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“I ate half a sandwich.”

“Half is not dinner.”

“Half is what I’ve got to give.”

Pepper lifts the plate. “I’m eating my feelings with cheese, but I’m willing to share.”

I look at the bed, the food, the blankets, the careful space she made for me without saying a word. My chest tightens in a way I don’t trust. The spring didn’t leave when we did. It followed me home, a low rush of water I can hear when the house gets too quiet.

“This is a lot of trouble for a man who turned translucent in a puddle,” I say.

“It was a spring.” Pepper’s mouth softens. “A terrifying spring.” She sits on the edge of the bed and holds out her hand. “And you’re worth it.”

I cross the room and take her hand. Her fingers close around mine, warm and certain. Theo follows us in, shuts the bedroom door, and checks the lock because he’s Theo. He checks the cameras on his phone next, clearing each part of the property before he sets the phone facedown.

I look at it. “That must have hurt.”

“Ezra.” Theo growls.

Pepper pats the mattress. “Both of you. Here.”

I climb in first because if I wait too long, I might talk myself into needing open night air. Pepper sits beside me. Theo settles behind her with his back against the headboard, one arm along the pillows, leaving room for me to choose where I fit.

That’s the problem. I don’t know where I fit tonight.

For years, my place has been beside Theo. Sometimes under his arm. Sometimes at his back. Sometimes in his bed with a sketchbook across my knees while he pretended not to watch me fade. Then Pepper walked through the gate, bright and smelling like answered prayers, and I started wanting things I had given up on.

The spring showed me open water and a road I couldn’t map. Now this bed is full of space Pepper and Theo made for me, and I can’t figure out where to put my hands.

She reaches for the plate and puts a square of cheese in my palm. “Start there. It’s got cranberry bursts.”

I stare at it.

She nods solemnly. “It’s an advanced healing protocol.”

Theo’s low laugh moves through the room.

I eat the cheese because saying no to Pepper when she looks that serious would be criminal. The salt and fat settle me more than expected. The burst of sweet is also kind of delicious.

Pepper gives me an apple slice next. “Step two.”

“Is there a certificate at the end?”

“If you complete the program with excellence.”

Theo reaches around her and hands me water. “This too.”

I drink, and Theo’s gaze stays on my throat until I finish.

The water in my head quiets by a fraction.

Pepper shifts closer. “Can I ask?”

I don’t pretend to misunderstand. “About the spring?”

“Yes.”

I set down the glass. “Ask one thing.”