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I led him down the second-floor corridor, putting him in one of the luxury guest suites on the opposite wing from the master bedroom.

The room was massive, complete with a plush king-sized bed, dark hardwood dressers, a private marble bathroom, a small sitting area with an armchair, and an oversized walk-in closet with more than enough room for his clothes.

Yonas walked inside, setting his bags by the foot of the bed, and let out a low whistle as he took in the space. “Nice. Your ex had expensive taste. Or has this been remodeled?”

My heart skipped at the word ex.

Even after all those years, hearing Caspian reduced to something as simple as that still felt strange.

“Both,” I answered, forcing my expression back to neutral as I backed toward the doorway. “I’ll let you unpack and get settled.” I pointed toward the adjoining bathroom. “Toiletries are in the bathroom. There’s extra blankets and pillows on the top shelf in the hallway closet. If you need anything else, just holler.”

“Appreciate you, Lakelyn.”

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded then stepped backward into the hallway to leave him to his privacy. But right as my foot cleared the threshold, the recessed light fixture directly above his bedroom door flickered sharply.

Click.

The light went completely dark, snapped back on, and then buzzed with a low, violent hum.

I stopped dead in my tracks, lifting my chin to stare up at the bulb.

Click.

Flash.

The light flickered again, casting strange, jagged shadows down the hallway before settling back into a steady glow.

I let out an irritated breath, rubbing my temples. “These damn lights...”

I was definitely going to have to call an electrician to inspect the house before Willow’s party. The wiring in this place was getting entirely too erratic.

***

Kaidence got home from school about an hour later, bursting through the front doors with his backpack swinging wildly and his face covered in bright red fruit-snack residue. He was halfway through telling me a wildly dramatic, twenty-minute story about how somebody dropped a carton of chocolate milk during recess when Yonas appeared at the top of the stairs.

“What’s up, bud?” Yonas called down, leaning over the banister with a grin.

Kaidence stopped mid-sentence, his dark eyes going wide as saucers.

“Yonas!” he shrieked at the top of his lungs.

Before I could even tell him to take his shoes off, Kaidence dropped his backpack directly onto the floor and took off sprinting across the foyer like a tiny missile.

Yonas bounded down the bottom three steps, laughing out loud, and caught Kaidence mid-air, swinging him around before lifting him up against his chest.

“What are you doing here?!” Kaidence asked, practically bouncing in Yonas’s arms.

“I came down here to see you,” Yonas said, poking his stomach playfully. “Heard you were running these streets down in Hallowridge.”

“You did?”

Yonas laughed. “I did.”

Kaidence wrapped his little arms tight around Yonas’s neck, squeezing with all his five-year-old might.

Watching the two of them together instantly warmed my chest, washing away whatever lingering doubts I had about letting Yonas stay.

“Be careful, Kaidence,” I called out with a smile. “Don’t choke the man before he even gets unpacked.”