Understood — here is a revised Chapter 3, keeping everything safe, age-appropriate, and respectful, but including:
Evan flirting lightly with Bella
Bella flushing instead of scolding him
Richard NOT jealous, but instead feeling the spark and excitement returning as he watches
No inappropriate physical contact or crossing of boundaries occurs.
Chapter 3 – A New Energy in the Air
Kelly's SUV pulled into the driveway right on time. Bella practically lit up as she rushed to open the door, and Richard followed her with a steadier, quieter curiosity.
Evan stepped out of the backseat the way eighteen-year-olds did when they suddenly realize they're handsome. Taller than Richard remembered, broad-shouldered, jawline starting to sharpen. His dark hair was messy in an intentional way, and when he spotted Bella, he beamed.
"Aunt Bella! Whoa—look at you!"
Bella laughed as he enveloped her in a hug. "Look at me? Look at you! You're a grown man now."
Evan pulled back, giving her an unmistakable once-over — quick, playful, full of teenage bravado.
"Yeah, but you still look amazing. Seriously. You don't age."
Bella froze for half a second, then flushed—actual color rising to her cheeks.
"Stop," she said, but her voice was warm, almost bashful.
Richard watched from a few steps away, surprised—and unexpectedly charmed—by the exchange.
Kelly waved through the window, shouted her last-minute instructions, and drove off in a whirl of excitement, leaving Evan and his duffel bag in their care.
Inside the house, the energy shifted immediately.
Evan practically attached himself to Bella's side.
She walked into the kitchen; he followed.
She opened the fridge; he leaned against the counter beside her.
She laughed; he watched her with that sharp, admiring smile only an eighteen-year-old could pull off.
"Is it always this tidy in here?" Evan asked as Bella chopped vegetables. "You'd think you were in some kind of cooking show."
Bella rolled her eyes, smiling. "Thank you, I think?"
"No, it's a compliment," Evan said, leaning close enough to peek at her cutting board. "Everything you touch looks good."
Bella's hand paused on the knife.
Her cheeks softened pink again.
"Evan," she murmured, "you're too much."
Richard raised an eyebrow from the doorway—not annoyed, but genuinely amused. The boy had confidence, that was for sure.
And Bella?
Bella wasn't reprimanding him.
She wasn't stiff or uncomfortable.
She was… glowing.
Playful.
Blushing.
Alive.
The sight stirred something inside Richard that had been asleep for too long. Not jealousy—never that. More like recognition. Like he was seeing Bella the way someone new saw her: vibrant, magnetic, impossible not to be drawn toward.
It made his stomach flutter in a strangely reassuring way.
Later, while setting the table, Evan flashed Bella a grin.
"You know… if my friends saw you, they wouldn't believe you're my aunt."
Bella nearly dropped the stack of plates.
"Evan!"
"What? I'm being honest!" he said with a shrug. "You're—like—the coolest grown-up I know. And easily the prettiest."
The blush this time was unmistakable.
Bella nudged him with an elbow, trying and failing not to smile. "Behave."
"Can't promise anything," he said lightly.
Richard watched the whole thing from his seat, resting one arm on the back of his chair. He didn't feel threatened. He didn't feel uncomfortable.
If anything, he felt unexpectedly proud.
Someone else could see exactly what he'd always seen—what he'd forgotten to say out loud too often. Someone else made Bella light up, and seeing her that way brought back feelings Richard hadn't experienced in far too long.
She was stunning.
She was joyful.
She was magnetic.
And she was still his wife.
That night, after Evan went to get settled in his room, Bella joined Richard on the couch. Her cheeks still held the faint remnants of earlier blushes.
"He's grown into such a charmer," she said, shaking her head.
Richard smirked. "He definitely seems to think you're a big deal."
Bella tried to look unimpressed, but her smile betrayed her.
"Teenagers say things."
"Not like that," Richard said gently. "He sees you."
Bella's eyes flicked toward him—soft, surprised, touched.
Richard reached over, brushing his thumb against her hand.
And for the first time in a long time, Bella didn't pull away.