LAYLA'S POV
The fortress held overnight, and I can feel the difference before I'm fully awake.
It's in the sound of the kitchen when I come downstairs - all three of them already there, and the energy between them has shifted from parallel to connected. Rafe is making coffee the way he always does, but when Colt reaches past him for the sugar, Rafe adjusts his position to make room without looking. When Eli walks in with my glass of water - lemon slice, always - Rafe registers his presence with a glance that isn't checking. It's acknowledging.
They've always been brothers. But this is something more specific. A formation. And I'm the centre point.
"Morning, Rowan." Colt kicks out the chair beside him. "You look like you slept well."
"I did."
"Interesting." His green eyes hold mine wi
