**Amelia’s POV**
The babysitter arrived at six sharp—Mrs. Juliet’s trusted niece, a college student who already knew the triplets’ bedtime routine better than I did some nights. I kissed three foreheads, promised extra stories tomorrow, and let Chase lead me out the front door before I could second-guess the whole thing.
No kids. No blueprints. No full-moon threats hanging over us. Just us.
He drove us into City Y in the black SUV with tinted windows. The radio played low—some old jazz station he knew I liked. His hand rested on the gear shift, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his knuckles. I didn’t take it. Not yet. I was still getting used to the idea that touching him didn’t have to mean bracing for pain.
The restaurant was on the top floor of an old brick bu
