Page 99 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

His thumb moves gently along my arm. Something he has done hundreds of times.

It’s stupid, but sometimes I still catch myself waiting for the crash—for the quiet darkness that always seemed to follow moments like this.

But it never comes.

Not lately.

Not in the last three months.

I’ve been seizure-free. My meds are stable. My routine is manageable. My body feels like mine again, and every time I wake up, and realise I’m still okay—stillhereand stillmeand stillwith him...

Yeah.

It’s peace. And that’s something I didn’t know how to wish for until now.

“You’re staring,” Rhys murmurs.

“At you? Always,” I tease.

He side-eyes me, amused. “What are you plotting, Monroe?”

“Just admiring how you’ve turned into a full-blown house husband. You’re one ‘yes, dear’ away from dad shoes.”

He scoffs. “You’re the one in my hoodie.”

“Exactly. Asserting my ownership in this relationship. What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine,” I tease.

He huffs a laugh and presses a kiss to the top of my head, but it lingers. Like he knows. Like we both know what it took to get here.

Inside the house, Millie walks past the sliding door, bouncing Linkin on her hip. She’s trying not to look as tired as she is, but I can see it in her posture—the strain behind the smile. Hayden follows, a nappy bag slung over one shoulder, his phone in the other hand.

Millie stops and turns towards him.

“Seriously, Hayden, if you’re not going to actually be helpful, at least stop acting like you're trying.” She speaks loud enough for all of us to hear.

Hayden blinks. “I changed him.”

“You wiped his face with asock, Hayden!” Millie yells, her frustration almost breaking her.

Rhys snorts beside me. Chase whistles low from the kitchen. Arden mutters something about second-hand embarrassment.

Millie exhales sharply, eyes narrowing. “You said you wanted to be a father after the baby came. That means steppingup, not just whenever it suits you.”

We all fall quiet.

Hayden looks like he wants to say something—maybe something cruel, something defensive. But instead, he presses his lips together, exhales, and nods.

“Okay,” he says. “I’ll do better.” I really hope he means it. Because he really needs to start showing up more for his son and Millie.

Millie doesn’t respond. She just keeps walking, disappearing farther into the house.

Hayden stands there a minute longer. Then, without saying anything else, he follows her.

My heart twists.

Because I know that look in Millie’s eyes. Thatdon’t break my heart because I already love you too muchkind of look.

“They’re figuring it out,” Rhys says softly.

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