Page 75

“I was just looking.”

“With your fingers?”

He looked down at his outstretched hand, then back up at me with those big, solemn brown eyes. “Yes.”

Willow burst out laughing from where she was sprawled across the sofa with a sheet mask plastered over her face. “See, that made complete sense in his little brain.”

“Willow, stay out of it.”

“I am out of it. I’m horizontal.”

“You’re an accomplice.”

Kaidence took advantage of the distraction, snatched a chocolate chip granola bar from the basket, and bolted toward the adjoining suite.

“Kaidence” I called after him.

His voice came floating back through the doorway, muffled and indignant. “Mommy, that was hours ago!”

Willow shook her head, peeling back the edge of her face mask to look at me. “That boy acts like food has an expiration date of fifteen minutes once it hits his stomach.”

“You helped build that habit,” I pointed out, tapping a key on my laptop. “Every time I tell him no, you slip him something behind my back.”

“That is the fundamental role of an auntie. If I’m not undermining your discipline with sugar, what am I even here for?”

Granny chuckled softly from the cushioned armchair by the window.

She looked significantly better than she had the night of the fire, but the smoke had taken a toll. Her breathing still had a faint, gravelly rasp to it, and even a short walk from the bed to the bathroom left her resting against the doorframe to catch her breath. That was the real reason this hotel felt so suffocating.

I lifted my head and slowly swept my gaze around the chaotic suite.

Right on cue, Kaidence’s voice shrieked from the other room. “Mommy, Auntie ate my barbecue chips!”

Willow sat straight up. “Now why is he lying on my good name?”

“You did eat his chips,” I said flatly. “The empty bag is sitting on the nightstand.”

“They were opened,” she declared without a shred of shame. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law, Lakelyn.”

Granny laughed, shaking her head. “Lord help the courtroom that ever lets you through the door, Willow.”

A sharp, firm knock sounded at the suite door, and I already knew who it was.

Caspian’s mom, Henrietta, had called earlier to let me know she was back in the city and heading our way. She had been on a cruise when the fire happened, and although she had checked in constantly from the moment she heard about it, she hadn’t been able to see any of us in person. Now that she was home, she wanted to check on Granny, make sure Willow and I were doing all right, and, most importantly, spend some time with the grandson she had been complaining about missing the entire trip.

Before I could push my chair back, Kaidence came tearing out of the adjoining room in his socks, already knowing exactly who was on the other side of that door.

“Grandma!”

“Boy, slow down before you break a toe!” I warned, moving past him to reach the latch. “And don’t tackle the wood.”

I pulled the heavy suite door open, and Caspian’s mom, Henrietta, stood on the other side.

Dressed in tailored camel slacks, an ivory cashmere sweater, and gold jewelry that caught the hallway light, she looked as immaculate and poised as ever. But the moment her eyes dropped to Kaidence, that cool, unshakeable exterior completely melted away.

“Grandma!” Kaidence squealed, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“There’s my handsome boy,” she said, her voice dropping into that warm, indulgent cadence she reserved strictly for him.