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But I can’t let her. She lost everything years ago, trying to do the right thing. I’m not taking that away from her again.

“You shouldn’t have to handle it,” I say, pressing my palm against my bruised jaw. “This is my problem, nobody else’s.”

“You’re wrong,” she whispers. “Whatever it is, we can face it together. And… I might be able to help. Just let me.”

“What do you mean help?”

She hesitates for a millisecond. “Nothing,” she murmurs.

“Where are you now?” I ask.

“At home. Autumn’s here, too. Already asleep in the guest room.”

She’s safe. I let out a breath. “Stay there, don’t go anywhere.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Her tone is too careful, threaded with something I can’t pin down. Maybe I’m paranoid. Maybe I’m hearing ghosts in the line.

“When are you coming home?” she asks, her voice lighter, as if we can sidestep the minefield between us.

My throat closes. I want to get on a helicopter, crawl into bed with her, and never leave. But the picture Vin painted is burned into my mind, and I can’t risk her seeing me through his lens.

“Soon,” I say instead, hating the emptiness of the word. “We’ll talk then.”

“Okay.” She doesn’t sound like she believes me. And isn’t that the kick in the gut it should be? Because I don’t believe in myself either. “Goodnight, West.” The call clicks off.

But I still hold the phone against my ear for longer than I should. Pretending I can breathe her in, pretending I haven’t already lost her.

EDEN

I put the phone on the table and look across it to Bennett, my jaw locked tight to keep the emotion buried. Just hearing his voice was enough to make my hands shake.

Bennett looks at me, his expression full of sympathy. Because he knows what it’s like to be an outsider in your own life.

“You sure you still want to do this?” he asks.

I nod. “Yes.”

He waits for a beat, like he’s hoping I’ll say more. But I’m all talked out.

“Okay,” he finally says, checking his phone. “My uncle will be here in the morning. I think we should both try to get some sleep.” He stands, crosses the room, and pulls me into a hug. His arms are solid, grounding, and for a second the ache in my chest eases.

And although I lean into him for a moment, appreciating his solidarity, my heart thumps against my chest, it knows these are the wrong arms. Belonging to the wrong man.

He kisses my brow, the way he’s seen West do, and it just about kills me.

“Good night, Eden,” he says. “Go get some sleep.”

But of course, I don’t.

thirty-seven

WEST

“Wake up,” a voice growls in my ear, and I sit straight up, opening my eyes.

“What?” I ask, my heart hammering against my chest. “What happened? Is Eden okay?”

Hudson shakes his head at me. “She’s on the island. She’s fine. It’s not her, it’s Vin.”