"Eventually," I say, skipping over the parts of my story I'm not ready to share. My time in prison. The mistakes that put me there. "Ethan gave me a second chance when I needed one. Believed in me when most wouldn't."
She nods, seemingly understanding there's more to the story than I'm telling. "I get that. Gloria did the same for me." She takes a deep breath. "I should apologize for how I acted when my mother showed up. What I said to you, how I treated you. It wasn't fair."
"You were protecting yourself," I say. "I understand why better now."
"Still," she insists. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"Apology accepted," I say simply. "Though it wasn't necessary."
She smiles then, a genuine smile that transforms her face. In that moment, I see what the cameras see, not just her physical beauty, but the light that comes from within when she lets her guard down.
"We should head back," I say reluctantly, breaking the spell before I do something stupid like touch her face or, worse, kiss her.
"In a minute," she says, rising to her feet. She walks to the edge of the overlook, framing the view with her fingers like she's composing a photograph. Then she turns, framing me in the same way, her head tilted as she studies the composition.
"What are you doing?" I ask, feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious under her artistic scrutiny.
"Creating a memory," she says simply. "The light is perfect right now. I want to remember it."
Something in her voice, in the way she looks at me, makes my chest tighten. This isn't just about the scenery.
"Ready?" I ask, standing up.
She nods, her eyes still holding mine for a moment. "Thank you for this, Declan. For getting me out of the house. For... being here for me."
"Anytime," I promise, meaning it more than I should.
We run back in companionable silence, pace slower than before, as if we both know we're returning to a reality neither of us is quite ready to face. Back to being a client and protector. Back to professional distance and the complications that come with our situation.
But something has shifted between us on that mountain top, a connection forged through shared vulnerability. And as we approach her house, I find myself already planning our next run, already looking forward to another moment where the walls come down and we're justDeclan and Jade, two people finding unexpected common ground above the canyon.
And that, I realize with growing certainty, is the most dangerous development yet.
But that memory she framed with her fingers? I'm going to carry it with me too.
11
MATEO
Three weeks. That's how long it's been since Jade Sinclair crash-landed into our lives like a glamorous, guarded hurricane. And somehow, in that short time, we've gone from strangers eyeing each other across fortified hallways to... this.
Breakfast.
Not just any breakfast. A real, full-table, six-person operation. We're all gathered in the massive open kitchen: Jade, Gloria, Sophie, Ethan, Declan, and yours truly, hovering around the island like it's a conference table and this is the most critical strategy meeting of the month.
"Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen," I say, with a deep bow and a flourish of my spoon. "Welcome to the inaugural Mateo Breakfast Summit. I'll be your charming host, and yes, Declan has already glared at me twice for speaking before caffeine."
"Three times," Declan mutters, sipping his black coffee like it's a sacrament.
"And counting," Ethan adds, grinning over his protein smoothie.
The food is spread out like a magazine shoot. Individual parfaits, steel-cut oatmeal, avocado toast with tiny radish slices, and egg white frittatas that look too pretty to eat. All prepped off-site by a caterer and delivered in vacuum-sealed containers to Jade's specifications. She made sure each of us had meals based on our own dietary needs. Gluten-free for Ethan, pescatarian for Gloria, and sugar-loaded for yours truly. Even Declan's caveman-esque protein intake is accounted for.
"Did you actually request triple-bacon cinnamon rolls?" Gloria asks me, lifting a brow.
"Hey, I'm a man of simple, high-cholesterol tastes."
Jade shakes her head, smiling into her tea. "You're lucky I didn't replace them with carrot sticks after your comments last week."
