POV: Killian
I followed River's voice into the living room and discovered the whole family exactly where I always found them - loud, warm, and completely unbothered by anything outside their own walls. The familiar chaos wrapped around me like a welcome.
"Hey, sorry I'm late," I said, holding up the bouquet. "Had to stop for these."
Zara crossed the room first, her maroon dress swishing with each step, dark hair cascading past her shoulders. Her arms opened before she reached me, the way they always did. I bent down to meet her embrace and squeezed a little tighter than necessary, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume - something floral that never changed.
"Welcome back," she said, pulling away with that smile she'd been giving me since I was seventeen and half convinced I did
