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10

I get home shortly after promising Liam that I’ll go to his place tomorrow after school to start training. The idea makes me nervous, but also a little excited. I don’t know exactly what he means by training, but if he can keep his promise and teach me how to defend myself, I’m all in.

I’ve never thrown a punch in my life. I never had to. I’ve always handled conflicts with sarcasm and irony, and when that didn’t work, Criss would step in. She wasn’t great with words, but damn, she knew how to fight.

As I approach the house, I spot both my parents’ cars in the driveway, and my mood instantly lifts. That means Mom probably cooked—and there’s nothing better in the world than my mother’s food. Seriously, this woman could win awards. And yeah, I know what you’re thinking: She’s smart, beautiful, and can cook? Yeah, my dad is that lucky.

“Nat, is that you?” Dad calls from the kitchen as I push open the front door.

I walk in and see my parents standing side by side, Mom pulling something from the oven while Dad chops vegetables next to her. They both have glasses of wine, chatting and smiling like they used to. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them like this that my chest tightens. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s better.

“Smells amazing! I’m starving.”

I grab a glass of orange juice from the fridge and kiss both of them before settling at the table.

“How’s college so far, pumpkin?”

I smile, even though school isn’t exactly my favorite subject. I don’t want to worry them, but I also don’t want to lie, so I go for the easy option—half the truth.

“Exhausting,” I say, rolling my eyes. “The classes are a lot harder this year, and waking up early isn’t helping.”

Dad finishes chopping and joins me at the table just as Mom pulls out a perfectly baked salmon. My absolute favorite. She serves it with roasted potatoes and asparagus, a meal so good I’d happily gain weight for it.

“And your classmates? How are they?”

That’s a weird question coming from Mom. She knows I don’t usually talk to anyone besides Mary. But I know what she’s really asking—she wants to know if I’m actually trying to move on.

“Well, Alicia—she’s in my computer science class and Mr. Miller’s daughter—joined us for lunch today. She told me all about this IT or gaming summer camp she went to. I didn’t understand half of it, but she was excited about how much she improved her skills. She’s a genius with computers.”

I watch as their shoulders instantly relax, and they exchange smiles. It’s like a heavy weight just lifted off them.

“That’s… that’s wonderful, honey,” Mom says, her eyes shining.

Seeing their reaction, I keep going.

“Also, Mary started dating this really nice guy, Logan. He and his brother, Liam, just moved here a month ago. Logan’s older, but since he missed history last year at his old college, he has to take it with us.”

Mom squeezes Dad’s hand, as if making sure this is all real.

“Logan and Liam… what’s their last name?” Dad asks, sipping his wine.

“Coleman. Why?”

His face lights up with recognition, and suddenly he’s laughing.

“I knew I’d heard those names before! Their parents, Karl and Elise, are my new colleagues. They’re both lawyers—they moved here to join the firm.”