“I don’t back out of decisions that I make, not any more. That’s not who I want to be.”

  Kissing her quickly, Melanie whispered, “I love you, Esther. With my whole heart. You have shown me a world I never thought possible, and you need to know that.”

  “The feeling is mutual.” Esther kissed her again, sliding her hand to Melanie’s waist, then to her thigh. Melanie knew the move so well by then, and she knew exactly what was about to happen. In all her years, she never thought she would find love like this but she was so glad she had.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Esther squeezed the stress ball, although her enthusiasm for it had waned in the last year. She hadn’t flattened one in months, and she used it now more out of habit than necessity. She sat in her SUV, parked outside of Irving Elementary. Her heart wasn’t quite in her throat, though her anxiety was still very much present.

  Anthony sat in the back, already unbuckled as he leaned between the front seats. His hands hung over the shoulders, and he grinned at the school. “What’s my teacher’s name again?”

  “Ms. Walsh, you’ll like her,” Esther answered absent-mindedly as she stared at the front doors.

  They were early, but when was she not early, especially for a day as important as this one. She stared at the school wondering if this year would be as drama-filled, as tension-riddled, and as majestic as the last. It would be hard to top the last year, but she wanted to try. She wanted to attempt to make it something better than Anthony’s first year in school.

  He knew what he was doing this year, where the classes were, what was expected of him. He’d been reading and practicing math all summer so that he would be ready for first grade. Esther had gladly helped him, taking more time off than she usually did and not teaching summer school. Rolling her shoulders, Esther turned to Anthony.

  “Do you want to come inside with me or hang out on the playground? I don’t think there are many kids out there right now.”

  Anthony seemed to contemplate, his gaze rising to the ceiling of the vehicle, his lips pursing and pulling to one side. Esther already knew the answer that he would give, but still, she hoped he would go inside with her, stay with her just a little bit longer.

  “Outside!”

  Esther’s lips pulled tight into a smile.

  “Are we going in yet?”

  Blowing out a breath, Esther dropped the stress ball into the cup holder and replaced it with something much better than odd foam mesh. Melanie turned toward her, a grin on her lips and brightness to her eyes that Esther envied.

  “I agree with Anthony, are we going in yet?” Melanie asked.

  Esther’s stomach dropped at the thought that this was the first time they were arriving at school together, as a committed couple. She’d spent the last part of June moving into Melanie’s house, displacing her and Avery’s things. Anthony had been beyond excited and loved hanging out with Avery when she was home, though Esther knew that wouldn’t last long.

  “I suppose we should go soon.”

  “I for one don’t want to miss meeting my students on their first day.”

  Esther rolled her eyes and pressed her head into the seat. “We’re insanely early, Mel. You’re not going to miss your students.”

  “They tend to get lost. Kindergartners have no idea where anything is yet.”

  “Right.” Esther pressed her lips firmly together as she looked over at the school again, the yellow brick building almost looming in front of her, except this time, it wasn’t as scary or nerve-racking.

  Her anxiety was still there in the pit of her stomach as she thought about everything that was going to happen that day, but it was less biting. Esther actually felt as though she would have a good first day of school, maybe for the first time in her life.

  “Look, Aunt Carissa texted.” Esther held her phone up to Anthony so he could see Carissa’s name. “She says, have a good day you three! Eat ice cream when you get home.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Anthony screamed excitedly from the back of the car.

  “Thanks for the idea, Carissa,” Esther muttered under her breath, not wanting Anthony to hear her. She had planned to do something fun to celebrate the day, but it hadn’t been ice cream.

  “We’ve got some at home,” Melanie chimed in. “Maybe we do a fire in the pit out back, s’mores and ice cream.”

  “That sounds like a decent plan.” Esther once again looked at the school. “All right, let’s go in.”

  Melanie was out of the car first, but Esther was quick to follow. Anthony, however, climbed through the center seats with his backpack on and hopped out Melanie’s side of the vehicle. Esther would chastise him for it, but she knew he was excited. As he should be, as any student should be.

  He grabbed her hand and Melanie’s, tugging on both of them as they walked across the street and into the building. Instead of walking down toward the same classroom she had the year before, Esther and Melanie took Anthony out to the playground. He would only be out there ten minutes before a para joined to watch over the kids until the bell rang. That thought eased Esther’s worry, especially because she’d be able to see him from her classroom.

  Anthony hugged both of them before he ran out, throwing his backpack against the wall where most of the students kept them. Melanie wrapped her arm around Esther’s shoulders and pulled her in to kiss her hair. “He’ll be fine.”

  “I know,” Esther whispered. “But I still worry.”

  “I would be worried if you didn’t worry.” Melanie chuckled. “Come on, let’s go get ready for the first day of school.”

  “Is there ever such a thing as being ready?”

  Melanie shrugged, but Esther let her lead their way back into the hallway. Melanie took her down to her classroom, shut the door, and kissed her gently before pulling away and grinning. “I’m glad I can do that this year.”

  Esther let out a small laugh. “It’ll be nice not to have to hide it.”

  “Oh, I plan on not hiding it.” Melanie grinned. “I love you, and I think the entire school should know.”

  “Mel,” Esther answered, a warning tone in her voice.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything big and flashy. I know you’d just turn around and walk away if I did that.”

  “Damn straight,” Esther teased. “And you know what? I love you, too.”

  Melanie kissed her again, this time, Esther allowing her to linger for a second longer before she shooed her out of the room so they could start the school year.

  A Note from the Author

  There is no way I would continue writing and publishing without wonderful readers like you. That’s just a fact at this point. Your support of small indie authors like me is immeasurable and astounding. I can’t thank you enough.

  I wrote Inside These Halls more than a year before it was published, and I let it sit around for months. This was the first book in this 2023 universe that I created that existed. All the others are built around it.

  I wanted to write a younger ice queen, someone where we can truly see why she keeps her icy exterior as cold as possible. Esther is terrified. And it takes a lot for her to even contemplate stepping out of her fear.

  But she does it, and it’s beautiful to see her inner strength come to life.

  I’d like to thank Gysèle Van Driel, who bid on naming Esther Dunja during an auction.

  Thank you again for reading this book.

  About the Author

  Adrian J. Smith has been publishing since 2013 but has been writing nearly her entire life. With a focus on women loving women fiction, AJ jumps genres from action-packed police procedurals to the seedier life of vampires and witches to sweet romances with a May-December twist. She loves writing and reading about women in the midst of the ordinariness of life.

  AJ currently lives in Cheyenne, WY, although she moves often and has lived all over the United States. She loves to travel to different countries and places. She currently plays the roles of author, wife, and mother to two rambunctious youngsters, occasional handy-woman. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.

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