For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. The air between us shifted, delicate, trembling, alive. His eyes searched mine, as if he needed to make sure he’d heard me right, that I wasn’t saying those words out of gratitude or loneliness, but from something deeper, truer.Then, before I could even take another breath, Elijah’s expression broke into the widest smile I had ever seen from him. It was pure joy, unguarded and radiant.

He let out a breathy laugh, one that carried both disbelief and ...