“You’re the only one that’s ever mattered,” I say softly. “Always has been. Even when we were kids. I knew I was... different. Kinda off. Temper too quick. Brain too wired. But you never batted an eye. You’d just squeeze my hand or look at me, and I’d settle. You saw me when most people didn’t know what to do with me.”
She blinks rapidly, and I see the tears threatening behind those big, beautiful eyes.
“You calm me, Berk. You always have.”
Her lip trembles, and she leans in to kiss me. Not rushed. Not heated. Just full of something quiet and forever.
And I know, without a doubt, that I’d save myself a thousand times over again... if it meant ending up here.
I give Berk’s perfect ass a playful swat—just enough to make her squeak and shoot me that look that saysyou’re lucky I like you, Calder.
I steal one more kiss from her—quick, soft, and just enough to make her lips curve into that smile that’s ruined me forever—then I give her a playful nudge toward my brothers.
“Go say bye to them before they start sulking like abandoned puppies.”
Rowen scoffs. “I don’t sulk.”
Emerson snorts. “You literally sighed so loud when she went to the bathroom earlier, I thought the house was collapsing.”
Rowen flips him off, but he’s grinning. Berk rolls her eyes at us all like we’re a pack of toddlers, but she goes to them anyway, and yeah—we all watch her like lovesick idiots.
Still, I can’t help the tug in my chest, so I speak up again, this time softer. “Hey, babe... maybe linger a little longer with Reign. She’s been off lately.”
That earns nods from both my brothers.
“She’s hiding something,” Emerson says, brow furrowed. “You can see it in her eyes.”
“And if she’s not even talking to you,” Rowen adds, looking at Berk, “that’s saying something. You two usually share a brain.”
Berk pauses at that, her gaze flicking to the hallway, thoughtful. We can see the wheels turning.
“She probably just needs some girl time,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “We’ve been kind of... monopolizing your time with her.”
“Kind of?” Emerson echoes, raising a brow.
“Okay, fine—aggressively. Possessively. Lovingly monopolizing,” I admit, unrepentant. “But still. She’s your person,too. Go check on her. Let her vent. Maybe braid her hair and summon the moon or whatever shit it is you two do when we’re not around.”
That earns a little laugh from Berk as she walks back toward the door, but I’m not done yet.
“Wait,” I call, holding up a finger like I’m about to issue the most sacred decree known to mankind. “One more thing. Don’t eventhinkabout sneaking off without kissing us goodbye.”
She smirks over her shoulder. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise,” I say. “And Iwillchase you. Possibly in nothing but socks... covered with glitter.”
Rowen groans. “Please don’t do the glitter thing again.”
“Hey, it was festive,” I say, fully defending my choice of streaking attire. A little sparkle never killed anyone. Honestly, it gave off flair—maybe evendrama—and if that’s not peak Ronan energy, I don’t know what is.
Berk’s laugh rings through the room—light and warm, something that makes my whole damn world tilt just right. She gives us a nod, a soft look, and slips out the door.
And just like that, the air shifts without her.
For a few seconds, we all just kind of glare at the door like idiots. A stunned silence that comes after a storm. In this case, a very soft, beautiful hurricane that just flipped all our worlds upside down.
“Fuck,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand down my face. “We’re so deep with her.” A laugh slips out of me—sharp, real, a little unhinged around the edges. Because it’s true. I’m drowning in her, and I don’t want to come up for air.
Rowen shifts on the couch beside me, and I feel his eyes cut sideways. Concern. He remains silent, but I know that look.
