The thought surfaces instantly, uninvited.
Her laugh. Her heat. The way she curled into my chest last night like she trusted me with her sleep.
And the way she kissed me like she wasn’t afraid to want.
My stomach twists.
“I’m not sure,” I admit, voice low. “I’ve got… something here.”
Nash is silent for a beat. Then his voice shifts, softer. “Her.”
I don’t answer.
Because if I say her name out loud, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep pretending she’s not changing the shape of my decisions.
Nash exhales. “Crewe. I get it.”
“You don’t,” I say, rough.
“I do,” he insists. “Because I’ve watched you hold yourself back your whole life. You’re always the calm one. The controlled one. The one who doesn’t want anything unless he’s sure he can keep it.” He pauses. “And because I’ve got something too. Laney and me.”
I smile. “Congrats, brother. I know you’ve loved her for years.”
He laughs lightly. “I think I’ve loved her before I even knew what love was. She’s on board with this. Maybe Riley will be too.”
My throat tightens.
“And now you’re afraid to ask her,” Nash continues, matter-of-fact. “And you’re thinking if you leave, you’ll lose her.”
I stare out at the snow-choked trees, jaw locked.
Nash’s voice hardens. “But Dad might be out there.”
The words slice straight through me.
“He left us,” I say, even though I don’t believe it. Even though the anger is old and bitter and protective. “He?—”
“He didn’t leave,” Nash cuts in. “He was taken. Or forced underground. Or protecting us by staying gone. I don’t know. But I know this—if he’s alive, he didn’t just decide he was done being our father.”
My pulse pounds.
I think about Riley’s destroyed lab. The way someone can erase a life and leave only questions.
I think about what that would do to a family.
“What do you need from me?” I ask finally.
Nash’s breath releases like he’s been holding it. “Come on board when you can. Start lining up your exit. We’ve got leads. We’re moving.”
“And if this is connected?” I ask, the thought flashing sharp. “What if whoever’s after Riley’s program is tied to whatever happened to Dad?”
Nash goes quiet. Then, he says, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
A chill creeps up my spine.
“Crewe,” Nash says, voice low, “if Dad’s still alive, someone has been controlling that truth for years. People with reach. Resources. Money.”
I swallow. “I can’t leave Riley right now.”
