The crowd surged forward, pressing in around Selene as Ava’s mom appeared, holding a cake ablaze with eighteen tiny, flickering candles. The chorus of “Happy Birthday” began, loud and off-key, a wave of cheerful noise that felt strangely distant. Selene stood in the center of the sunroom, a smile fixed on her face, but her entire awareness was a taut wire stretched across the room.
Caleb hadn’t moved. He stood just outside the main circle of light, his back to the sliding glass doors, his arms crossed over his broad chest. The golden glow from the candles reflected in his eyes, making them look like molten embers fixed on her. Every beat of the song seemed to pull the wire tighter. Her skin tingled where his fingers had traced her shoulder; the ghost of his breath against her ear was a br
