She Always Would

Sunday morning sunlight streamed through wide front windows, turning the breakfast restaurant into something warm and inviting. The place felt optimistic somehow. Bright walls. Hanging plants. Cheerful chatter drifting between tables. Coffee cups clinking softly. The scent of bacon and toast lingering in the air.

Jessica liked places like this. Comfortable. Predictable. Pleasant.

She liked arriving early even more. The habit had followed her everywhere in life.

At work, Jessica was always one of the first people through the doors. There was something calming about entering an office before it became an office. Before phones rang. Before clients arrived. Before associates wandered in carrying coffees and complaints.

She liked the silence. Liked the sense of ownership over a space before everyone else occupied it.

Those first twenty minutes were sacred. Emails. Schedules. Reviewing documents. Rereading briefs. Making sure every loose thread was tied down before the chaos of the day began.

Sometimes the receptionist would arrive early too. Agnes. Jessica had never quite figured out why the woman bothered her so much. Perfectly polite. Perfectly professional. Yet something about Agnes always seemed just slightly off. Perhaps it was the way her smile never quite reached her eyes.

Not that it really mattered. She could have been the most wonderful woman on the planet and it wouldn't have changed the fact that Jessica preferred mornings alone.

Court appearances were much the same. Some lawyers thrived on adrenaline. They rushed into courtrooms at the last possible second carrying half-organized files and overconfidence.

Jessica, in contrast, arrived early.

Always.

Materials prepared. Notes organized. Coffee finished. Mind clear. Winning required preparation. Preparation required time. It was a simple calculation.

The irony wasn't lost on her that she had arrived twenty minutes early for breakfast. Roy wasn't opposing counsel. Roy wasn't a difficult client. Roy certainly wasn't something to conquer. He was just...

Roy.

Her boyfriend.

The man she loved.

Loved.

Even now the word still felt extraordinary.

A smile crept onto her face as she wrapped both hands around her coffee mug. At thirty-eight years old, Jessica had assumed that part of her life had ended. Marriage. Romance. Desire. Hope. Charles had done a remarkable job dismantling those ideas. Not because he was gay. Jessica had never hated him for that. People couldn't control who they loved. People absolutely could control lying. People absolutely could control cheating. That was what she could never forgive.

Affairs.

Secrets.

Promises broken behind closed doors.

A man who cheated wasn't merely disappointing. A man who cheated was fundamentally unworthy. Lower than low. Someone incapable of valuing the person standing right in front of them.

Charles had taught her many things. One lesson stood above all others. Trust had to be earned.

Roy had earned it effortlessly.

The thought made her laugh softly into her coffee. How ridiculous. Sixteen years without dating. Sixteen years without so much as a fling. Sixteen years of work, motherhood, running, self-improvement and carefully curated independence. Then Roy appeared. And suddenly she was dressing up and going out for breakfast.

Her gaze dropped briefly toward herself. Blue skirt. Sleeveless black top. Heels. Hair gathered into a ponytail that swung lightly whenever she moved.

Not overly formal. Not trying too hard. Just enough effort to communicate that she cared. Because she did. Very much.

She loved this man. Loved his kindness. Loved his humour. Loved the gentleness in his eyes. Loved the way he spoke about the women in his life.

And God help her, she loved his appearance too. Roy wasn't conventionally handsome. At least not in the way magazines defined handsome. He was shorter than she was. Soft around the middle. A receding hairline had begun its slow retreat years ago.

And Jessica found all of it utterly irresistible. Comforting. Real. Honest.

She wanted someone dependable. Someone steady. Someone who knew how to love. Roy possessed all of those qualities in abundance.

A sip of coffee warmed her throat.

She wondered where he'd slept the night before. Michelle? Perhaps Zara. Maybe Elaine. The thought brought no jealousy. Only admiration. Roy wasn't the sort of man who sneaked around. Roy wasn't the sort of man who betrayed trust. He loved openly. Completely. Faithfully.

Every girlfriend mattered. Every relationship mattered. That wasn't cheating. That was devotion.

Jessica hoped she'd get to meet them someday.

Elaine.

Michelle.

Zara.

She already knew their names by heart. What were they like? Older? Younger? Professionals? Students? Did they laugh at Roy's jokes? Did they adore him as much as she did? Probably. How could they not?

A thoughtful sigh escaped her. Ava deserved someone like Roy someday. Not now. Certainly not while she was still tangled up with boys like Ricky. But eventually. Eventually Ava would meet a real man. A man who listened. A man who protected. A man who cherished her. Someone dependable. Someone kind. Someone who saw the extraordinary young woman she'd become.

Jessica smiled softly. That was every mother's wish, wasn't it? To know that the child she'd spent eighteen years loving would one day be loved properly by somebody else.

Her eyes drifted toward the menu. Eggs. Toast. Fruit. Pancakes. Simple things. Comfort food.

She was hungry. Very hungry, actually. But there was no chance she was ordering before Roy arrived. Absolutely not. He wasn't going to sit alone eating while she watched. If Roy ate, she ate. Simple.

The thought led somewhere else.

Dinner.

Her house was large. Far larger than she needed. A long dining room table sat mostly unused. What if she invited everyone over? Roy. Michelle. Elaine. Zara. All of them. She could take an afternoon off. Use some of those accumulated hours she'd never touched. Cook something special. Host. Take care of her man. Play homemaker for one evening. The image made her smile.

Perhaps some of the girlfriends were close to Ava's age. Maybe they'd become friends. Maybe it would be nice. Maybe this strange, beautiful relationship Roy had built could become something even more meaningful.

Jessica glanced down at her phone. No message. No delay. Good. He'd said breakfast.

Roy struck her as the sort of man who kept promises. Ten minutes. Maybe less.

Already butterflies had begun fluttering in her stomach. It was ridiculous. She was a successful lawyer. An accomplished woman. Someone who negotiated contracts worth millions. Yet here she sat grinning at nothing because her boyfriend was coming for pancakes.

Pathetic.

Wonderful.

Pathetically wonderful.

A shadow fell across the table. The waitress smiled warmly.

"Is your friend still coming, or would you like to order?"

Jessica looked up and smiled back.

"Oh, he'll be here soon."

The words came easily.

Confidently.

Certain.

"I'll wait for him."

And she would.

She always would.