The words hover, but I close my mouth before they can become real. He hears it anyway. I know he does, because his eyes soften, and he reaches out. Warm, rough palms run up the sides of my shoulders.
Elle’s bright laughter rings down the hallway again, cutting through the tension in the kitchen, and we both smile.
Evan searches my face again. “She doesn’t get a free pass. She’s had too many already.”
“No, she doesn’t,” I agree.
“And the second she crosses a boundary—”
“We pull it back,” I finish.
His shoulders lower a fraction.
“If she wants to prove she’s sober,” I continue, “she can start by respecting the boundaries you set.”
“I don’t trust her.” He studies me for another long second. “I trust you.”
The way he says it makes my heart feel too tight for my ribs, and I reach for his hand. Trusting me with the most important part of his life is something I don’t take lightly.
“I’m not going anywhere. We can do this together,” I say.
“Together,” he murmurs as he plays with my fingers, threading his through mine. “I’ll call her. Lay it out.”
“And I can help,” I remind him.
“I know.” He lifts his free hand to cup the side of my jaw.
His thumb brushes lightly along my cheekbone, and the tension that’s been sitting in his shoulders all afternoon eases by another fraction.
“You love Elle,” he says softly.
“Yeah.”
His gaze holds mine, and his jaw works.
“Thank you.”
I lean into him, my hand sliding up his chest until I feel the rhythmic beat of his heart under my palm. He exhales as I rise onto my toes and press my mouth to his.
My fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt and deepen it just enough to feel the shift in him. He pulls me closer, holding me there.
When we part, his forehead rests briefly against mine.
“You almost said something else,” he murmurs.
My breath catches on a nervous laugh.“I did.”
And I almost say it again—it presses at the back of my throat. But this day has already asked too much of him, so I hold it there, where it still feels safe.
He smiles softly but doesn’t push me on it. Instead, his hand tightens behind the back of my neck as he tugs may mouth back onto his.
Down the hallway, we hear a thud, followed by a pause, then Elle’s voice.
“Gus knocked it over again!”
Evan huffs. “We should probably supervise that.”
“Probably.”
