“I missed this,” Chris muttered as she finished off her soda. “Though not on a Monday night next time.”

  Melanie smiled as she shifted on the couch and relaxed. Avery had gone off on a date that night, so despite it being the beginning of the week, it was the perfect night for a conversation away from prying ears that would share the gossip with the rest of the family.

  “I had an interesting chat with Esther this afternoon.”

  “Oh?” Melanie suddenly found her nails interesting, pushing back the nail bed on each of her fingers. She refused to look at Chris. She’d promised Esther she wouldn’t say anything without express permission from her, and she knew that the territory she was traveling down was going to be a tough one to navigate without oversharing.

  “Yes, something about the two of you dating.”

  Melanie swallowed the lump in her throat, her mouth suddenly parched. With her heart thumping wildly, she looked up into Chris’ very amused gaze. “What’d you say?”

  “You’re dating Esther.”

  “I…” Melanie paused. They hadn’t officially said anything, but everything had been so different that weekend. Melanie’s chest rose and fell unevenly. “Did she tell you that?”

  “This afternoon, after the staff meeting. By the way, the poor girl was so distracted during that meeting she missed everything that was said. Might want to help her fill in a few of those blanks.”

  “I’m sorry, she scheduled a meeting with you to tell you about us?”

  “Yes.” Chris’ eyes twinkled with humor, and Melanie couldn’t get over it.

  “She told you that we were dating.”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re dating,” Melanie repeated, still not quite believing the words. Had she wanted it? Yes. Had she hoped it would happen at some point? Absolutely. But to have Esther already tell Chris made it far more official than she’d expected, and way faster than she thought it’d happen.

  Chris cocked her head to the side. “Didn’t you know?”

  “I mean, yes. I did know, kind of. We hadn’t really defined anything yet, but I guess we did, but not in such direct words.”

  Chris scrunched her nose. “Maybe you two should talk more than you fuck.”

  “Chris!” Melanie’s eyes went wide. “That’s not all we do.”

  Chris laughed and shook her head. “I have no doubt, but come on, this is fun. I’ve never gotten to tease you like this.”

  Melanie grumbled as she folded her arms and pushed back into the couch cushion. She wished Esther had warned her she was going to spill the beans to Chris before all this, but she couldn’t deny the fact it was a massive step forward for the two of them. “Did she really set a meeting with you to talk about us?”

  “No. It came up in a roundabout conversation.”

  “How?”

  “I can’t share that.” Chris frowned. “But, a word of advice, you might want to pry that out of her.”

  “That’s cryptic.”

  “Yes, for a reason. Now, about Anthony—”

  “You’re not going to put him in Johanna’s class, are you?” Panic gripped Melanie’s chest, and she hadn’t realized until that moment how much Anthony moving classes had been her biggest hesitation in telling Chris.

  “No, not right now. For now, I think I’ll let things lie until drama starts up.”

  “Drama?” Melanie asked, but she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

  “Skip.”

  Yes, she had known the answer, but hearing the name out loud didn’t put her at ease any. Melanie brushed her hand over the back of her head while Chris finished her soda and went to the fridge for another. When she sat back down, Melanie eyed her carefully.

  “It’s more than dating,” she whispered, her voice so quiet she wasn’t even sure she had said the words.

  “What?” Chris frowned into her drink. “How is it more than dating?”

  “I think I love her.”

  “Mel.” Chris’ voice broke. “Have you told her?”

  “No. I don’t think she’ll take too kindly to it yet.”

  “You have to tell her. You can’t keep that from her. Trust me. She needs to know.”

  Elation gurgled inside Melanie, nearly erupting. It was the first time she had admitted it out loud to someone, and she’d barely even managed to confess it to herself in absolute silence. Still, it felt right.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “What?” Melanie shook the thoughts from her mind and focused on her friend.

  “You have to tell her. You need to be honest with her about how you’re feeling. I’m serious, Mel. This isn’t something you want to mess up because you’re holding back.”

  “I’ll tell her, but… well, until you told me she shared with you that we’re dating, I wasn’t sure how she felt about me.”

  “What?”

  “It’s complicated. Just trust me. I’ll tell her. Soon. I promise.”

  “Good.” Chris pointed her drink in Melanie’s direction. “But don’t mess it up and cause drama in my school.”

  Snorting lightly, Melanie rolled her eyes. “Since when have I been the one to cause drama?”

  “You’ve found ways. Trust me.”

  Melanie pressed a hand over her heart, feigning hurt. “Me?”

  “Yes. You.”

  “Fine,” Melanie agreed. “But not this time.”

  “No, please not this time.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Melanie stepped out of her car, her stomach a bundle of nerves. She had never been an activist, but it was time. It was time for her to take a stand when others couldn’t, and Esther couldn’t. She had to do this for Esther, not only because she had promised to fight for it, but because she needed to be the voice and stand up for herself as well.

  The sign in her hand felt heavy, weighted down as if the future of teaching rested solely on her shoulders. That was ridiculous, she knew, but it did feel that way. Melanie pressed her lips together hard as she took firm steps toward the front of the Capitol building, the beautiful gold dome looming over her as she made her way.

