Page 194 of Seeking Shadows

"I want to meet Mia."

I arch an eyebrow. "Really?"

She shrugs. "She seems cool."

Kyle lets out a muffled laugh. "Cool is an interesting word to describe her."

"I’m excited," she claps her hands, and I laugh.

I shouldn’t be surprised at how easily they accepted my mother’s death after hearing the truth.

But somehow, I still am.

A good surprise.

CHAPTER 32

MIA

The smile on Zane’sface makes me pause for a moment. It’s one of those small, rare smiles that appears when he truly relaxes. I can’t help it—I smile back.

“You talked to Taylor,” I say, noticing something has changed in him.

He nods. “Yes. And with Kyle.”

"And…?"

“And we’re fine.” He says it like he’s still processing it, like the idea of “fine” is too new to say out loud.

My heart warms. His family has always been a part of who he is, even when he was far away. Seeing it rebuilding gives me hope.

Then I remember.

My brother.

My expression softens, but a twinge of anxiety settles in my chest. “I need to see Seth.”

“You will.” The certainty in Zane’s voice calms me a little. “Laura assured me he’s alive. Now it’s just a matter of time.”

I nod, but time never seems enough when it comes to Seth. I just want to see him.

My fingers find Zane's, and he intertwines ours without hesitation.

I look at him, at the features I know so well, at the eyes that hold so much more than he ever says out loud. Everything that has happened has brought us here, but for the first time in a long time, I don't feel like I'm just surviving.

I am here.

With him.

And that's enough.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I confess, my voice low, as if it were a secret.

His fingers tighten around mine, the touch firm and full of something he doesn’t need to say. “I’ve never really been away.”

I lean into him, resting my forehead against his. I close my eyes and just breathe.

After a moment, Zane speaks. “Let’s go to LA.”

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