-Blake West:
The moment I saw her, I forgot everything — Maddox, Zade storming upstairs, even the tension that still clung to the air like smoke. Aunt Lily. She stood in the doorway, tall and elegant, her smile stretching wide before her composure broke and she rushed toward me. Her arms wrapped around me so tightly I thought my ribs might give, but I didn't care. I buried my face against her shoulder, breathing her in — perfume and something softer beneath, something like safety, like home. I had missed her more than I wanted to admit, and now that she was here, holding me, I felt that ache inside my chest begin to loosen. For a moment, I was just a nephew reunited with the only person left who felt like family.
But that joy carried its own shadow. A part of me was afraid she'd never let go. Afraid she would insist on keeping me under her wing, and uncle would want to start a fight over this like they did in the airport.
