He laughed, then buried his face in my neck and just breathed, as if he could live on nothing but the scent of my skin.
Eventually, the sunlight shifted and blazed a stripe across the bed. I sank into its warmth, feeling the slow melt of contentment settle into my bones.
For the first time since I could remember, I was happy.
Not the borrowed happiness I’d faked for strangers, not the brittle kind I’d rationed out in stolen moments.
This was the real thing.
And I never wanted to let it go.
When we finally rolled out of bed, it was past eight, and I felt like I’d slept for a year. The pain in my knee was just a dull echo, the old bruises faded to faint shadows, and I could walk without flinching. Jess made coffee, strong enough to strip the enamel from your teeth, and I drank it black, just to prove I was as tough as he was. I wore nothing but his battered college t-shirt and a pair of black leggings. I’d pulled my hair into a high ponytail, which hung down my back in a riot of blonde curls. He looked at me like I was a miracle.
It was a cool early spring Texas morning, the wind still damp from last night’s rain. We hopped on Jess’s bike and cut through town, weaving through the side streets to avoid the rush at the middle school. Dairyville was smaller than any place I’d ever lived, the kind of town where there was a gas station when youentered the city limits and one when you left. Most of the houses were squat, white brick, with blue tin roofs and chain-link fences out front, the yards a mix of winter-brown and wildflowers already trying to take over the cracks in the sidewalk. Others were ranches with land and cattle or crops. The downtown area was something out of a Hallmark movie. Cute businesses lined the town square with colorful awnings and park benches. The center of town even had a white gazebo that just needed a little band playing to complete the scene.
We parked outside Aspen’s bakery—Buttercream & Blessings—and for a second I just stared at the place. It sat center of the hardware store and a hair salon and was painted the color of an Easter egg with a striped yellow-and-white awning and window boxes full of marigolds. Even with the glass front door closed you could get a wave of sugar and cinnamon that hit me like a memory of every good thing I’d ever tasted. Through the front window, you could see the racks of scones and the chalkboard menu, written in perfect swooping script.
Aspen herself was at the counter, perched on a stool and hunched over a stack of receipts, her long black hair pulled into a messy ponytail. She wore a swing dress the color of robins’ eggs, dotted with daisies, and white tights with black ankle boots. When she saw us, her whole face lit up.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in!” she said, voice syrupy-sweet with a hint of mischief. “And by ‘cat’ I mean the world’s scariest wolf.”
Jess gave her a little salute. “Morning, Aspen. Is it too early for the good stuff?”
She hopped off the stool and circled the counter, beaming. “For you two? Never. I made blueberry scones and the brown butter coffee cake. Harper, you’ll die when you taste it. I used the special cinnamon from Mexico that Wrecker smuggled back last month.”
Before I could even thank her, Aspen enveloped me in a hug, squeezing until my ribs creaked. “You look so much better, honey. I could just cry.”
I squeezed her back. “You might be the only person in this whole state who gives a damn if I live or die.”
She snorted. “Nonsense. Everyone in the pack gives a damn. Some are just better at hiding it.” She gave Jess a wink, then shooed us to the corner table.
As we settled in, the bell over the door gave a little trill, and I turned to see her little prairie dog familiar standing at attention on the floor. He wore a navy blue bowtie with his vest and jacket, and his whiskers twitched with focus.
“Miss Harper,” he intoned, “may I wish you and Master Arsenal a beautiful good morning on behalf of my lady Aspen and myself. If you require anything, do not hesitate to summon me.”
I choked back a laugh. “Thank you, Oscar. You’re looking very dapper today.”
He nodded sincerely. “The occasion merits it. The Sergeant at Arms is not often seen with such radiant company.”
Aspen returned with a tray, setting out thick mugs of coffee and a plate heaped with scones, still warm and studded with berries that bled violet into the crumb. She set a tiny cup of creamer in front of Jess and another in front of me, even though I hadn’t asked. “Just in case,” she said, conspiratorial. “I always liked mine with cream, but nobody here does, so I started drinking it black to fit in. Don’t ever let them change you, Harper.”
It struck me as the most honest advice I’d heard in months.
We ate in silence for a few minutes. The coffee cake was impossibly tender, soaked in butter and sugar, and I nearly moaned out loud when I tasted it. Jess noticed and smirked, butsaid nothing, just nudged the plate closer and refilled my mug whenever it dipped below half.
Aspen left us alone, after dropping a little curtsy to Oscar, who then padded off to the kitchen, muttering something about “a backlog of invoices and utter chaos in the pantry.” It was just Jess and me, the bright morning, and the smallest bakery table in the world.
I took a breath. “I’m worried about my sister,” I said, not even bothering to ease into it. “When Steiner realizes I’m gone, he’ll be furious. He always said, if I ever disappeared, he’d send someone after Brie.”
Jess reached across the table and covered my hand with his. “She’s in France, right? Or was that just a cover?”
“She was,” I said. “At least, that’s what I overheard Steiner saying. I’d caught snippets of conversations where he had been complaining about how he couldn’t find her and that last he’d heard she was there. She went to college in Texas. Then past that, I have no idea. I heard Mom left my dad after the Ponzi scandal. But it’s been years since I’ve seen any of them. The last time I saw them, Brie was probably nineteen.” I wiped a tear away with my napkin.
He squeezed my hand. “You think they’ll come back if you ask?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if they want to see me. I barely know them anymore.” The words stung. “Steiner might find them first. Or maybe he already has, and he’s just waiting for the best moment to use them against me.”
“We’ll do our best to keep that from happening.” His voice was so certain I almost believed he could pull it off. “I’ll talk to Bronc and see what we can do. Wrecker and Parker are the best at finding people, even if they’re halfway across the world. We’ll get them to safety.”
