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“He’s good,” Yonas said, then set him on his feet, ruffling his hair. “How’s the new school treating you? You liking your teacher?”

“Yeah! She gave me a gold star!”

Yonas gave him a high-five. “That’s what I’m talking about. You making friends?”

“Yeah! I got a friend named Leo, and a boy name Marcus shared his cookies with me today!”

“Look at you, making corporate moves already,” Yonas joked, giving me an amused look over Kaidence’s head.

Kaidence grabbed Yonas by the wrist with both hands, tugging with all his strength. “Come see my room! You gotta see my room!”

Yonas chuckled, stumbling forward as Kaidence pulled him toward the grand staircase. “Your room, huh?”

“Yeah! I got Spider-Man everything! Spider-Man on the wall, Spider-Man on the bed, and a secret hiding spot!”

He was practically dragging a grown man up the steps two at a time.

Yonas glanced back down at me over his shoulder with a grin. “I’ll be back down once I get the official tour.”

“Take your time,” I laughed, shaking my head as the sound of Kaidence’s shoes echoed loudly down the upper corridor.

I stood at the base of the stairs for a moment, listening to Kaidence’s bright, high-pitched chatter fill the quiet corners of the second floor.

At least somebody in this house was completely overjoyed to have company.

I just silently prayed that welcoming our past into Caspian’s sanctuary wasn’t a massive, unforgivable mistake.

***

That evening, the entire house gathered around the long mahogany dining table for dinner. I had made baked chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and fresh yeast rolls.

Granny sat at the head of the table in her favorite cardigan, her face glowing with genuine delight as she caught up with Yonas. She had always had a soft spot for him, appreciating how respectful and attentive he had been whenever he visited her in the past. Willow, on the other hand, had absolutely no concept of personal boundaries.

She spent the first fifteen minutes of the meal leaning over her plate, grilling Yonas like a lead prosecutor in a federal courtroom.

“So, when you say, ‘financial misconduct,’ are we talking offshore tax shelters, or did somebody literally walk out of the office with a duffel bag full of bearer bonds? Because if you have offshore accounts, Yonas, we need to discuss some investment opportunities for my marketing firm.”

I shot a glare across the table and kicked Willow hard beneath the tablecloth.

“Ow!” Willow gasped, nearly dropping her fork. She glared at me, rubbing her shin. “What the hell, Lakelyn?!”

“Eat your food, Willow,” I said through clenched teeth, slicing my chicken.

“I’m just asking basic questions!”

“You’re being excessively nosy.”

“It’s called showing sisterly concern and due diligence,” Willow argued smoothly, tossing her braided hair over her shoulder. “If federal agents are going to kick down these mansion doors in the middle of my Halloween bash, I at least want to make sure my outfit coordinates with the mugshot lighting.”

Yonas threw his head back and let out a booming laugh that shook his shoulders. “It’s all good, Lakelyn. I don’t mind. No duffel bags, Willow… just a bunch of corporate accountants arguing over contract discrepancies and bad wire instructions.”

Willow pointed her fork toward Yonas triumphantly. “See? The man doesn’t mind sharing. You’re the only one acting like a prison warden.”

I shook my head, fighting back a smirk as Granny gave Willow a gentle, reprimanding pat on the wrist.

Kaidence spent the rest of dinner completely dominating the conversation. He gave Yonas a play-by-play breakdown of his entire school day, listed off every single piece of Spider-Man merchandise currently occupying his bedroom, and spent ten minutes debating whether he should dress up as Miles Morales or the Black Panther for Halloween.

By the time the plates were cleared, and the leftover rolls were wrapped up, the atmosphere in the dining room felt lighter and warmer than it had all week. The tension that had been hanging over Yonas when he first arrived seemed to dissolve, replaced by the easy comfort of being surrounded by people who loved him.