Ryan arrived home lighter than he had been in weeks.
It showed in the way he shut the door behind him with a sense of finality, as though the world outside had been left where it belonged. It showed in the way his shoulders eased the moment he stepped into the quiet warmth of the house. And it showed in the faint curve of his mouth when the smell of food met him halfway down the hall.
Home.
Not the Ashbrook building.
Not boardrooms and lawyers and threats disguised as politeness.
This.
Eve.
She was in the kitchen, hair loosely tied back, sleeves rolled just enough to show the faint marks of fatigue on her arms. The meal was already plated, steam rising gently from the dishes. Her posture betrayed her exhaustion more than her face did. She was tired, bone-deep tired, the kind that ca
