Page 306 of The Grand Duel

I hang up and glance up at my beautiful man.

“All five of them, Lis? Tonight was supposed to be my night with you.”

“They won’t always want to come for sleepovers, Charlie. They’ll grow up and think we’re the weird auntie and uncle eventually. You have forever to be greedy with me.”

He peers down at me, his face softening as our eyes meet.

It’s all it ever takes.

Half a second, maybe even less, and that love, understanding, and promise is solidified in one single look.

Because if there’s anything that means more to me than Charles Aldridge, it’s the children we’ll forever treat as our own.

And the man who loves me knows that.

What started with an argument between Ellis, Sammy, and a permanent marker has materialised into all of us having moustaches drawn on our faces—all but Ave and Charlie, but they’re next.

“Ellis, that feels huge,” I tell him, whipping up the handheld mirror from the worktop and widening my eyes at the reflection. “It’s wonky!”

I lower the mirror to find the children all laughing. Ellis, Sammy, Ralph, and Elsie all bent over in hysterics as they look at one another.

“You look funny!” Sammy tells me, his teary eyes sparkling now we’re all matching.

“Well, so do you,” I throw back, getting up off my knees.

“Can we have ice cream now?” Ellis asks, and I nod, rolling my eyes as I ruffle his dark hair.

I turn and walk into the living room, looking for Charlie. Only, when my eyes land on him, I come to a stop.

He’s on his haunches, Ave at his side, and in his hand is the photograph that normally sits atop our mantelpiece.

“Who’s that?” Charlie asks.

“Daddy,” Ave tells him proudly.

“It is Daddy.” He looks down at the picture of Lance on holiday, one of our favourites we’ve found over the years. “And who does Daddy love more than anyone in the world?”

I swallow the lump in my throat as Ave points to her chest.

“That’s right, Ave. You.”

He leans in and kisses her hair. “I know you’re scared about starting school, but you’re a Sullivan.”

“What does that mean, Uncle Charlie?”

“It means that you are strong.”

My heart breaks watching them, seeing the bond they’ve built and embraced over the years.

“It means that you can overcome anything that stands in your way.”

Ave looks up at her uncle and smiles, her shoulders dropping.

“Auntie Lissie, why’s there an empty ice cream pot in the freezer?”

I look toward Ellis at the same time Charlie does, frowning when the pot he’s shaking rattles.

“What’s—”