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Still holding the baby, he came back to the lounge room with the dog at his side.

Then Sadie stepped out of her room, pulling an oversized grey jumper over her head.

Her blonde hair had caught in the neckline, and she reached up, tugging it free. When she walked in, her gaze went to Theo first, then she found me. Her hand froze, loose strands of hair slipping through her fingers.

All I could do was hold my breath as we stared at each other. Colour climbed her neck, flooding her cheeks. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. The only sounds in the room were the crackling of wood and the strange squeak that wrenched from me.

How could she look exactly the same and so different at the same time? Light freckles dusted her nose. Her cheeks were thinner, and those dark circles I’d seen under her eyes had faded a little. Her hair hung loose, draped over her shoulder in a wave of gold. When her hands clapped over her mouth, she still had those same short, neat nails.

Neither of us moved. I barely remembered to breathe. Norm sensed something was off and pressed against her, wagging his tail.

“Ava.”

Theo couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Luke squeezed my hand one last time, then his hold on me loosened, and my legs were moving before my mind had registered that I was rushing across the room.

A broken sound tore from Sadie’s throat as she met me halfway, and we collided so hard the impact almost knocked me backwards.

With our arms flung around each other, we hugged so tightly that every tremor passing through her felt like my own.

I buried my face in her hair, clutching her to me. She smelled like my childhood. My teen years. Our parents, and a home I’d never see again.

The murmur of conversation carried down the hall as Dave and Varesh helped Tim into bed.

Behind us, Luke said something I couldn’t focus on, and Theo’s easy laugh followed.

Through it all, I let myself breathe properly for the first time in days.

When Sadie finally pulled back, her eyes were red, her cheeks damp. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been.”

“Really?” A laugh burst from me. “No idea?”

Fresh tears filled her eyes, and she smiled. “Maybe some idea.” She moved back a step and took in my scrapes and bruises, and my tangled hair. “God, you must have been through so much.”

“Turns out having no phone, no money, and no car was harder than I thought.” I wiped my eyes. For the first time since leaving Sydney, none of it seemed to matter.

Her brow furrowed. “Did you run into Dustin? Is he still around?”

My smile faded, and I shook my head. “Later.”

Her eyes searched mine for a moment, then she pulled me back for another hug, holding on even tighter this time.

“What about the baby?” I asked, my temple pressed to hers. “You’ve never mentioned her.”

“Later,” she said with a laugh.

When she eased away from me, her attention shifted over my shoulder.

I turned and faced Luke, linking my arm through Sadie’s. He hadn’t moved from where I’d left him, and his relieved expression had warmth spreading through me.

“This is Luke,” I said. “We met at the airport and ended up driving all the way together.”

I kept Kirby to myself for now. Some stories deserved more time.

Sadie shared a look with me, and whatever she saw in my expression had her crossing the room without a second’s thought. She threw her arms around Luke and pulled him down into a hug. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

He gave a small shake of his head, his eyes on me as he hugged her back. “We took care of each other.”