Chapter 32: After the Echo
The sun was low by the time they pulled back into the driveway, the sky streaked with soft pink and fading gold. Emery stepped out of the truck, the gravel crunching beneath her boots, and inhaled the familiar scent of pine and cool evening air. The cabin looked the same as it always had — steady, warm, waiting — but something inside her felt different.
Stronger.Rooted.Claimed.
Brent lifted Callahan Jr. from the backseat, the boy still clutching the last bite of his ice cream cone, sticky-faced and content. “Bath time,” Brent said.
“Noooo,” the boy groaned dramatically.
Emery smiled. “You can finish your cone first.”
He perked up instantly. “Okay!”
Brent shook his head, amused. “You’re too soft on him.”
“Someone has to balance you out,” she teased.
He ga
