All Chapters of CRAWLING TO YOU: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Gabby’s POVMy mother stood at the edge of the firelight, arms crossed, looking every bit the elegant enforcer she was.“We were just about to turn in,” I said quickly.“Wonderful. Girls in pairs. Boys in pairs. I don’t want any mischief happening under my watch, have I made myself clear?”If only she knew what had already happened right in front of her earlier.A collective groan rose from the group, but no one actually argued. My mother clapped her hands once. “Move. Gabby, you’re with Mila. Fiona with Stacy. Boys, sort yourselves out.”A chorus of “Yes, Mrs. Walter” followed right after. She stayed until every last one of us had filed toward the tents, then added, almost cheerfully, “The guards are right outside just in case anyone gets any funny ideas about switching.”I climbed into the tent I was sharing with Mila. She was still giggling as she kicked off her shoes.“I like your mom,” she whispered. “She’s got that classic, slightly terrifying regal energy.”I smiled in the dark

Gabby’s POVI stood frozen in the middle of the room, a strange, hollow ache spreading under my ribs. How could he be that angry over one clumsy sentence that I really didn’t mean? He didn’t even look at me…just walked right past me.“Come sit and finish your food, Gabby,” my mother said gently. “We’ll head back soon. You can talk to him properly once we’re home.”I sat quietly without saying another word. My body was present at the table, but my mind had already left the building. Even when the packing started, even when my friends came to say goodbye, I only half-heard them. The image of Aiden walking past me like I didn’t exist kept replaying on a loop.Was he that mad at me?Ethan caught my elbow and drew me a few steps away from the others, voice low. “What’s really going on with you two? Are you and Aiden actually a thing now? Did he finally—”“This isn’t the place, E,” I cut in quietly. “I’ll call you later.”He studied my face for a second, then nodded and let it go.Liam

Aiden’s POVThe caregiver pushed the door open with her hip and held it for us.“Be gentle,” she said in a low voice. “She just woke up from a nap, so don’t rattle her if you can help it…Martha’s emotions are quite fragile."Daisy and I both nodded anxiously.The woman crossed to the narrow bed where an old lady sat propped against pillows, a half-finished piece of knitting in her lap. She rested a hand on the thin shoulder and smiled.“Be good Martha, okay?”Martha didn’t answer. The caregiver squeezed once, then started for the door. At the threshold she paused and looked back.“One more thing. Martha has mixed dementia. Some days she’s clear; other days, the past and present get tangled in her head. She might talk about something that happened twenty years ago as if it’s happening right now. So… just be prepared.”Perfect. Absolutely perfect. The one person I needed information from had mixed dementia. Because apparently, getting answers was too easy.But I didn’t say that out loud

Aiden’s POVThe restaurant sat in a part of the city that most people forgot existed after dark.No sign on the door. Just a narrow alley, a single bulb above a rusted metal entrance, and a password Marcus had texted me an hour earlier. Inside, the lighting was low on purpose…deep reds and shadows that made every face harder to read. I was already too exhausted to care about anything else. The day had been too long and the revelations so confusing. My body felt heavy, but my mind refused to shut off.Marcus Hale arrived right on time and we wasted no time. We shook hands without much ceremony and slid into the corner booth at the far end. A waiter appeared, took a drink order, and vanished again. No small talk. We both knew why we were here.Marcus pulled a slim folder from his bag and set it on the table between us.“You know how we’ve covered a lot of ground since we started,” I said. “Dead ends, name changes, buried records. But today changed the shape of everything.”I told him

Aiden’s POVI left the city the next afternoon with the sky already leaning toward gold.The hours with Daisy had been necessary and strange at the same time. We had coffee that tasted too bitter, talked in careful circles around the things I wasn’t ready to say out loud. And then…because she insisted the day needed something that wasn’t about the investigation and old pain…we drove across town to see Ben and his family. We stopped by a mall to get gifts for the baby and mother on our way. Daisy cooed and fussed and made me carry bags of tiny clothes and soft blankets out of the nearby mall like we were any ordinary pair of adults celebrating ordinary life. The apartment smelled like baby lotion and fresh laundry when we got there. Ben’s wife looked exhausted and luminous in the way only new mothers manage. The infant was impossibly small in my arms when I held him, fists curled tight, mouth working in sleep. For a little while the weight in my chest eased. Then the thought arriv