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I finish my last phone call for the day and stand from my desk. With a hopeful expression, Haven glances up from the coloring book she’s working on.

“Done?” she asks.

“I am.”

She smiles as I crouch in front of her cage and unlock it. When I open the door, she crawls out and directly into my arms.

Sometime in mid-June, Haven asked me to put her cage in my office. I didn’t expect it, but Haven having time inside it while I work has helped her significantly.

When she finds herself back at Cornerstone, locking herself away signals to her mind that no one is expecting anything from her. She doesn’t have to cook or clean or serve or have babies. She’s just Haven. It’s like a reset for her.

It keeps her close to me, too, which I don’t mind. Charlotte was right—Haven is more resilient than I gave her credit for—but I still worry about her. I think I always will. She’s been through too much for me to not.

“So we can go?” Haven asks, eyes bright.

I nod. “Go get changed. I’ll be right behind you.”

When I brought up the idea of taking Haven out on my bike, I was sure she’d say no, but she didn’t even hesitate. So she picked out a helmet and some gear, and everything came in yesterday.

While Haven gets ready, I pull out a glass rook from my desk drawer. I stole it from my father’s house after Lucas and Xander killed him. It was the only piece from the chess set that didn’t shatter when Lucas threw Mark on top of it, but there’s a hairline crack running through it now.

Supposedly, that set was what inspired the name behind the Glass Rooks. Mark had been playing a game with one of the founding members, and the chess pieces accidentally got knocked to the ground. Just like the night Mark was killed, everything broke except one of his rooks.

He had to replace the whole set, minus that one— this one. I know it’s the same because it’s stood out to me since I was a child. When Mark was teaching me how to play chess, the light would hit it differently than the rest of the pieces. It was probably due to a change in manufacturing, but back then, I thought it was magical.

As I stare at the rook now, the crack almost seems fitting. The Glass Rooks will be forever changed by the events that took place after graduation. The organization won’t stay broken, though. I’ll fix everything Mark ruined. I’ll make it even better.

There’s a knock on my office door, and Xander pops his head in. “We’re ready.”

“All right.” I hold the rook in my hand for another second before placing it back in the drawer.

“You okay?” Xander asks.

“Hmm? Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

He stops me halfway across the room and pulls me into a firm embrace. It takes me a second to work through the surprise, and then I hug him back. Xander has done this a couple times over the past few months, and Lucas has, too.

It was a shock, going from little to no physical affection to getting it from three people all at once. I’m not mad about it, not by a long shot. It’s… nice.

“You’re allowed to miss him, you know,” Xander says. “I miss my mom, too, even though I low-key wish she was dead.”

“Low-key?”

With a chuckle, he pulls away. “Yeah, you’re right. High -key.”

“Well, at least I know you’re not lying to yourself.”

After I get changed, I meet everyone in the garage. I sweep Haven into my arms and kiss her, smiling when she giggles against my mouth. My wife looks good in her gear. Just more motivation to take her out more often.

“Let’s go,” I say, and we head for our bikes.

Once I’m on mine, Lucas helps Haven get behind me. She’s so short that she practically has to climb the bike to get on.

“You feel ready?” Lucas asks as he hands Haven her helmet.

“Mmhmm. Thank you.”

While Lucas and Xander get on their bikes, I go over the basics with Haven.

“Keep both your arms around my waist.” I smile when she grips me tight. “Yeah, that’s good. And when I lean, you lean with me, okay?”

“Got it.” She sounds excited. Giddy, even.

“And you can talk to me through the helmet. Tell me if you need me to stop.”

“Okay.”

I hesitate. “You sure you’re good with this? It’s okay if you’re scared.”

She squeezes me. “I trust you, Colt.”

Pride fills me, and I reach back to touch her thigh. I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling bad for everything we put Haven through. I don’t think I should stop feeling that way. But hearing her say she trusts me is the sweetest reminder that she opened herself up to us again.

She doesn’t know how much that means to me. We destroyed her, but despite that, Haven put her heart at risk for us. It’s why I’ll dedicate the rest of my life to her. She is my life.

“Helmet on, angel,” I tell her as I put mine on.

Once she’s done what I asked and slipped her arms around my torso again, we take off with Xander in front. Despite Haven’s eagerness, we don’t go over forty-five miles per hour. I promised her we’d take things slow, and I’m never breaking my word to her again.

Haven is laughing as we move down the road as one. I’m pretty sure this is the happiest she’s been since we rescued her.

I wish Isaiah could see her like this. First, so the bastard could finally get it through his head that she’s ours, not his. But second, so he could see how much better off she is without him. She’s protected, cherished, and free.

But I don’t let my thoughts linger on Isaiah for long. He’s dead, and that’s the best revenge I can give Haven. Now it’s time to help her continue to find herself again.