This isn’t the same life I had before. It never will be again. And as the car pulls away, as the noise fades behind us, I let myself sit in that.
In the uncertainty. In the nerves. In the quiet strength building underneath it all. Because this, this is the beginning of something new.
And no matter how hard it gets, we’re not going backwards.
fifty-four
Liana
The TV is on, but none of us are actually watching it.
It’s just noise.
Soft, flickering light filling the room while everything else settles into something quieter, something slower, something that feels almost… normal.
I’m stretched out across the couch, my head resting in Zach’s lap, my body angled across the cushions so my legs fall over Jackson’s thighs.
Zach’s fingers are in my hair, moving in slow, steady passes that make my eyes drift closed without me even meaning to let them.
It’s gentle.
Grounding.
Every stroke smoothing something inside me that I didn’t even realize was still tight.
Jackson’s hands are wrapped around my feet, thumbs pressing into the arches with careful pressure that has me melting further into the couch with every pass.
“Don’t stop,” I murmur, my voice soft, a little hazy.
He lets out a quiet laugh.
“Yeah?” he asks, glancing up at me. “That good, sweetheart?”
I let my head tilt back further into Zach’s hand, my lips curving faintly.
“It’s really good.”
Zach hums softly above me, his fingers shifting slightly, nails grazing my scalp before smoothing down again.
“Relax,” he murmurs. “Let your body settle.”
I do. God, I do.
I can feel Elijah at the other end of the couch. He’s not touching me. But he’s there.
Solid.
Present.
And that alone is enough to keep something in me steady.
Jackson’s thumbs press deeper into my foot, then drag slowly down toward my heel.
“We need to talk about names,” he says suddenly.
My eyes open slightly.
“Names?” I repeat.
