“I’m really glad you’re back.”
“Me too.” I meant it more than I’d expected.
Questions came cheerful and fast. How was the trip? Did the cabin live up to the hype? Had the weather cooperated? Did we actually unplug or just pretend?
“Both,” Rios answered when Sawyer asked if we’d actually stayed off our phones. “We cheated once. Regretted it immediately.”
“That tracks,” Bree said, sliding a plate toward me. “Eat. The gouda is to die for.”
Ford mock pouted. “You slapped my hand when I tried to get some.”
“You haven’t earned it today, slick.”
He bent and whispered something into her ear that immediately had her cheeks going pink and her eyes sparkling. Bree handed him a cracker with cheese. “Sold.”
Willa announced the chicken needed another half hour to marinate before going on the grill, so we all filled our plates with appetizers and headed out to the deck. September was still warm in the Outer Banks, but the brutal edge of summer had passed, and the ocean breeze made things comfortable. I sat on an outdoor loveseat, and the foster dog lay down across my feet. His heavy bulk against my legs was comforting, and I automatically reached down to stroke his silky ears.
Rios sat beside me and raised one knowing brow. “So, how’s the island been treating everyone while we were gone?”
Bree popped an olive into her mouth. “Quiet. Too quiet, depending on who you ask.”
“People are still talkin’ about Carson. About everything. Expect that won’t change for a while,” Daniel said.
The name slid over me like a cold draft. I stiffened before I could stop myself. The dog shifted, pressing closer, his head now fully in my lap. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and kept petting him, grounding myself in the steady rhythm of it.
Rios felt it. I knew he did because his arm tightened just slightly around me. “There’ll be time to talk about that later,” he said calmly, not to shut it down, just to set it aside. “Tonight’s about being back.”
No one argued.
Willa cleared her throat, mercifully changing the subject. “We’re just glad you’re both okay. After… everything.”
The conversation shifted again, meandering the way it did among people with so much shared history—small updates, shared jokes, the kind of easy overlap that came from long familiarity. And through it all, something loosened inside me. A tension I hadn’t even known I was carrying.
At some point, Sawyer leaned back in his chair and eyed Rios with open curiosity. “So. What’s next for you two?”
The room went quiet in that attentive, interested way—not invasive, just expectant.
Rios glanced at me, a question in his eyes. I nodded.
“We’re moving in together.”
There it was. Out in the open.
Bree’s face split into a grin so wide it was almost comical. “Called it.”
Ford dug out his wallet and passed a bill to his fiancée. “Hell. I figured it’d take another few months.”
Sawyer gave a high five, and Willa just beamed.
“That’s—” Gabi started, then stopped herself and smiled. “That’s good.”
My profound relief didn’t put a waver in my voice. “So, we’re looking for a place.”
Rios nudged my shoulder with his. “With a yard.”
I looked at Willa, my hand still resting on the dog’s head. “Because I want to adopt him.”
“I knew it!” Willa crowed, pumping her fist in the air. “I knew the minute he leaned on you.”
