Claire’s POV
“I have something for you,” Ivan said.
We were standing on the back deck. Upstairs in the house, the children were getting ready for bed. Leo was talking to his dad on the phone. Out here, the mood was calm and steady. I was still reveling in the feeling of having my children under one roof.
Everything was almost perfect, and I was allowing myself to feel happiness for it. I hadn’t stayed happy like this, for this long, in what felt like forever. It had almost been two full days now of my joy.
This lighthearted feeling even made me more open to Ivan. He had always been such a good friend and a stalwart protector. He was older than me, closer to fifty, but he was steady and strong and safe – something I had come to value after everything that happened six years ago.
My ti
