I kissed her again, brief this time, then guided her back toward the fire. I wasn’t letting the night take everything from us. That conversation reinforced how much we needed a break from the bullshit here. Theo’s suggestion to take off for a few days couldn’t have come at a better time.
When we returned, Avery’s eyes narrowed immediately. “You were gone long enough for me to assume you committed a felony.”
Mila dropped onto the log, cheeks warm. “You’re dramatic.”
Avery leaned closer. “Correct.”
Chase tossed another piece of wood on the fire. “Where are the villains tonight?”
Theo’s gaze flicked to the beach road. “Don’t summon them.”
Jax scanned the field again. “No Logan. No Elise.”
Mila’s posture tensed at Elise’s name.
I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close again, an easy motion that told her body what my mouth didn’t need to repeat.You’re not alone.
The hour passed in a peaceful way. Conversation drifted to graduation, to whose parents were going to cry the hardest, to who would pretend they weren’t sentimental and fail. Theo made a quiet comment about going wherever hockey took him. Jax talked about the draft with the kind of hunger that made it feel real and resonated deep within me. Chase joked about escaping his father’s control and then went still for half a second, as if the joke had teeth.
Mila listened more than she spoke. Every so often she looked at me, and every time I met her gaze, I felt the day loosen a little.
The world did not vanish. But for an hour, it stopped swallowing us whole. When Mila shivered again, I stood and offered her my hand. “We should go.”
She didn’t argue. She rose and threaded her fingers through mine.
Avery’s voice followed us. “Text me when you’re headed to the mountain house.”
Mila rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
Avery lifted her middle finger in response.
We walked to the SUV with the ocean crashing against the shore, the fire behind us shrinking into a warm glow.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket, answering when I saw it was Marcus. I switched it to speaker. “What did you find?”
“I found a phone registered under Darren’s alias.”
“Can you pull the records?”
“Yeah. I just need time. And a few favors.”
Mila and I exchanged a look. More information—but nothing we could use yet.
I ended the call then opened Mila’s door and waited until she climbed in. I closed it gently and moved around to the driver’s side.
Before I got in, I looked up toward the cliffs above the beach road.
Headlights cut through the darkness. Two points of light, high and still, watching the beach.
My body went tight, instinct snapping into place. I forced myself to look away and climb into the SUV.
Mila turned her head slightly, noticing the shift in me. “What is it?” she asked softly.
I started the engine and kept my voice even. “Nothing.”
Her hand slid across the console and found mine. Her fingers threaded through with quiet pressure.
“You don’t get to protect me by pushing me away,” she reminded me, and the words struck straight through the lie I had just tried to tell.
