Katherine laughed again—deep, belly laughter—and I could’ve drowned in that sound.
“I bet it wasn’t easy,” she said through her smile. “Chasing you four maniacs while growing a little human? Your dads liked to play with fire.”
I grinned, shaking my head. “Still do.”
Silence settled between us for a while, but it wasn’t heavy. It was comfortable. Familiar, somehow. Like we’d done this a thousand times in a thousand lives.
And then I said the truth.
“I always saw love between them,” I murmured. “My parents. My dads and My mom. They had the kind of bond that made you know it was real. That’s all I ever wanted.”
I looked down at her. “For me. For my brothers too.”
Her fingers stopped moving.
She didn’t look at me.
But her voice—soft, almost a whisper—cut straight through me.
“I only
