Chapter 53

Briar’s POV

The sun had barely begun to dip when I heard the familiar patter of feet and the squeak of the front door opening.

"Mummy!"

I turned just in time to catch Luna barreling toward me, her backpack slipping halfway off her shoulder.

"Hey, sweetheart." I knelt, wrapping my arms around her tiny frame. She smelled like crayons and a bit of outside air. "Did you miss me today?"

She nodded against my neck, clinging tighter. "A lot."

Finn wasn’t far behind. He stood at the doorway for a second before quietly shutting it behind him. His backpack was zipped neat and high on his back, his expression more cautious.

"Finn," I said gently, "come here."

He came — slower, more controlled — but when he finally wrapped his arms around me too, I held them both like I’d never let go.

For a long minute, we just stood like that.

"I wanted to talk to you both,"