Bonus Chapter 12 – Kitchen Counter Quickie (Mid-Marriage, Late Night)Eli POV The kitchen was dark except for the fairy lights we’d hung along the upper cabinets and looped lazily over the island years ago thin golden strands that never came down, even long after the Christmas tree was packed away. They stayed up because Lila once declared them “magic lights that make everything prettier,” and honestly, neither of us had the heart to argue. They glowed soft, warm, turning the cold granite countertops into something almost romantic, casting tiny flecks of amber across every surface like scattered stars.The house was finally quiet. Lila had been asleep for a little over an hour—she’d fought bedtime with the full dramatic flair of a seven-year-old, delivering a tearful monologue about needing “just one more chapter” of her fantasy book, complete with hand gestures and tragic sighs. We’d caved for fifteen extra minutes before Dante carried her upstairs, kissed her forehead, and turn
Last Updated : 2026-02-26 Read more