Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 59~

~Raelyn~

~November 30th 2023~

The kitchen was humming with life—Devyn's tostadas were the star of the night, sizzling and fragrant, their scent weaving through the trap house like a promise. Plates clinked and laughter spilled like wine. The overhead lights cast a soft golden hue that made everything feel warmer, safer, like for one moment, the chaos of our lives had pressed pause just to let us breathe.

Jake leaned against the counter, mouth full, eyes wide. "Devyn, I swear to God—if I don't marry Tara, I'm marrying you just for these tostadas."

Tara threw a tortilla at his head. "Excuse me?"

Corey laughed, mouth half-full. "I'll officiate that wedding. Can I be the flower girl too? I look excellent in a tutu."

Devyn rolled her eyes but smiled, flipping another tortilla in the pan like it was a sacred ritual. "You're all pathetic. But thank you."

Colby hovered behind me like a shadow with a pulse, one hand casually tracing a path along my lower back, the other sneaking a piece of Blake's abandoned tostada. Aspen, finally asleep after a full-blown scream symphony earlier, nestled against my chest like a sleepy little doll. Her tiny breaths puffed against my skin, warm and fragile.

"How's she doing?" Colby murmured into my ear, his lips brushing my skin like a secret.

"She's out. Miraculously," I whispered, brushing a fingertip across Aspen's silken cheek. "Might be our only peaceful five minutes tonight."

He chuckled low in his throat. "I'll take it."

Blake launched himself into my lap without warning, the kind of wild, chaotic child-energy that only ever had two speeds: turbo and unconscious. "Mommy, guess what?"

"What?" I asked, wrapping one arm around him instinctively.

"I made a fart noise with my armpit and Uncle Sam said it sounded like Colby when he wakes up."

The table exploded in laughter. I gave Sam a withering look. "You're not allowed near him after eight o'clock anymore."

Sam raised his hands in mock innocence. "Hey, education is important. I'm shaping the next generation."

Isa groaned. "If by 'shaping' you mean corrupting with fart jokes and conspiracy theories about chicken nuggets being government surveillance devices..."

"Those were just theories," he said, defensive. "Until proven otherwise."

Colby leaned in, kissed the side of my head, and took Aspen from my arms. "I'll take her up. You've earned a break."

My entire body sighed in relief. "Bless you. If she wakes up, I swear I'll jump out a window."

"I'd jump with you," he smirked. "Just to land on the bad guys."

I watched him disappear up the stairs, Blake scampering after him. The noise level dipped slightly as everyone slowly eased into that late-night rhythm—one foot in conversation, the other already halfway to sleep.

I was halfway through the dishes when I felt it—Colby's heat behind me. He didn't say anything at first. Just ran his thumb along my exposed arm, so light it made me shiver. Then he leaned in close, his breath ghosting over my neck.

"Are you doing okay?" he murmured, voice soft but edged with something dark—concern, protectiveness. Hunger.

I turned my head, catching his eyes. They were sharp, electric, scanning my face like a map he knew too well. "Yeah. Just tired. Still figuring out the balance of this whole 'mom-girlfriend-unhinged-woman' thing."

"You're doing more than okay." His hand slid from my arm to my waist, pulling me back into him. "You're incredible."

I snorted. "You say that now, but you weren't the one covered in baby vomit earlier."

"I still would've made out with you," he said without hesitation. "I'm disgusting like that."

My lips curled into a smile. "You really are."

And then—he moved.

Without warning, Colby spun me around, lifted me effortlessly off the floor, and pinned me against the wall like I weighed nothing. His mouth found my neck immediately, hot and desperate, his teeth scraping my skin just enough to make my breath catch.

"Colby," I breathed, threading my fingers through his hair.

"Shh," he whispered against my throat, lips dragging up to my jawline. "Let me show you how obsessed I am with you."

His hands gripped my thighs, wrapping them around his waist, and I felt the strength in his body holding me up like I was breakable—but also like he'd never let me fall. I arched into him as his mouth trailed lower, back to the curve of my neck, and then—he bit. Not hard enough to break skin, but hard enough to make me gasp.

"You're giving me a hickey?" I asked, laughing breathlessly.

"Hell yeah, I am," he muttered. "You're mine."

Possessive. Rough. Unapologetically in love with me. It made my entire body buzz.

"You know," I whispered as his lips found my collarbone, "this is probably illegal in some states."

"Good thing we're not in one of those," he said, trailing kisses across my chest. "Besides, if loving you is a crime, I'll go to jail smiling."

"You're so dramatic," I laughed, pulling him back up to kiss him full on the mouth.

Our lips collided, tongues teasing, mouths devouring each other in a rhythm we knew like muscle memory. His hands roamed under my shirt, over the curve of my waist, gripping my hips like he needed to memorize them all over again.

And then the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat from the hallway.

Tara.

"Please don't defile the downstairs bathroom again," she said. "The last time you did, I needed bleach and therapy."

I buried my face in Colby's chest, mortified. Colby just grinned.

"No promises," he called back. "But thanks for the ambiance interruption."

Tara walked away muttering something about "unholy hormones and lack of personal boundaries."

He set me down gently, his hands lingering at my hips. "Rain check?"

I nodded, breathless. "You better believe it."

---

Later that night, we were curled up in bed. Aspen was in her bassinet, finally down for the count. Blake was asleep in his room. The trap house was still and warm, like it was holding its breath, waiting for morning. Colby lay beside me, his hand resting on my stomach, the other brushing through my hair.

"You're quiet," he whispered.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Us. This. Everything." I turned to him. "I never thought I'd get here, you know? That someone like me could have this kind of love. This kind of life."

He kissed my forehead. "You were born for this kind of life. For love, for chaos, for family. You're the one holding us all together, Rae."

I sighed against his chest. "I'm terrified every second something's going to rip it away."

"It won't. Not while I'm breathing."

His voice was like armor. Not just words—promises. And I knew that, no matter how dark things got, no matter how long the nights stretched—Colby would be there. In the storm. In the fire. In the silence.

Always him.