(Lena)
I called Dad the next morning.
Cole was still asleep when I woke up, which was unusual for him. I lay there for a few minutes just watching him, his face completely relaxed in a way it rarely was when he was awake, and thought about everything the day before had been.
Then I got up, went downstairs in his shirt, and made tea.
I sat at the island and waited for the kettle and looked at the ring in the morning light. It was different in daylight than it had been by candlelight the evening before. Quieter somehow. More real.
I picked up my phone and called Dad.
He answered on the first ring.
"Lena. Good morning."
"Morning Dad," I said. "Do you have a few minutes?"
"For you? Always." A pause. "Everything okay?"
"Everything's good," I said. "Really good actually. I have somethi
