Chapter 44
Chloe falls asleep on me sometime around eight-thirty.
Not fully at first.
Just that slow drifting thing she does lately, where her body gives in before her mind does.
Her head gets heavier against my shoulder.
Her breathing slows.
The tension slowly leaks out of her one piece at a time.
Ava is asleep too, curled against Chloe's chest with one tiny hand tangled in the fabric of my shirt from where she reached for me earlier.
Neither of them let go.
I don't move.
The TV keeps playing quietly in the background, something neither of us was actually watching before Chloe started fading out.
My hand rests against her back automatically, thumb moving in slow circles without me thinking about it.
She needs grounding lately.
Sometimes I don't think she even realises she's searching for it.
But I notice.
Every time.
The apartment is quiet enough now that I can hear the small sounds—the hum of the fridge, Ava's soft breathing, Chloe's occasional sleepy shift against me.
Safe sounds.
Domestic sounds.
Mine.
That thought hits harder than it probably should.
Because somewhere along the way, this stopped feeling temporary.
Stopped feeling like helping the neighbour.
Now it just feels like this is where I'm supposed to be.
Chloe makes a small sound in her sleep and presses closer instinctively.
My jaw tightens slightly.
God.
I'm so gone for this woman, it's embarrassing.
I glance down at her carefully.
Her face looks softer asleep.
Less guarded.
No tension between her brows. No constant awareness sitting behind her eyes.
Just exhausted.
And trusting me enough to sleep anyway.
That part matters more than she probably understands.
My phone buzzes quietly on the coffee table.
I ignore it.
A minute later, it buzzes again.
Callahan.
Of course it is.
I answer it quietly without shifting too much.
"What?"
"You sound domestic," he says immediately.
I look down at Chlo,e still asleep against me.
Ava sprawled across both of us.
"I'll hang up."
He laughs softly.
"How are they?"
My hand moves slowly against Chloe's back again.
"Sleeping."
"And her?"
I know what he means.
I exhale quietly.
"Better today," I say. "Still not herself."
"That'll take time."
"Yeah."
Silence settles for a moment.
Then:
"You okay?"
I look down again.
At Chloe sleeping on me like she belongs there.
At Ava tucked safely between us.
And something settles heavily in my chest.
Not fear.
Not uncertainty.
Something steadier.
"Yeah," I say quietly.
And for the first time in a long time, I actually mean it.
Callahan hums like he hears something in my voice.
"You love her yet?"
I snort quietly.
"Shut up."
"That's not a no."
I glance toward the hallway leading to the bedroom.
Toward the life I didn't even realise I wanted until it landed in my lap, terrified and shaking, and trusting me anyway.
Then I look back down at Chloe.
At the way her hand is loosely curled against my chest like she feels safest there.
My answer comes easier than I expect.
"Yeah," I say softly.
Callahan goes quiet for half a second.
Then:
"Well. You're screwed."
I huff a quiet laugh.
Probably.
But as Chloe shifts closer in her sleep and Ava lets out a tiny sleepy sigh between us—
I can't bring myself to think that's a bad thing anymore.