I glance back at Sam, something gentler settling into my chest.
“I don’t know if Trey ever told you… I said some pretty harsh things about you when he first mentioned you.” He frowns, fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable. “Feels like I’m confessing my sins to a nun,” he mutters. “I thought you might be running some kind of con…taking advantage of that little idiot. But…you’re good people. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry you’ve been having such a shitty time of things.”
“Thank you, Sam.”
“No, thank you, Sera. You’ve been good for him. He might never grow up, but you give him something to focus on…and that stops him from harassing me.” He smiles, and I can’t help but laugh with him as I take a sip of my coffee. It’s too hot, burning my tongue slightly.
“Harassing you?”
“Yeah. He kept making fake dating profiles in my name. At first, he was matching me with every woman he thought I’d like… then he started making profiles just so I’d find men.” He shakes his head. “Little shit.”
I try to look scandalized, but I can feel my smile betraying me.
“So…are you looking for love?” I ask.
“Love?” He pauses, considering it. “I don’t really think—” He cuts himself off, finishing the last of his green smoothie beforesetting the glass down with a quiet sigh. “I mean…maybe. My head says yes. My heart says no.”
“I’ll say a prayer for you,” I tell him softly. “For healing…and for something new to find you when you’re ready.”
“Thanks,” he says, a faint crease in his brow. “Not sure I’ve earned prayers, but…” He exhales, leaning back slightly. “Seeing you and Trey…and Mac and Logan finally getting their shit together…Braden used to go on and on about Logan ending up with his sister.” He huffs out a small laugh. “Yeah…it does make me think I’d like something like that for myself one day.”
I nod, offering him a soft smile before reaching up to pull the hair tie from my wrist. My fingers gather my hair, sweeping it back, twisting and securing it into a ponytail with practiced ease.
“Oh—and Braden would have fucking loved you. The way you keep your manchild under any kind of control? It speaks volumes,” he adds with a snort.
I don’t quite know what to say to that. His words tug at something deep in my chest, warm and aching all at once. Emotion rises too quickly, too close to the surface.
“That was really kind of you to say, Sam. Thank you.” I sniff, offering him a small, sincere smile. “I wish I’d had the chance to meet him.” Sam nods sadly. “I-I need to get back into my normal routine,” I say, rolling my shoulders slightly as if already preparing myself. “My morning runs with the dogs.”
I glance over my shoulder toward the hallway, where Trey still sleeps, then back to Sam, my voice softening just a touch.
“Usually, Trey’s waiting by the door for me to come back,” I admit, a small smile tugging at my lips. “But I left him sleeping. I think he needs the rest.”
Sam watches me for a second, then pushes up from the stool in one smooth movement.
“I’ll come with you.”
I pause, brow lifting slightly as I turn toward him. “Do you actually want to…or do you feel obligated?”
He lets out a low laugh, shaking his head.
“I was going to run anyway,” he says, grabbing a bottle of water from the counter. Then his eyes narrow slightly, a hint of something almost wary creeping in. “But you’ve gotta promise not to let your dogs take a chunk out of me.”
I blink at him.
“The darker one has been eying my pants this entire time. Little bro likes balls for sure. They fucking terrify me, Sera.”
A laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it, echoing slightly as I head toward the patio doors.
“Why is everyone so scared of my babies?” I call over my shoulder, still laughing as I reach for the handle and push it open, the cool morning air rushing in to meet us.
As soon as we step beyond the patio, the air shifts—cooler, cleaner, carrying the faint scent of cut grass and early blooms. Dawn stretches across the grounds, light threading through the trees in long, quiet beams.
The guards Niko stationed along the perimeter move like shadows within it. One passes along the edge of the path and gives a short, respectful nod as we come into view. Another lingers further out, watchful, unmoving.
Sam notices.
“Comforting,” he mutters.
