I made my way to the counter and poured coffee, the mug warm in my hands. The normalcy of it pressed against my ribs in a way I hadn’t expected. The sound of forks against plates. The scrape of a chair leg. Edwardo reaching for salt.
Luke moved through rooms the same way, his presence saturating the space. Not demanding attention. Just aware. Always positioned between me and whatever might reach me first.
The thought stayed with me.
Edwardo set a plate in front of me. Eggs, toast, bacon. “You’ll need fuel,” he added. “Coffee doesn’t count.”
“I wasn’t planning on skipping real food,” I replied, sitting across from Mom.
She met my eyes briefly. Something unspoken moved there, like gratitude and relief tangled together.
“You heading out later?” she asked.
“Avery wants to meet at the café.”
“Be careful. Stay alert.”
“I will.”
Edwardo’s phone vibrated against the counter. He glanced at the screen, thumb hovering before he silenced it. His expression didn’t change.
Still, I noticed. I memorized the way Mom leaned back in her chair instead of forward. The way Edwardo rested his hand briefly on her shoulder when he passed behind her.
Protection didn’t always feel heavy. Sometimes it felt comfortable, right.
I lingered for as long as I could, basking in the normalcy and warmth of Mom’s happiness and Edwardo’s genuineness. But I’d promised Avery I’d be there by nine, while the guys were at hockey practice. At ten to nine, I stood, rinsed my dishes, and put them in the dishwasher before saying bye and heading out.
The café was loud but not overwhelming. People were scattered through the space, occupying most of the tables, conversing with coffee and pastries. Steam rose from cups in the morning light. The table by the window had become ours by habit.
Avery leaned across from me, fingers curled around her drink, cheeks flushed in a way that had nothing to do with caffeine.
“I think I love him,” she admitted.
“Jax?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, the barista.”
I smiled. “Hilarious.”
Her gaze dropped briefly to the tabletop. “It’s not just the fun part anymore.”
I studied her face. The excitement. The edge of vulnerability she tried to disguise with humor.
“Does that scare you?” I asked. She’d been crazy about Jax for so long, but maybe it was more about how he was forbidden—her twin brother’s best friend. And now that they were together, it was real. It made her have to face her feelings in a different way.
“A little.” She shrugged one shoulder. “But not enough to stop.”
Love. The word felt different inside my chest. Avery was tumbling into something new.
Loving Luke didn’t feel fast. It felt rooted. Standing still when everything else moved.
“You look thoughtful,” Avery observed.
“I’m thinking.”
“Dangerous.” Avery stirred her coffee longer than normal.
“Can I ask you something?”