And then her breath caught.

Shock slammed through her at the sight before her.

Ace.

Her breath stuttered, catching in her throat. Of all people, she hadn’t expected he'd be the one she sees in front of her.

“Are you good?” he asked, his voice softer than she had heard in what felt like forever. The tone alone was enough to drag her backward through time, back to the days when he had been kind, when his presence had been steady, when he had been her thousand and one fireflies in her dark ...