"He was just being nice."
"Cade is nice to everyone," Sadie says. "He's the team medic. Taking care of people is literally his job. But there's nice, and then there's 'I found you in the woods and now I'm looking at you like you hung the moon' nice."
"Okay, enough." I set down my tea, my hands suddenly unsteady. "I appreciate what you're both trying to do, but I'm not ready for... that. Any of that. I don't even know who I am without Kevin's voice in my head telling me everything I do wrong."
The words hang in the air, more honest than I intended.
Vivian reaches over and takes my hand. Her grip is firm and warm. "Then figure that out first. Nobody's rushing you. But don't close yourself off to good things just because you've had bad ones. That's letting him win."
I think about that for the rest of the meeting.
The men discuss security protocols, perimeter checks, something about upgraded communication systems. I only half listen, too aware of Cade's presence across the room. The way he stands with his arms crossed, nodding along to whatever Deck is saying. The way his eyes find mine every few minutes, checking in without approaching.
He's giving me space. Letting me have this time with Vivian and Sadie without hovering.
Kevin would never have done that. Kevin needed to know every word I exchanged with another person, needed to approve every friendship, needed to be the center of every moment of my life.
Cade just... trusts me. Trusts that I can handle a conversation without his supervision.
Such a small thing. Such a revolutionary concept.
When the meeting breaks up, Vivian hugs me like we've known each other for years.
"Come to dinner on Sunday," she says. "I'm making lasagna and I need more estrogen in this testosterone fest."
"I don't want to impose."
"You're not imposing. You're making my life better." She pulls back and holds my shoulders. "I mean it, Natalie. Whatever you need, I'm here. We all are."
I blink back the sudden sting in my eyes. "Thank you."
The driveback to Cade's cabin is quiet, but not uncomfortable. The sun is setting over the mountains, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink, and I watch the colors change through the window while my mind churns.
"They liked you." Cade's voice breaks the silence.
"They were nice."
"No, they liked you." He glances over, the fading light catching the gold in his beard. "Vivian doesn't invite just anyone to Sunday dinner. And Sadie's already texting me asking when she can come visit."
"She seems... energetic."
His laugh is low and warm. "That's one word for it. She's good for Wolfe, though. He actually smiles now. The whole team nearly had a heart attack the first time we saw it."
I smile despite myself. "She said he didn't talk much before her."
"Man of few words." Cade shrugs. "We all handle our shit differently. Wolfe goes quiet. Deck gets angry. I..." He pauses. "I hide."
"In the greenhouse?"
"In the greenhouse. In the herbs. In anything that lets me feel useful without having to feel everything else." His hands tightenon the steering wheel. "It worked for a while. Then you showed up."
My breath catches. "What do you mean?"
He's quiet for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is rougher than before.
"I mean I've spent three years building walls, and you've been here four days and I can already feel them cracking."
I don't know what to say to that. Don't know if I should say anything. So I just sit with it, let his words settle into the spaces between us, and watch the mountains turn purple in the dying light.
