering. “February,” she whispered.

“Yeah. February.”

The hint of a sad smile tugged at Tilly’s lips. In a heartbeat, her eyes glossed over. “You need to leave now before I start crying.”

Kate nodded. She leaned over and pressed her lips to Tilly’s temple. “Bye, Til.”

Outside the terminal, she raised her gaze to the sky, watched as an A380 made its ascent in the distance. Molly would probably be waiting at her boarding gate. Kate hoped she’d been okay getting through security. It was the part Molly dreaded most, knowing that once she was through screening, there was no turning back. Knowing Molly’s phone would be switched off to prevent being triggered into anxiety by a good luck message, Kate could only hope that an apologetic email would suffice.

Kate jabbed the pedestrian button with the heel of her palm, watching on as a large group of travellers gathered on the other side of the terminal road. God, I could do with a holiday right about now…

She weaved between the crowd and headed for the lifts inside the parking complex. Did she feel lighter after seeing Tilly? Yes. Did she feel confused? Cautious? Definitely. In the days since she’d ended it with Declan, Tilly hadn’t reached out, hadn’t answered her calls. That meant something. And then there was the way Tilly had pulled away from her kiss. What choice had Kate been left with but to tell Tilly that they needed time apart? She had very little control over what happened from here on. It was up to Tilly now.

As she made her way across the rooftop of the car park, the ding of the other elevator was faint.

“Kate, wait.”

She spun.

Tilly slipped between the cars, heading toward her.

Excitement gripped her. “Did you follow me up here or…”

Tilly’s hand smoothed beneath Kate’s suit jacket, and clutching her waist, pressed her against the driver’s door.

“What are you—”

She cradled Kate’s face in her hand and with a staggered breath, kissed her.

As Tilly’s lips parted against her own, eager, no holds barred, it took a moment for her mind to catch up to her body. Her fingers dug into the swell of Tilly’s hips, drew her firmly against her body. Tilly’s wallet hit the concrete with a thump as her hand spread across Kate’s lower back. The press of keys against the base of her spine was sharp, distracting. She wove her fingers into Tilly’s hair and Tilly hummed, her fingers finding Kate’s jaw. But however confident Tilly’s kiss seemed, there was no mistaking the way Tilly trembled in her arms.