I smiled through the ache. “A whole herd of them? Ours...”
“A whole herd,” she said. “Raised right. Loved hard. Treated with the gentleness we never got.”
The words settled in my chest like something sacred.
Remi looked at me, eyes soft. “You’re going to be an incredible mom, Ava.”
“So will you,” I said.
She scoffed, but there was colour in her cheeks.
“So…” I tilted my head. “Logan?”
She lit up. There was no other word for it. Remi Carter, who had spent most of her life bracing for impact, actually lit up.
“It’s good,” she said. “Like, really good.”
“That’s the first time you’ve said that without immediately following it with a disclaimer.”
She laughed. “I know. It’s just... I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it’s not. He’s just... steady. Like he wants to be better, not just for me, but because he finally sees a version of himself, he couldn't dare believe in growing up.”
I watched her closely, committing the expression on her face to memory. I hadn't seen her like this since… maybe ever.
“I think this could be it,” she whispered. “The real thing. Not the fantasy. I told him I didn't believe in fairytales, and he said we would write our own story.... and Ava... I want to with him. He makes me feel more than the pain we carry... I can see it all with him.”
“Remi…” My voice caught.
She smiled wider. “I'm... falling... wait no, that isn't true... I think I’ve already fallen, Ava.”
And just like that, my heart ached in a new way. Because she was happy. She was glowing.
And all I could think about was how cruel this world could be.
But for now, right now, I wouldn’t say it. I wouldn’t warn her. I wouldn’t shadow her light.
Because she deserved to believe in this.
So, I smiled back, leaned my head on her shoulder, and whispered, “Then I really hope he knows what he’s got.”
Because if he didn’t…
God help him.
CHAPTER 87
AVA - TOMORROW
I didn’t want to hope.
Not again. Not after months of watching the test strip go blank, of circling dates on the calendar only to cross them out again with shaking hands. I hadn't had a late period... a sign of what I desperately wanted but always felt out of reach since that one time six months ago
I told myself it was stress. Timing. The universe not quite ready.
But this time… something felt different.
I was late... likelatelate.
I hadn’t said anything to Harlan yet. I didn’t want to get his hopes up only to watch them fall. Again.
