Page 171 of Blackwood

One fucked-up, beautiful mess.

No words.

No doubts.

Just heavy breaths, full hearts, and sleep that finally comes easy.

The three of us together.

Intertwined.

For fucking ever.

Chapter 51

BELLA

Mine and Zeke’s Penthouse

660 Days Since Zeke’s Death

The keypad blinks back at me. Cold, unfeeling, just waiting for me to enter four little numbers. My fingers hover over the buttons, but I can’t move. I just stare, frozen in place. It’s been forever since I’ve stood here. Since I even looked at this door.

Behind it is everything I’ve been avoiding. Every memory, every ghost. Every second of my life that shattered the night Zeke didn’t come home to me.

“Sweetheart,” Cade’s voice is soft and gentle. His hand grazes my lower back. “You okay?”

I nod once but it’s a lie. My fingers tremble as I reach for the first number. I pull back, shake my hands, flex my fingers, and try to muster up some shred of confidence to hit the buttons.

I look up and shake my head. “I thought I was,” I whisper. “But this… this feels like opening a tomb.”

Lex steps beside me, broad and silent. His eyes scan the hallway and then land on me. “We don’t have to go in. Not if it’s too much, baby.”

“No. I need to.”

Lex kisses the back of my neck. “We’ve got you, baby. All the way through.”

I inhale deep. Then slowly put my finger on the keypad and enter the code.

Beep-beep.

Beep-beep.

I press the door open and take a step inside. It looks the same as the day I left.

We walk in slow silence across the dark wooden floors. My fingers trail the edge of the kitchen counter as my eyes scan everything. The spiral staircase that leads up to our bedrooms. The oversized couch. The coffee mug still on the end table. Time never moved here.

It just froze.

I drift toward the couch, spotting the plush blanket I left crumpled there that last night. I pick it up, press it to my face, and close my eyes. I bite the inside of my cheek hard, willing myself not to fall apart. Not yet.

But then I see it. The fireplace mantle and the photo still resting there. It’s a picture of me and Zeke. Smiling and happy after a Homecoming halftime show when I danced for the Vixens. His arm is slung over my shoulder, mine around his waist, like we belonged together in every lifetime.

Brother and sister.

Best friends.

Family.