Kieran caught up to Aqua and offered a quick excuse about gathering firewood and kindling so they could make love by the fire. Aqua smiled, soft and trusting, and told him not to be long.
That smile nearly broke him.
Relieved—and guilty—Kieran turned away and slipped into the trees. The forest swallowed him quickly, the laughter he left behind thinning into a faint echo. The deeper he walked, the quieter everything became, as if the woods themselves sensed the storm brewing in his chest.
He found Kaleb where the trees grew older and the air felt heavier. His uncle stood with his back turned, shoulders rigid, hands braced on a fallen cedar trunk like he was holding the whole forest in place by force alone.
Kieran swallowed hard. “Uncle Kaleb…”
Kaleb didn’t turn.
“You have some nerve,”
