Because the truth is: neither do I.
And the second truth, the one that scares me more, is that Derek Pierce is standing in his own living room looking at me like he’d rather take the hit himself than watch me take it.
That is not safe.
That is dangerous in a completely different way.
I set the glass down carefully. “I’m not staying because you told me to.”
His gaze flickers. “I know.”
“I’m staying,” I continue, voice steadier now, “because I don’t want to be alone right now.”
The words hang between us.
Derek’s expression shifts—surprise first, then something like relief he tries to bury.
He nods once. “Okay.”
Just… okay.
No smugness. No teasing. No pressure.
Consistency.
He turns toward the kitchen. “I’ll make food. Toast first. Then bacon since that worked this morning.”
I watch him for a second as he walks away—controlled, steady, reliable.
My throat tightens again, but this time it isn’t tears.
It’s something like trust.
And that feels like the most reckless decision I’ve made in years.
Chapter Fourteen
DEREK
The first thingthat hits me is the stillness.
Not empty—just settled. Like the house has taken a long breath and decided to hold it.
Mark and Alex have finally stopped clattering around my kitchen like it’s a tailgate. The bacon smell is gone, the dishes are rinsed, the counters wiped. Even the hum of the refrigerator seems quieter than usual, as if it knows better than to compete with the sound of Audra Sullivan breathing in my living room.
She’s asleep on my couch again.
I told myself I’d give her space. I’m giving her space. The armchair across from her is technically space.
It’s also close enough to see the way her lashes rest against her cheeks, the faint crease between her brows that doesn’t fully smooth out even in sleep, like her mind is still trying to solve a problem her body refuses to answer.
I hate that crease.
Mark drops into the chair beside mine with an exaggerated sigh, feet up on my coffee table like he pays the mortgage.
“Say something,”he whispers.
I don’t look away from Audra. “About what?”