  She wasn’t the first one there, but she was early enough that the crowd hadn’t started to build yet. She hoped they had a good turnout. Weeks of planning this rally to coincide with the return of the State Senate had been a feat. She’d never really thought of the effort that went into these kinds of things until now, involving the union, district admin, it was all a headache in a lot of ways.

  Still, they were there. Melanie smiled at some of the others, a few bearing signs that clearly marked them as teachers and others holding signs that labeled them as family. Melanie took her place front and center of the crowd. She wasn’t the only organizer, but she was going to be the person on point should any media show up, and she hoped they did. Over the long weekend, they had alerted the local stations and newspapers to what was happening, including some from Denver.

  Within thirty minutes, the front steps and sidewalk of the Capitol were filled with those there to protest the new bill. Melanie couldn’t be happier. The chatter, the excitement, the people there were exactly what she had hoped for. She gathered with some of the other leaders, getting ready to start the formal part of their protest.

  She wasn’t the first to stand up, Johanna was. She was much better with words than Melanie, who was so overwhelmed by the fact this was actually working the way they had wanted it to.

  “Are you excited?” Chris’ voice from behind her startled her.

  Melanie spun around, a wide grin on her lips. “You came!”

  “Yeah, I decided my job is worth it. If I get fired or end up on the blacklist, so be it.”

  Reaching forward, Melanie wrapped her arm around Chris’ shoulders and squeezed her. “I’m glad. I wish more admin would come out for this.”

  “I think they will.” Chris put her hands on her hips as she stared out at the crowd. “Good numbers so far.”

  “Yeah. We’re just about to start.”

  Johanna stepped up to the portable microphone they had borrowed from her son. She leaned in and spoke clearly. “If everyone would gather around, we’ll start the formal part of the protest.”

  She waited as people scooted in closer, as the crowd moved toward the roadway so they could hear better. Melanie caught sight of news vans out of the corner of her eye, and a thrill ran through her. Maybe they would be able to make a difference. She’d sent word to the other district teachers as best as she could that today was the day they were going to protest, that they could join in Cheyenne at the state capitol or they could make their own rallies in their own towns.

  “We’re here today to fight for teachers rights!” Johanna’s voice was strong, and there was a rumble of excitement from the crowd.

  Chris reached down and grabbed Melanie’s hand, squeezing hard before she let go.

  “We deserve to be given the best resources and time to teach this country’s next generation, and we can’t do that if we’re being squeezed for time and forced to play by rules that don’t have the kids’ best interest in mind.”

  Another roar of clapping and excitement. Melanie’s stomach was a twist of nerves, knowing that she was going to be up next to start the testimonials. She wasn’t sure she had much to say about it because she’d been teaching so long, but she’d been working on it for weeks at that point. She was startled to feel an arm wrap around her back. Glancing down, she found Avery’s bright face lighting up next to her with a grin a mile wide.

  Melanie’s heart melted. “You came.”

  “Not just me.” Avery nodded to the side where Melanie found all four of her children and her two grandkids with signs as they stood by the street trying to get passing cars to honk in support of teachers.

  Instantly, two tears slid down Melanie’s cheeks. She reached around Avery’s shoulders and dragged her into a hug. “You guys! How did Jeremy get here?”

  “I drove down to pick him up this morning. He took a red-eye and has to leave tonight to get back for school and work tomorrow.”

  Melanie leaned down to kiss Avery on the head. “You all are amazing. I’m so glad I have you.”

  “Any time, Mom. Looks like you’re up.”

  Melanie’s stomach dropped. Johanna was looking right at her, introducing her. Chris patted her shoulder. She gripped her sign like it was her lifeline as she stepped forward and made her way to the front of the crowd.

  Taking the microphone, she held it firmly. “Uh…hi. I’m Melanie Przybyla and I teach kindergarten at Irving Elementary School. Can I first just start with saying, what a crowd?”

  The crowd burst with excitement, the whistles and screams from her kids topping the din of voices. Melanie smiled at her family as she turned to face the crew of protesters in her way.

  “I’ve been teaching for twenty years, and the last twelve of those I’ve been teaching kindergarten. So, while this issue might not directly affect me since I have lesson plans in closets that no one has ever seen, it will affect me. If we can’t recruit or support newer teachers, we’ll be more short-staffed than we already are. And you know who will suffer? The kids.”

  Melanie swallowed around the lump in her throat and faced her own family. She hadn’t thought about talking about them, but they were here, and she knew their story would make an impact, that they wouldn’t mind her sharing. Avery gave her a thumbs up, and Melanie decided to go for it.

  “I was a new teacher when I first met my oldest girls. Two years later, I had their brother in my class. When my youngest was three, I ended up with full guardianship of all four kids, and I cannot imagine spending a summer as a new parent to four and trying to make lesson plans for an entire year. Our contracts don’t cover that time. Our contracts don’t give us ample time to make lesson plans for an entire year prior to teaching.”

  Melanie took a deep steadying breath.

