Isobel’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she turned her hand in the morning light, the ring scattering prisms across the walls like fireflies caught in glass. A prayer rose inside her chest, quiet and fierce—a thank-you whispered to the universe for Ryder Hayes, a man who had filled a hollow she hadn’t even known she carried until he stepped into her life.
She rose with purpose, moving through her rituals—shower, dress, hair swept up—each motion threaded with the calm certainty of a woman who knew exactly where she belonged. In her small kitchen, the skillet sang with eggs and bacon, the smell curling into every corner of the townhouse.
Grace was the first to join her, soft robe tied at the waist, eyes roving with approval over the kitchen’s warmth and the patio beyond, bathed in Ge
