As I watch them, I feel a sense of peace, a rare moment of calm in the storm that has been our lives lately. Whatever comesnext, I know we’ll face it together—this little makeshift family of ours, finding solace in each other’s company.
Jack must sense the same thing because he walks over to me, his presence steady and grounding like he knows exactly what I need without me having to say a word.
Spoiler alert: what I need isalwayshim.
We stand there for a moment, wrapped up in each other, letting the world fade away. Eventually, he pulls back just enough to look down at me, his eyes soft and full of something that feels like home, like safety.
“I love you,” he says softly, though we’ve said it many times before now, it feels new every time.
“I love you too, Jack,” I reply, the words as natural as breathing.
And as our lips meet in a gentle, lingering kiss.
“Get a room,” Ezra chides, and when I look his way he’s covering Sienna’s eyes with his hand and grinning from ear to ear.
As the sun dips below the horizon, casting long shadows across the porch, I realize that even when everything goes sideways, there are moments like this—moments where things feel almost normal. It’s weird how life keeps going, how you can still laugh and find comfort with the people who matter, even after everything. Maybe that’s what gets us through—the little bits of normalcy we hold on to, even when everything else feels like it’s falling apart. And as we all sit here, talking quietly while Sienna makes those cute baby noises, I can’t help but think that, somehow, we’re all going to be okay.
I look up at Jack again.
Better than okay.
Amongst all the noise in my mind lately, there's been one constant, a whisper that’s always there, even on the hardest days. Sometimes it’s soft, other times it's more like a whispershout, but it’s the one I trust most. The one that tells me, without a doubt, that Jack and Sienna are my forever.
34
THE BEGINNING
EZRA
The quiet ofthe night is interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up outside my house. I glance at the clock—3:00 a.m. I am instantly alert, moving silently to the window to see who has arrived. When I recognize the blacked out Sedan, a mix of annoyance and relief surges through me.
Slipping on a jacket, I step outside, closing the door quietly behind me. My former best friend is waiting by the car, his face illuminated by the dim streetlight.
He looks tired.
Fuck him.
He takes a deep breath, his expression grim. “I’ve taken care of everything. I’ve anonymously submitted a shit ton of evidence to the police. Stu is well on his way to being the scapegoat for everything; stalking, manipulation, Marshall’s murder, and various other crimes tied to The Assembly. You’re in the clear, and I’m still as good as dead.”
I study his face for any sign of deceit. “You’re sure?”
Stu shakes his head. “I made sure everything was airtight. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t set things straight. It’s all there—documents, recordings, every bit of evidence that linksme to our crimes, and nothing that implicates anyone else. The Assembly remains a ghost.”
I stare at him, violent anger simmering beneath my calm exterior.
Stu was my best friend, but that didn’t stop him from being a complete psycho. The way he went after Jack’s girl was beyond anything I can forgive, and I don’t feel guilty for shooting him, or for the fact that I’ll likely never see him again after tonight.
He was supposed to retrieve the chip her father implanted in her, the one holding all the information Marshall had over the Assembly’s head keeping him immune from the consequences of attempting to step down from his position.
As Stu talks, I slip a hand into my pocket, fingers brushing against the small metal chip now in my possession. I feel the ridges of it beneath my fingertips, its weight surprisingly significant for something so small. The chip that holds the secrets her father thought would save him—secrets that could destroy the Assembly if they ever saw the light of day.
But they won’t. Not if I have anything to say about it.
I don’t give a fuck about the rest of The Assembly, but I do give a fuck about the things on there that could implicateme.
And there’s plenty.
There were simpler solutions, and ways to get the job done without causing her harm. But Stu? He couldn’t resist taking it too far, hurting her in the process, all because he got off on pushing boundaries and playing god.
