_Avery's POV_
When I woke up the next morning, I still felt restless. Last night had been draining. Meeting Kaden had stirred up feelings I thought I had buried. I had spent hours replaying his words, wondering why he had chosen now to come back into my life. But I didn’t want to think about him anymore. He was part of my past, and I was determined to keep it that way.
When I went downstairs, the smell of pancakes and coffee greeted me. My mom was at the stove, humming softly, and my dad was seated at the table, sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Mom said with a warm smile.
“Morning,” I said, trying to sound cheerful as I poured myself a cup of coffee.
My dad glanced up from his paper. “You’re up late today,” he said with a teasing grin.
“I need
