Truly Theirs

Chapter 15

Nadyia’s POV - Friday afternoon

The final gallery had been uploaded, her cameras cleaned and put away. Nadyia locked the front door of the studio, slipping her bag over her shoulder and stepping into the golden hour glow.

She took a long breath—rich with spring and jasmine and satisfaction. The shoot had gone well. The client cried happy tears. It was the kind of quiet win that used to be her norm.

Her phone buzzed as she crossed the parking lot.

Noah: “We’re all home. Ethan’s got his pants on backwards. I’m pretending not to notice.”

She smiled the whole drive home.

Bennett Home – 5:06 PM

Liam was barefoot in the kitchen, plating dinner. Noah had music playing low. Ethan was stomping around with his lion in one hand and a toy plane in the other, declaring war on the couch cushions.

Nadyia stepped inside and dropped her bag by the bench. “Smells amazing.”

“Pasta night,” Liam said. “Therapy-approved carbs.”

“How was your shoot?” Noah asked, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Beautiful. Bright. The kind of day I used to dream about going back to.”

“You’re back now,” Liam said, handing her a plate.

“We all are.”

They sat at the table together—nothing dramatic, no big milestones. Just clean forks, soft music, and the kind of ease they hadn’t had in years.

After Dinner – 7:12 PM – In the Living Room

Ethan was finally asleep, curled up between his stuffed lion and the soft quilt Mama B had made him.

The three of them were on the couch, legs tangled, laptops open, fingers lazily scrolling.

“Okay,” Noah said, nudging Nadyia. “You said it first. You wanted to plan something. Spill it.”

“A vacation,” she said. “I mean—an actual one. Just us. Out of state. No backup plans. No tactical gear. Just sunscreen and pajamas and snacks.”

“We could do that,” Liam said slowly. “Ethan’s finally old enough to handle a little travel. And we could use the reset.”

“Someplace quiet,” Noah added. “With a porch. A lake, maybe. Fireflies.”

Nadyia grinned. “Fireflies are non-negotiable.”

Liam pulled up a tab. “Cabins in Tennessee. Lake Lure. Smoky Mountains. Couple hours’ drive. This one has a hammock and no cell service.”

“Perfect,” Noah said.

“Peaceful,” Nadyia agreed.

“Ours,” Liam added.

The booking didn’t take long. The moment was the bigger deal: they weren’t just surviving anymore. They were making plans for joy. For rest. For something after.

And as the reservation confirmation hit their inboxes, the three of them exhaled like people finally remembering how it felt to look forward to something.

A vacation.

A promise.

A future they fought to earn.

Three Days Before the Trip – Sunday Morning – Their Kitchen

The calendar on the fridge had a big circle drawn around Thursday.

VACATION scrawled in Ethan’s crayon handwriting, guided by Nadyia’s hand. He’d been pointing to it every morning like it was Christmas.

“Do we have to pack the lion in the carry bag?” Noah asked, sipping coffee. “It’s literally the only thing that can trigger a total meltdown.”

“Yes,” Nadyia replied. “Lion rides in the cabin like royalty.”

Liam glanced up from his laptop, where he’d been cross-checking weather forecasts and road trip playlists. “I booked Mama B to housesit. She said she’s watering all the plants like she’s guarding state secrets.”

“We’re really doing this,” Noah murmured. “Leaving town. No surveillance feed. No fallback plan.”

That truth settled into the quiet between them. Heavy but not suffocating.

Nadyia rubbed at her wrist, a lingering habit. “I keep thinking about the worst-case scenarios. I know it's a habit. I know we’re safe. But my body still remembers what it felt like to let my guard down and lose everything.”

Liam stood and moved toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. “This time, we’re not walking blind. We’ve healed. We’ve prepared. And it’s not just about escaping something it’s about stepping into something good.”

Noah came to her other side, brushing his knuckles along hers. “We get to have joy now. That’s not a threat. It's a right.”

Nadyia breathed in deeply. “Okay. Let’s pack joy. Not fear.”

“Also snacks,” Noah added. “Let’s definitely pack snacks.”

Two Days Before – Monday Night – Ethan’s Room

They were folding tiny clothes, letting Ethan choose which pajamas made the cut. He held up two and declared, “Stars and dinosaurs!”

“Fashion icon,” Liam said, folding them both.

Ethan picked out a book for the car ride and asked the question again:

“We all go?”

“All of us,” Nadyia said, brushing back his curls. “No scary stuff. Just hugs and snacks and trees.”

He nodded solemnly and then held out his lion. “He come too.”

“Of course,” Noah said. “He’s our fourth roommate.”

One Day Before – Tuesday – Back Patio, After Dark

The house was quiet again, but this time, it wasn’t tense. It was settled.

The three of them sat outside under soft lights, wine glasses half full, the packing mostly done.

“Do you remember,” Liam said softly, “when we used to talk about running away and never could?”

“Because we weren’t running toward anything yet,” Noah said.

“Now we are,” Nadyia added. “Each other.”

Liam exhaled. “This vacation… it’s not just a getaway. It’s the line between what we survived and what we get to live now.”

“Then let’s cross it,” Noah said, clinking his glass against theirs.

“Together,” Nadyia whispered.

They sat quietly after that, watching the stars.

And for the first time in too long, the future didn’t feel like something to brace for.

It felt like something to embrace.

Departure Day – Thursday Morning – 6:02 AM

The house was still shadowed with early light, quiet but humming with movement.

Nadyia zipped the last duffel. Noah triple-checked the charger bag. Liam was already outside strapping Ethan’s car seat into the back.

Ethan padded into the kitchen in his dinosaur pajamas, lion tucked under one arm and a juice box in the other. “We go now?”

“We go now, baby,” Nadyia whispered, crouching to kiss his cheek.

“You brushed his teeth?” Noah asked.

“Twice. Accidentally with my toothbrush. We’re rolling with it.”

Mama B arrived right on time, keys already in hand, a travel mug of coffee she insisted on brewing herself.

“Y’all sure you packed sunscreen? Hats? Snacks?”

“Yes, yes, and yes,” Liam said. “We’ve got the Lion King playlist cued up and emergency gummy bears in the glovebox.”

Mama B pulled Nadyia into a hug. “You’ve earned this rest. All three of you. Let the woods work on you.”

“We’ll check in when we hit the county line,” Noah promised.

“And not before,” Mama B warned gently. “Live your peace. Don’t report it.”

They all exchanged hugs. Ethan blew a kiss from his car seat, already bobbing to the music playing through the open window.

“See you soon, sugar,” Mama B called, waving as they pulled out of the driveway.

“We really did it,” Liam murmured, turning onto the highway.

“We’re doing it,” Nadyia corrected, glancing back at Ethan. “Right now.”

Two Hours Later – Country Roads, North of the City

Trees stretched tall on both sides, green and gold through the windows. The air smelled like pine and wildflowers, even through the vents.

Ethan had fallen asleep mid-snack, lion clutched like a seatbelt.

Noah dozed too, one hand resting loosely on Ethan’s hand in his carseat.

Nadyia held the camera in her lap, snapping the blur of the trees, the quiet peace of the car.

“We should hang that one,” Liam said softly, glancing over.

“Why?”

“Because it looks like freedom.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Then let’s keep driving into it.”

They didn’t rush.

There was no need to.

The road bent gently around a hill, the cabin not far now. And for the first time in a long, long while, the road ahead felt just right.