Chapter 978

Jude took his time moving through them, not out of obligation, but something deeper, gratitude, desire, and the binding thread of memory. He kissed Lucy's ink-stained fingers, tracing the curve of her wrist. He pressed his forehead to Emma's as Laurel nestled beside them, blinking sleepily. Stella caught his hand and placed it over her heart. Susan leaned against his back, arms folded around him tightly, a quiet pillar of strength. Zoey laughed softly as he tickled behind her ear, and Natalie pulled him down by the collar to steal a long, slow kiss. Sophie lit a string of flower candles near the path and kissed the light into his mouth.

Scarlet stood slightly apart, watching with an unreadable look. But as Jude approached, she didn't retreat. Her hands reached for his, guiding him into her gravity. "Let them watch," she murmured against his lips. "Let them see they'll never understand this."