Things had been slow lately, people venturing out of their houses less and less, which gave Verity more time to think. It wasn't necessarily a good thing. She'd mostly come to terms with the fact that she was going to be a mother. It still scared her, terrified her, if she were honest. It was such a huge responsibility and while she knew Fred wasn't planning on shirking his side of things, she wished things could have gone differently.
She loved Fred, she was sure of that. She'd loved him for a very long time, and not seeing him every day, avoiding him like she had been, hurt. There was an empty ache in her chest each night and, although she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she'd cried herself to sleep more than once.
So when she glanced up and spotted the flash of red hair, she thought she was imagining it. It couldn't be Fred, could it? But it was. And she couldn't help the small smile that curved her lips at the sight of him.