Kaden:
Emma disappeared into the bedroom, and I forced myself not to watch the doorway like some lovesick i***t. Instead, I leaned my shoulder against the wall and exhaled slowly. The house felt too quiet without Avery buzzing around my legs, tugging on my shirt, demanding I look at whatever masterpiece she’d created with crayons and mismatched stickers.
And damn, I missed her already.
But the silence wasn’t empty.Not with Emma still in it.
I heard drawers open, fabric rustling, her soft sighs as she moved around. My mind wandered—dangerously—to the way she’d stood up to my parents, to how Avery had clung to her shirt like she’d found something she wasn’t willing to lose. The image wouldn’t leave me.
By the time Emma stepped back into the living room, I had to drag my eyes up from her
