I cupped her cheeks in my hands and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right here.”
She nodded, then walked toward the porch, where her father waited.
I watched her climb the steps to where Baron held the door open, then both of them disappeared inside the house that should have been hers.
I moved to follow.
Tryst’s hand closed on my arm. “No.”
“I can’t?—”
“You must.” His grip was firm. “You’re showing her that you believe in her. That you trust her to fight her own battles.”
I stared at the front door, every muscle in my body coiled to move.
Snapper appeared beside me. “He’s right.”
“I know he’s right.” I spoke through clenched teeth. “That doesn’t make it easier.”
“Nothing about loving someone is easy.” Snapper began. “But the hardest part isn’t fighting for them. It’s stepping back when they need to fight for themselves.”
The minutes crawled by. Each one felt like an hour.
Bas paced near the SUV, his jaw tight, his eyes flicking to the house every few seconds. Press stood with his arms crossed, watching the windows for any sign of movement. TheViejoshad moved to a cluster near the circular drive, speaking quietly enough I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
I didn’t move an inch. I kept my eyes on that door and waited.
My mind constructed a hundred scenarios, each worse than the last. Baron apologizing just long enough to get her guard down. Baron threatening her with something I didn’t know about. Baron finding new ways to twist her thoughts until she believed leaving with me was a mistake.
Snapper moved closer, standing shoulder to shoulder with me. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. His presence was enough—a reminder that I wasn’t alone and my family had my back.
Five minutes. Ten. The door stayed closed.
When it finally opened, Isabel stood alone in the doorway.
She looked at me across the distance, and something in her expression made my chest ache. Not pain. Not grief. Peace.
“Kick.” She motioned to me. “Come inside.”
I hurried up the steps and took her outstretched hand.
Baron’s expression was unreadable when he walked past me without speaking. I turned and watched him descend the porch steps toward theViejos, whoclosed ranks around him. Based on Tryst’s body language alone, I was sure they intended a reckoning of their own.
“Where’s he going?” I asked.
“To face what’s coming, I imagine.” She squeezed my fingers. “I’ll tell you everything. But not out here.”
She led me through the front door.
The foyer was dusty, the crystals of a chandelier overhead clouded with neglect. But beneath the years of abandonment, I could see what this place had been. What it could be again.
“Welcome to Miremont.” Isabel’s tone was soft. “The only place that felt like home until the day I met you.”
I gathered her close and held her. When she finally raised her head, she was smiling through her tears.
“Come on.” She took my hand again and led me into what must have been a sitting room. Dust covers draped the furniture, and pale light filtered through grimy windows.
“He told me the truth,” she began. “Finally.”
