“And you’re in charge now?”
He hesitates. “Rafe was the commander for a long time. After he met Harper and started thinking about building a family… I took over.”
His voice goes quiet there. Not regretful, just… serious.
“He trusts you,” I say.
He looks at me. “Yeah. They all do.”
I pause, spatula hovering. “Must be nice.”
“What?”
“To be trusted like that.”
Gavin’s gaze sharpens, but he doesn’t press.
Instead, he grabs two mugs and pours coffee from the pot I hadn’t even noticed he brewed. He hands me one, hot and fragrant.
“Your hands aren’t shaking anymore,” he says.
I look down. “Huh. You’re right.” I sip, and then breathe in deep. And for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like the ground is falling out from under me. I feel okay. Just for a moment.
And I know it’s probably temporary. I know there’s still danger out there. Questions to answer. People I can’t trust. Truths I haven’t told.
But for right now?
I have pancakes. A warm baby. And a grumpy, gorgeous mountain man watching over us like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
And honestly?
It feels a hell of a lot like hope.
FOUR
GAVIN
I never thought carrying a diaper bag would feel like part of a mission.
But here I am—one strapped over my shoulder, Kayley walking beside me wrapped in one of my flannels, and baby Aidan bundled in her arms as we make our way back to the main hall of Haven 7.
I offered to carry the baby again. She politely declined with a smile that made me forget my own name for three full seconds.
That smile? It’s a problem.
So is the way I keep glancing at her like I’m afraid she’ll disappear.
I tell myself it’s because she’s in danger. That I’m hardwired to protect civilians, especially women and children. That this is just another op, and she’s just another asset.
But I know that’s a lie.
Because every time she looks at me with those tired, grateful eyes, somethingtightensin my chest in a way it hasn’t in years.
Not since the last time I failed someone.
We step through the main lodge doors, and the others are already inside, boots tracking melted snow across the hardwood, laptop cords trailing like vines across the table. Rafe, Boyd, Chase, Rhett, and Harlan are posted up in their usual stations—focused, quiet, and coiled with tension.
Wyatt’s here too—Eli’s twin and the newest addition to the crew, sitting at the long table with his sleeves rolled and fingers flying across his laptop. His gaze lifts when he sees us.
