Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
My phone buzzed on the countertop beside the sink. I reached out with dripping fingers, careful not to drop it.
Roque: All okay. Kids are settling in. I missed you today.
A soft smile tugged at my lips, and my fingers hovered before I typed back.
Me: I’m at Heidi’s. I needed a bath that didn’t end in disaster.
The reply came fast.
Roque: Jealous. Send me a photo.
I rolled my eyes, grinning despite myself. I angled the camera so it showed only my legs, submerged in the water, with a bit of the steam-fogged mirror in the background. Not risqué, but suggestive enough. I took the photo and hit send.
His typing bubble popped up almost instantly, then disappeared, and then popped up again. I could practically hear him swearing under his breath and trying to think of something clever to say. I laughed quietly and set the phone aside, letting the warmth of the moment settle around me.
After a long soak, I pulled myself out, wrapped up in one of Heidi’s oversized towels, and padded down the hallway to change into fresh clothes. Once I was done, I followed the faint clinking of pots into the kitchen, where Heidi was stirring something on the stove, one hip cocked out, a glass of wine within reach.
“You look about seventeen percent less dead,” she said, glancing at me with a smirk.
“Thanks. That’s about how I feel.” I leaned against the counter, watching her move. “Dinner smells amazing.”
“Are you staying? I made enough for you, obviously.”
I nodded, hesitating for a second before blurting, “I’ve been hooking up with Roque.”
She didn’t even blink, just kept stirring.
I frowned. “That’s it? No dramatic gasp?”
Heidi snorted. “Sayla, please, I’m your sister, and I’m not blind. I’ve known since December. The man looks at you like you hung the damn moon.”
I blinked. “You knew?”
“Course I did,” she said, finally turning to face me, lips twitching with amusement. “You were always suddenly ‘busy’ whenever he was in town, and you do not look that disheveled from a snowstorm that keeps you inside the whole time.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could get a word out, a whirlwind of pink and curls came barreling into the kitchen.
“Auntie Sayla!” Nemi cried, launching herself at my legs and wrapping her arms around me. “Come watch Shrek! We started without you, but it’s the part where the donkey sings!”
I glanced at Heidi, who lifted her glass and said, “You’re doomed now.”
Laughing, I scooped Nemi up and let her drag me toward the living room.
“Okay, okay! But only if I get to sing, too.”
“You have to sing,” she said seriously. “It’s the law.”
And just like that, the weight in my chest eased a little. For now, it was enough to be here—warm, safe, and wrapped in the arms of a kid who believed Shrek was the peak of cinematic genius.
Honestly, she wasn’t wrong.
Roque
“How are you holding up?” Evie asked quietly, her gaze following Elora as she played with Kairo and Kaida in the living room.
From the kitchen, the low murmur of conversation drifted toward us—our parents talking with Evie’s husband, Alex, along with his son, the sheriff, DB, and his wife, Tabby. We’d thought about introducing their kids, too, but it felt like too much. Kairo and Kaida had already been through enough. Meeting a house full of new faces might just push them over the edge.
I leaned back into the couch, the weight of it all settling in my chest. “It hit me last night, this is real. Kemble and Aislinn are really gone. And now I’m responsible for these two amazing kids who don’t fully understand how much their world has changed.”
“Son,” my dad’s voice came from behind us, making Evie jump slightly. He rested a firm hand on my shoulder as he stepped around the couch. “You just joined the best club in the world—it just happened in the worst way.”
He lowered himself into the chair beside us, eyes kind but heavy with the same grief I carried. “Losing Kemble and Aislinn… there’s no softening that. But they knew exactly who they wanted to raise their kids. They trusted you with that because they knew you’d give them everything.”
I managed a small, sad smile as Kaida picked up a doll and began chattering with Elora. Her voice was high and sweet, and she was entirely unaware of the storm they were in.
“I just wish they still had their real parents to guide them,” I murmured. “They deserved that.”
“You’re not doing this alone,” Evie said softly, her voice steady. I already knew it, but hearing it aloud helped more than I expected.
I let out a slow breath, running a hand over my face. “I don’t know how to be a parent,” I admitted, my voice low. “All I know is what I’ve seen other people do. Like this morning… I knew they had to brush their teeth and eat breakfast but after that?” I shook my head. “I didn’t know if there was something else they were supposed to do. Are they on vitamins? Do they use mouthwash? Do they eat something specific every day—like those weird yogurt tubes or dinosaur-shaped waffles?”