Chapter 28
One Year Later – Late Spring Morning The front door swung open to birdsong and a breeze scented with blooming jasmine. Ethan bolted onto the porch, taller now, curls a little longer, his lion still clutched in one arm worn but loved. “Mama B’s here!” he called, bouncing on his toes. “She brought the muffins!” Nadyia appeared in the doorway, laughing as she brushed flour from her apron. “You didn’t even say hi yet, muffin thief.” “Hi Mama B!” Mama B hugged him with a dramatic sigh. “You get taller every time I blink.” Inside, the house felt different than it had a year ago, brighter, lived-in, peaceful in a way that didn’t feel fragile anymore. Liam emerged from the hallway, hair damp, buttoning the cuffs of a dress shirt. “They here yet?” “Muffins have landed,” Noah confirmed, alr
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