Chapter 13 Fiona
THIRTEEN
FIONA
Last night happened. This morning happened harder. I smile splits my face in two at the thought of Chase and me.
Together.
Not in the dramatic, fireworks-and-chandeliers way my brain likes to over-romanticize things. In the quiet way. The real way. The way two people finally stop pretending they don’t want each other and choose to be brave at the same time.
I’m falling.
Hard.
And that terrifies me almost as much as it thrills me.
We lie together completely blissed out of our minds until… reality taps on the window.
We have a compound full of protectors, a brother who notices everything, and a threat that doesn’t pause because I’m having feelings.
Chase brushes his thumb along my arm. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. I think I am.”
He studies my face like he’s checking for cracks. “You don’t have to figure anything out today.”
“I know,” I say. “But I want to.”
He smiles at that.
We get dressed in a comfortable, almost domestic quiet. No awkwardness. No pretending nothing happened. Just two people moving around each other like we’re learning a new rhythm.
When we head down to the clubhouse, the air feels different. Or maybe I do.
Harper and Kayley are already there with the babies—Aidan in a bouncy seat, Poppi sprawled on a blanket like she owns the place. Boyd is making coffee like it’s a sacred ritual. Emma’s laughing with Rhett. Eli’s arguing with Wyatt about whether pancakes count as “nutritionally responsible.”
Normal.
I like that word here.
Gavin looks up the second we walk in.
And he knows.
He doesn’t say anything at first. Just watches me with that big-brother, commander, human-lie-detector stare that has made grown men confess to crimes they didn’t commit.
“You look… different,” he says finally.
I freeze for half a second, then recover. “Good different or ‘we need to talk’ different?”
“Both,” he says.
Harper’s lips twitch. Kayley tries very hard to look innocent.
Chase says nothing. Just stands next to me, solid and steady.
Gavin steps closer. “Fi.”
“I’m fine,” I say quickly. “Really. Better than fine.”
He studies me. “You sleeping okay?”
“Yes,” I say, which is the truth.
“Eating?”
“Yes.”
“Still scared?” The question is quieter. More careful.
I hesitate. “Less.”
He nods slowly, then lowers his voice. “You don’t have to protect me from the truth.”
I swallow. “I’m not. I just… I don’t want to talk about it yet.”
“Why?”
I glance at Chase before I can stop myself. He doesn’t look away. Doesn’t push. Just lets me decide. “Because I don’t know what this is yet,” I say honestly. “And I don’t want to make it… a thing before I know it’s real.”
Gavin’s gaze flicks between us. Understanding dawns. His jaw tightens a little, but his voice stays even. “Is it serious?”
I take a breath. “It could be.”
He looks at Chase now. Long. Measuring.
Chase meets his eyes without flinching. “I won’t hurt her.”
“I know,” Gavin says. Then, to me, “Just don’t shut me out, okay?”
“I won’t,” I promise.
Before the moment can get any heavier, the door opens and Silas walks in with a look of seriousness.
“We’ve got chatter,” he says. “It’s not just rumors anymore.”
The room shifts. Everyone’s attention sharpens.
“About what?” Gavin asks.
“Trafficking,” Silas says. “Moving people through smaller towns. Timber Creek is on the list.”
My stomach drops. “And Marcus?” I ask quietly.
Silas’s gaze meets mine. “He’s on the move.”
Chase’s hand finds mine without thinking.
“Headed this way,” Silas continues. “Or close enough that we should assume he is.”
The room goes silent. I squeeze Chase’s fingers, my pulse kicking up again—but this time, I’m not alone with it.
Gavin straightens. “Then we prepare.”
And for the first time since all of this started, I don’t feel like prey. I feel like I’m standing in the middle of a fortress. With someone at my side who chose me. And that makes all the difference.