Through the window, I watch Damon out in the yard with the girls. No more “Secret Agent” games—now they’re getting real training. Drills. Footwork. Defense stances. Their tiny bodies move in sync, following Damon’s instructions with serious expressions.
I sip my coffee. “We’re really raising junior protection specialists, huh?”
Mia, standing at the counter, just nods. She’s not really paying attention, just stirs her tea with a far-off look.
Something’s off.
“You good?” I ask.
She blinks and snaps out of it. “Yeah. Just… work stuff.”
Before I can press, she sets her mug down and heads upstairs.
I glance at Zane, who’s leaning against the counter, flipping through his phone. “What’s that about?”
He shrugs. “Probably the new job.”
Right. The job.
Mia switched hospitals a few weeks ago—better pay, better benefits, more security. It made sense. But something about the way she left just now doesn’t sit right with me.
I look back outside. The girls laugh as Damon corrects their stances, making them do it again. A few months ago, they were playing hide and seek. Now, they’re learning how to throw a proper punch. I’m so proud of them.
“Listen, there’s something I need to run by you,” Zane says, shifting his weight like he’s uncomfortable. Which is weird, because Zane is never uncomfortable.
I raise a brow. “What? Don’t tell me you’re proposing.”
The joke lands flat when I see his expression.
Oh, you’ve got to be joking.
Zane scratches his jaw. “Yeah… about that.”
I groan. “No. No way. I had this whole thing planned.”
Zane crosses his arms, grinning. “Well, I hate how in sync we are.”
“This is unbelievable.” I shake my head. “How the hell are we both proposing at the same time?”
“Damon, too,” Zane says casually.
I nearly choke on my coffee. “Oh, come on.”
Zane shrugs. “Mia deserves it.”
I sigh, rubbing a hand down my face. He’s not wrong, but I was supposed to have this big moment, this perfect plan. Now I have to share it?
Zane claps me on the shoulder. “Look on the bright side. She can’t say no to all three of us.”
“That’s not very comforting,” I say, scowling at him. I shake my head, still trying to process. “This is ridiculous.”
Zane smirks. “You gonna back out?”
“Hell, no,” I mutter, already running through a mental checklist. “But now we actually have to plan this thing.”
Zane leans against the counter, arms crossed. “Damon probably already has a whole tactical strategy laid out.”
I snort. “Of course he does.”
