Page 96 of Click of Fate

That grabs my full attention. “Are you thinking about it?”

I turn toward her as she nods. “I am.” her voice doesn't waiver.

Her eyes on her hands in her lap. “It’s scary. But I want it. I like the quiet. I like the yard. I like… the feeling of it.”

There’s a pause, and something in her voice shifts—gentler. “It feels like home.”

My heart stutters a beat, but I don’t say anything yet. I’m still trying to figure out if she’s buying that house because it’s hers—or because it’s Harper’s. Or Lilly’s. Or maybe just something she thinks she’s supposed to do now that everything is shifting.

But I wrap my arm around her anyway, because no matter the reason, this is big. Bigger than a move or a mortgage. This is Stella choosing something.

“Then let’s make it yours,” I say.

She bites her lip. “You think it’s a good idea?”

I want to ask—who’s it really for?

But I don’t. Not yet.

“I think it’s the first time you’ve let yourself want something permanent,” I say instead. “That means something.”

She leans into me, and her head rests on my shoulder like it belongs there.

“It does,” she says.

And for a minute, I just let the quiet stretch between us. The hum of the TV. But my thoughts won’t sit still.

She’s buying a house. A real, rooted decision. The kind of move people make when they know exactly what they want.

And Stella… she’s never been the blueprint type.

I glance down at her. “So, if you’re buying a house…”

She shifts, just slightly. “Yeah?”

“What does that mean…for everything else?”

She doesn’t answer right away, so I keep going, carefully.

“I mean, are you still planning to freelance? Travel? You mentioned wanting to get back into some of those bigger photo assignments.”

Her fingers fidget with the edge of the throw blanket. “I was thinking about that.”

I wait.

Then she adds, “I actually made a decision this week.”

That gets my full attention. “Yeah?”

She turns a little, propping her chin on my chest so she can look at me. “Cassie and Layla officially offered me the photography arm of HEA. Not just the weddings, but everything. Events, branding, future product lines. They even started talking long-term partnership.”

I raise my brows, surprised. “Wow. That’s huge.”

She smiles. “It is. And… I said yes.”

The knot in my chest loosens, just a little. But not completely. “That’s amazing, Stell,” I tell her.

She smiles. “Cassie nearly screamed. Apparently I’m their ‘Final Infinity Stone.’”

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