CHAPTER 29
Ethan
It’s the day after Christmas, one of those quiet mornings where the whole world feels softened, as if wrapped in wool. The house still smells like cinnamon and leftover peppermint cocoa. Outside, a thin layer of snow dusts the porch railings, untouched, perfect.
I’m halfway through restocking the wood basket when the mail truck shudders to a stop at the end of the drive. The mailman steps out, his breath fogging in the air, and hands me a single envelope, thick, official, heavy. Addressed to Summer.
My stomach drops like a stone.
I carry it inside, the weight of it burning against my palm.
Summer is curled up on the couch with Mia pressed against her side, the two of them wrapped in the fuzzy reindeer blanket they got yesterday.
Mia is completely absorbed in the animated movie on the screen, clutching her new ballerina doll with both hands.
Summer strokes her hair in that soft, absent way she does when she feels safe enough to let her shoulders drop.
I hate that I’m about to shatter that peace.
“Baby,” I say quietly.
Her head lifts immediately. Her eyes are bright, her smile warm, until she sees the envelope in my hand. The color drains from her cheeks as if someone pulled a plug inside her.
“This came for you,” I whisper.
She presses a soft kiss to the top of Mia’s head. “I’ll be right back, sweet girl.”
Mia nods, already lost again in a swirl of candy-colored animation.
Summer steps toward me, each footfall slower than the last, like she’s walking toward the edge of something she can’t see. Her fingers tremble as she breaks the seal. She unfolds the papers.
Reads.
Her breath snags in her throat.
“This soon?” Her voice is barely a thread of sound. Her eyes gloss with tears she fights to blink away.
I take the letter gently from her hand and scan it. The hearing is scheduled for next week. Three days after New Year’s.
Exactly what I feared Kevin would pull, money, influence, pressure. A power play. He didn’t waste a second.
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest before the panic can hit full force.
“Hey,” I murmur into her hair. “I’ve got you. I won’t let him take you both from me. Not now, not ever.”
She sags against me, her whole body going soft, like someone who’s been carrying too much for too long and is finally running out of strength.
“I’m scared,” she whispers into my shirt.
“I know.” I press my cheek to the top of her head. “But remember, we have a plan. And we’re not alone in this. Not anymore.”
God, I wish I could swallow every fear she has, take every bruise he ever left on her heart. I wish love alone could make this disappear. But she has a dragon to slay.
And I’m walking straight into the fire beside her.
Her breath catches when she finally pulls back. I tuck her hair gently behind her ear, brushing away a tear that escaped despite her best effort.
“Baby,” I say softly, “I need to make a few calls. Important ones. I’ll be right back, I promise.”
She nods, swallowing hard, trusting me the way someone trusts solid ground after too many years on ice.
I press a kiss to her forehead, lingering a second longer than usual, then head for my downstairs office, the little room off the hallway that used to be a storage closet until Christmas break gave me time to turn it into something of my own.
Dark wood desk. Soft lamp. The wildflower drawing Mia made taped crookedly to the wall.
I close the door behind me.
Pull out my phone.
My jaw tightens.
If Kevin wants a war, then fine.
He just picked one with the wrong damn town.