LILY
It was dusk now and Alice had insisted on reorganizing her toy shelf herself, which meant the entire room was strewn with books, stuffed animals, and a scattering of building blocks. I was crouched on the floor, trying to persuade her to focus on the top shelves without knocking over the rest, when I heard Ace’s voice behind me.
“You might need a hand with that.”
I froze, my chest tightening. He was standing in the doorway, tall and composed, as always, but there was a softness to his tone I hadn’t noticed before. My head flicked up, and I met his eyes for the briefest second before quickly looking away, pretending to examine a leaning stack of blocks.
“I’ve got it,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt. “It’s… it’s fine.”
He stepped closer, and I could feel the shift in the room.
