Mackenzie pulled the duvet over her daughter's body and leaned in to kiss her forehead. She found herself squeezing the part of the wooden bed her hands could touch.

Chase was just behind her, and she could feel his stare burn through the skin of her neck. She had felt as though she had been walking on eggshells since he arrived, yet there was a part of her overjoyed to have him there, to have him with her kids, and with her.

She turned to look at him and found him staring at ...