The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 712

"Then I'll just have to deliver your lunch to the office," Wynne insisted.

Winona didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mom, I'm a working professional, not a grade-schooler. You don't need to hand-deliver my meals."

Wynne sighed wistfully. "I used to have this recurring dream... I'd dream of dropping you and Forrest off at school. I'd feel so reluctant watching you walk through the gates, and I'd be so overjoyed when it was time to pick you up."

The memory hit Winona hard. She remembered being in elementary school, watching other kids get picked up by their parents while she had to walk home alone. Fate had played a cruel joke on them, stealing away so many precious years.

Reaching out, Winona wrapped her arms around Wynne. "Okay," she smiled. "You can bring me lunch and pick me up from work sometimes. But only occasionally. I don't want you exhausting yourself."

Wynne's face brightened. "You really mean it?"

"I do."

By the very next day, Wynne had a moving company haul her things into the apartment across the hall. Winona gave Lexie a few days off and joined her mother for dinner at the new place.

Later that night, mother and daughter lay side by side in bed, talking for hours. Wynne was desperate to hear everything about Winona's childhood. Winona carefully curated her stories, sharing the funny and lighthearted memories while leaving out the dark, painful moments that would only break her mother's heart.

On Tuesday evening, Stefan returned to Riverton from his business trip.

When he heard that Wynne had moved in across the hall, he smiled. "We could buy a larger house. Give everyone more space."

But Wynne shook her head. "You young people need your privacy. Being neighbors is the perfect arrangement." As much as she wanted to see Winona every second of the day, she knew her daughter was a grown woman, not a child who needed constant coddling. Giving her space was the right thing to do.

Later that night, Winona and Stefan finally retreated to their own apartment. He had brought back a gift for her—a singing ceramic Santa Claus.

"Are you actually treating me like a kid?" she teased, though her eyes sparkled.

"Do you like it?"

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