로그인His mouth twitches slightly, but he doesn’t quite smile.“Good,” he says.Good? I stare at him.“That’s not an answer.”“No,” he agrees. “It isn’t, but you also didn’t ask a question.”My hands clench at my sides, which is more Leo’s style than mine. I force them to relax.“Ronnie…”“When something
** Jake’s POV **That baby should have died. The thought swirls in my mind, no matter how many times I try to push it aside. I’ve seen enough births to know the difference between a close call and a miracle. That wasn’t a close call; it was impossible.I stand at the end of the bed, watching as the
“Poppy,” Jake’s voice calls, softer than before.I glance over at him. He’s watching me now.A flicker of unease slides through me.“Yeah?” I call back, forcing a small smile.His gaze narrows slightly, as if he’s trying to piece something together that doesn’t quite fit.“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Jake watches me closely.“I’m fine,” I insist, before he can say anything. I know he doesn’t fully believe me, but he doesn’t argue.We step out into the corridor together, and I hear a few voices drift in the distance. “Jake,” Leo says quietly beside me. “What’s going on?”Jake exhales slowly as
** Poppy’s POV **Spending my first night after completing the mate bond back in the clinic was not on my bingo card, but here we are. I wake up stiff. Like I slept too heavy for too long. Jake and Leo insisted we spend the night here, which makes no sense. Yes, I had a bit of a funny turn, but I r
The baby cries a second later, strong, clear, alive. Relief floods the room. I hand the baby to my assistant, who quickly runs through checks before passing him to Mum.My chest tightens at the sight, but it’s tainted by an uneasy feeling, because I just witnessed a miracle, and in my experience, th
Her voice cracks. “What if I can’t do this, Paige? What if loving them both breaks me?”I swallow the lump in my throat and squeeze her hand again. “It won’t, but if it does, I’ll be here to help put you back together.”Her eyes fill again, but this time, she nods. “Okay,” she whispers.For the firs
** Remy’s POV **The second Ryder says the words, I can see the ripple of shock go through Poppy. She goes pale, and her fingers clench tight around her cup, and Paige reaches for her without hesitation. I don’t miss the way Poppy’s eyes dart toward the tree line like she might bolt if given the cha
** Paige’s POV **For a second, I can’t breathe. Everything in the room stills, even the air feels frozen. My sister is limp in the arms of a man I barely know, and the sound of that one word, “mine,” still echoes in my head.No one moves. Not Leo, who’s standing there like the ground has been rippe
** Paige’s POV **We go through the details for another half hour. Mr Keating talks about documents, deadlines, and witness lists. I take notes as if I’m back in college. Ryder asks questions I’d never have thought of, and the others keep quiet, although Callen can’t resist the occasional smirk when







