Chapter 67
Chapter 67:
Ryan frowned slightly as laughter drifted from the room. There were no women’s voices in the mix. He had probably heard it wrong.
His expression hardened as his thoughts settled. If Kailey insisted on defying him, she would have to face the consequences on her own. Only hardship would teach her what reality truly looked like.
He dismissed the moment with a brief wave of his hand. “It’s nothing. Let’s go p>
A subtle shift caught Kyson’s attention, and he glanced up just in time to catch Ryan’s rigid profile passing by the doorway. Interest flickered across his face, and a faint smile formed as quiet curiosity settled in his eyes.
Night had deepened considerably by the time dinner wrapped up, the clock having crept past ten.
On the drive home, Kyson found himself picturing a familiar scene—Kailey curled up in the living room, snacks spread out around her, a movie paused halfway through, her eyes bright with expectation.
Reality greeted him differently.
Kailey had already fallen asleep.
Her trust showed itself in small details, including the door that wasn’t locked and had been left slightly ajar.
O𝘳𝗀anі𝘇e 𝘺o𝘶𝗿 l𝘪br𝘢𝗋𝘆 𝗼𝘯 𝘨𝗮𝗹no𝘷е𝗹𝗌.с𝗈𝗺
Kyson paused at the entrance, taking in the sight of her sprawled on top of the blanket with her shoes still on. The room was dark—not by design, but simply because she had drifted off without meaning to. That small detail eased something in his chest.
A quiet breath escaped him as he shook his head and gently pushed the door wider.
Careful not to disturb her, he lifted the blanket, slipped off her shoes, and slid an arm around her waist to settle her properly into bed.
She didn’t wake. A small shift was all she managed before sinking back into sleep.
Kyson stood beside the bed for a long moment, his expression soft and quietly amused. Once he was satisfied she was comfortable, he stepped out and drew the door closed with deliberate care.
Kailey, for her part, had never intended to fall asleep at all. She had been scrolling through her phone when exhaustion overtook her without warning and carried her straight through to morning.
After tidying herself up, she heard the front door open.
When she looked up, Kyson was standing in the doorway dressed in sportswear.
Her eyes widened. “Wait—you actually go running in the mornings? I didn’t expect you to be this disciplined p>
“Nothing intense. Just a light jog.” He stepped inside and handed her breakfast, quietly skipping over the fact that he hadn’t slept at all. “What about you? Did you rest well p>
“Really well, actually. I was looking things up on my phone last night, but I got tired early and just fell asleep p>
As the words left her mouth, a small flicker of confusion passed through her. She clearly remembered falling asleep on top of the blanket, yet she had woken up tucked neatly underneath it. After a moment’s thought, she let it go—she moved around a lot in her sleep anyway, so it didn’t seem worth overthinking.
Kyson glanced at her, something unreadable moving briefly across his face. “Did you find what you were looking for p>