  “When I was a new mom to four, it was a struggle. I think any parent can relate to that. Each of my kids is so beautifully different, that without knowing them, their strengths and weaknesses, it’s impossible to teach them. Without knowing how they think and understand the world, the baggage they come into the classroom with, the IEPs, and adjustments that are necessary, we cannot adequately teach these children.

  “These children that are the future, the ones who will lead us and take care of us when we’re old, these children I teach, they are the ones who will make a difference. If we care so much about kids—which every politician says they do—then why are we not trying to give them every possible opportunity for success? Why are we limiting what they can do by limiting what we can do? We need the freedom to be creative in our plans, to make adjustments on the fly, to think about which kids will struggle and which will thrive and how to bring them all up together.

  “We can’t do that if this bill is passed. We can’t succeed in order to allow the next generation to succeed. And that is the real travesty here. The only reason my daughter, Ella, was able to graduate into junior high was because she had one teacher and one principal.” Melanie looked to Chris, knowing exactly who she was talking about, knowing she had done so much for them. “Someone who was willing to work with her anxiety, with her trauma, with all the adjustments she had to make in order to succeed, and now she is succeeding. She’s got a college degree, a new job, and I’m going to be a grandma again!”

  The crowd roared at that, and Melanie grinned.

  “These are the success stories we can make, and we should make them.”

  Her heart raced as she handed the microphone back to Johanna. Instead of walking to Chris, Melanie stepped right up to Ella and wrapped her in a hug, her other kids still clapping and cheering as they circled around her. Melanie couldn’t stop grinning at them. Even if the bill did end up passing, it was wonderful to know she had them in her life and that they were there for her.

  Esther had to call in Avery as backup, since she hadn’t expected to have Anthony with her, but Avery, thankfully, was glad to help. Esther smoothed her hands over her dress, wondering again why she’d decided to wear it. It was too short for her sensible mind, her body having changed after having Anthony.

  She should have just gotten rid of it in one of her moves, but for some reason she had kept it stashed in the back of her closet. Esther sighed and futzed with her makeup in the mirror to make sure she looked as good as she could. She hadn’t been on a date since Skip, and while she had been the one to plan this, she wanted it to go perfectly.

  Anthony stepped into the bathroom with her, wrinkling his nose before he jerked his chin up as if in approval. He had never looked more like Skip than in that moment, and Esther’s stomach twisted at the thought as she tried to push it away.

  “You look good.”

  “Thank you.” Esther drew in a sharp breath. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yup!” He grinned at her, looking very much more the Anthony she loved than the ex-boyfriend she feared.

  “Good.” Esther grabbed her warm wool coat and threw it over her shoulders before they got into the car. She drove the two short blocks to Melanie’s and left the car running as she and Anthony went up to the front door.

  Melanie opened it, her face showing open appreciation as she looked Esther over, even though she couldn’t see what was under the jacket. Melanie’s lips pressed together as her eyes glittered.

  “Avery picked out a movie for you and ordered pizza with olives.”

  “Yes!” Anthony pushed his way inside, shouting goodbye over his shoulder at his mom.

  Melanie didn’t even bother to say anything else as she shut the door and dragged Esther in for a long kiss. When they finally broke apart, Melanie grinned. “You look amazing.”

  “You haven’t even seen the dress.”

  “Dress?” Melanie raised an eyebrow. “Can’t wait, but still, you look amazing.”

  Esther pressed her lips together before nodding, her cheeks warming and her stomach weightless as though it had butterflies in it. She held Melanie’s hand as they walked toward the car. The drive to the Metropolitan was short, and as they went inside for their reservation, Esther took Melanie’s hand. She’d been there several times, all with Skip, but she didn’t know where else to go that was casual but nice at the same time.

  Melanie leaned into her side as they followed the waitress toward the table. Esther pulled open her jacket as Melanie did the same and her breath caught in her throat. How this woman wanted to date her still astounded her most days. She was stunning. The wide curves of her hips, the length of her legs, her breasts pushed up in that black but low cut shirt. Esther had to force herself to raise her gaze to Melanie’s amused eyes.

  Saying nothing, she slid into the chair and hung her jacket over the back. “You look amazing, too.”

  “I’m glad I passed inspection,” Melanie teased.

  Esther’s cheeks burned, though it was mostly from arousal. She’d love to spend time with Melanie at home in bed as well as out on the town. Melanie’s smile fell in an instant as she looked over Esther’s shoulder.

  “Esther,” she murmured, a waver in her voice.

  “Well, look who we have here. Have you reconsidered our date?”

  Esther stilled, every instinct in her body telling her to run, to not turn around, to find a hole and crawl into it. She should have known better than to bring Melanie someplace he had taken her. Instead, she placed a mask of confidence on her face and turned to stare up into Skip’s amber eyes. Eyes that she loved on her son and hated on him.

  “Esther.” He faltered in his charm.

  She raised an eyebrow at him, not saying anything and waiting for some kind of response on his part. Based on his surprise, he wasn’t expecting her to be the other party to Melanie.

  “Where’s Anthony?” he asked, no doubt trying to turn the conversation on her to get her riled up.

  Esther swore to herself she wasn’t going to take the bait. She held her mask in place. “He’s with a sitter.”