Chapter 7
Rekindling the Flame
A shared glance, a gentle touch. The old attraction between Mary Beth and Ethan resurfaces, tentative at first, then stronger, as they navigate their complicated history.
The air in the kitchen felt thick, not with the usual scent of brewing coffee or yesterday’s dinner, but with a quiet hum of unspoken things. Lily, bless her little heart, was oblivious, humming a tuneless melody as she meticulously arranged her collection of smooth, grey river stones on the worn oak table. Her small brow was furrowed in concentration, a miniature sculptor at work. I watched her, a familiar ache in my chest, a bittersweet reminder of the life that had fractured and the new one I was trying to piece together.
Ethan was there, of course. He’d been a constant presence since he’d opened the door to us, a steady, quiet anchor in the storm of my life. He was leaning against the counter, a mug cradled in his hands, his gaze, when it flickered my way, held a depth that both unnerved and soothed me. It was the same gaze I remembered from years ago, before the sharp edges of my ambition had collided with his gentle steadiness, before I’d chosen a path that led me away from this