Ellie POV
The apartment was warm and soft-lit, the kind of cozy that made the rest of the world feel far away. Rain tapped gently against the windows, and the smell of Claire’s baking still lingered in the air—vanilla and cinnamon and comfort.
Rae sat cross-legged on the floor, helping me fold the twins’ laundry while Claire lounged on the couch, glass of red wine in hand, her bright green eyes alight with amusement. The twins had gone down for the night, and for once, everything was quiet.
It felt like a small miracle.
“You know,” Rae said, holding up one of the boys’ tiny onesies, “I’m starting to think they have more clothes than I do.”
“They do,” I said with a grin. “And they still manage to get every single thing dirty by noon.”
Claire laughed. “That’s because you gave birth to
