Page 104 of The Mercenary's Hidden Heir

Lets go of something tight and scared she’s been carrying too long.

And leans into me.

Into us.

Joren curls against my side.

Aria wiggles into my lap.

I pull them all close.

Tighter.

Tighter still.

Like if I just hold them hard enough, maybe the universe won’t be able to tear us apart again.

We sit there in the cargo bay as the ship shudders into open space.

A broken, battered knot of survivors.

A family stitched together with scars and stubbornness.

And gods help the galaxy.

If it ever tries to take them from me again.

Later, when the ship settles into the steady hum of a jump corridor, Kelli pulls a rough blanket around the kids and settles beside me on the cold floor.

For a long moment, we just sit there.

Listening to their soft breathing.

Feeling the quiet stretch thick between us.

Not the bad kind.

Not the kind full of fear.

The kind full ofpossibility.

I tilt my head, studying her in the dim light.

Her hair’s a mess.

Her jacket’s torn.

There’s grime streaked across her cheek.

And she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.

"You ever think about where we go next?" I ask low, my voice still scraped raw from everything we lost.

She leans her head against my shoulder, sighing deep.

"Someplace quiet," she mutters. "Someplace green."

"With trees," I add.

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