I clench my fists.
Hard.
So hard my knuckles crack.
“You need a gate,” I say quietly. “You need privacy hedges. You need cameras. This place is too exposed. Someone threw a rock through your window while you were gone. I?—”
“I know what I need, Leo.”
Her tone sharpens. “Thank you for reminding me of everything I’ve neglected.”
Her mouth softens for the first time. Just a little.
“It was just me and the cats. Then Jade came and brought color back into this house.”
She looks me dead in the eyes.
“But I’m family. You’re not. I know what’s best for her.”
That one lands deep.
“I think it’s time for you to leave,” she finishes. “Before Jade finds out you’re?—”
“It’s too late for that,” a voice says behind her.
Susan stiffens.
My heart stops.
Then kicks so hard I swear it rattles the floor.
Jade steps into the doorway.
Hair windblown from the cold.
Cheeks flushed pink.
Leggings hugging her legs, the leather jacket half-zipped.
She looks like winter and fire stitched together.
My blood heats so fast I almost sway.
The air between us crackles.
Heat. Anger. Lust.
Confusion. Hurt.
Love so raw it feels like a wound that won’t close.
Her eyes lock on mine.
I feel it in my bones.
This isn’t Jade-from-before.
This is someone reborn.
