Chapter 7 Laney
Laney
Saint is making grilled cheese.
From scratch.
Real butter. Real bread. A pan heating slowly on the stove.
Like this is a normal morning.
Like someone didn’t try to kill me a few hours ago.
I sit at the small kitchen table with Emmy in her carrier, watching him move around the kitchen with quiet focus.
He looks completely calm.
Too calm.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say.
“I want to.”
He flips the sandwich carefully.
“You’ve already done enough.”
He glances over his shoulder at me.
His expression softens.
“I’m just getting started.”
My chest tightens at the quiet certainty in his voice.
Like protecting us isn’t a burden.
It’s a promise.
A few minutes later he brings the plate over and sets it down in front of me.
Golden grilled cheese sandwich.
Cut diagonally.
“You need to eat.”
“I might throw up.”
“Then eat slow.”
A reluctant smile pulls at my lips.
It feels strange to smile right now.
Strange… and good.
Emmy makes a small sound beside me.
Saint’s head snaps toward her instantly.
He’s crouching beside her carrier before I even move.
Concern written all over his face.
“She’s hungry,” I say softly.
He blinks.
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
Mother instinct.
Something no book or manual ever teaches you.
He hesitates.
Then looks back at me.
“Can you… show me?”
There’s something vulnerable in the question.
Something that squeezes my heart.
So I do.
I lift Emmy carefully and show him how to hold the bottle, how to support her head.
He watches every movement like he’s memorizing it.
Like he’s afraid to do something wrong.
“I missed everything,” he says quietly.
The regret in his voice makes my chest ache.
I look at him.
“She’s three months old,” I say gently.
“You’re here now.”
His jaw tightens slightly.
Then he nods.
After she finishes eating, he lifts her against his chest.
Emmy snuggles closer to him.
Two seconds later she’s asleep.
Just like that.
I smile.
“See?” I whisper. “You’re her safe place.”
Saint swallows hard.
His hand moves slowly across her tiny back.
Careful.
Protective.
Like he already understands exactly how fragile she is.
I watch them.
And something inside me loosens.
For the first time in months.
Maybe even a year.
“Laney,” he says gently.
I look up.
“Whatever is coming…”
His eyes lock with mine.
“You’re not facing it alone anymore.”
I believe him.
And that terrifies me almost as much as the danger.
Because now…
I have someone else I could lose.