~Reo’s~

“She laughs softer with him.”

That’s the first thought that lands in Reo’s chest like a quiet bruise as he watches her from the edge of the garden. Jennie’s standing barefoot in the grass, the hem of her sundress brushing her calves, while Blue curls into her arm like a sleepy cub. Leo’s saying something, probably something dumb, and she giggles. That little soft one. The kind that used to belong to Reo before he stomped all over it with control and thunder.

Now it’s back. But it’s not for him.

Reo presses a hand to his chest, right where it feels like someone’s slowly wringing out his heart....