Her eyes flick toward the couple then back to mine. Her shoulders tense and she swallows sharply. She parts her lips like she wants to protest but the way her knees inch wider tells me otherwise.

The woman’s lips open slightly and her husband’s hand grips her arm, knuckles white.

Tess’s fingers dig into the couch as she shifts back a little. I don’t move or rush her, I just let her feel the tension.

She looks at the couple again and I see the surrender in her eyes.

With a shaky exhale, she tilts her hips forward and nods once, then more deliberately before parting her knees just enough....