Chapter Three:TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

Tiana sat frozen, the words still ringing in her ears.

"His father and I… we're getting married."

Her mother's voice sounded distant, like she was hearing it underwater.

She turned to Zayden, who looked far too amused for someone who had just dropped a nuclear bomb on her life.

Tiana's lips parted, but no words came out. How was she supposed to react to this?

Scream?

Laugh?

Walk out and pretend this wasn't happening?

Instead, she let out a sharp, humorless chuckle. "You're joking, right?"

Her mother shifted awkwardly. "Tiana, I know this is unexpected, but—"

"But what?" Tiana cut in, her voice rising. "You're seriously telling me you're marrying his father?" She jabbed a finger toward Zayden, who smirked at her reaction.

"Technically, our father now." His voice was smooth, teasing, as if this wasn't completely insane.

Tiana whipped her head toward him. "Don't. Say. That."

Her mother sighed. "Tiana, I didn't plan for this to happen. But his father and I reconnected, and… well, we fell in love."

Tiana scoffed. "Fell in love?"

She barely heard her mother's explanation. Her mind was stuck on one thing.

This meant Zayden wasn't just back in town.

He was back in her house.

They were going to be… family?

It was absurd. Unreal. Some cruel cosmic joke.

Tiana turned to Zayden, arms crossed. "And you? You knew about this?"

He shrugged. "For a few months now."

Months.

She clenched her jaw. All this time, while she had been living her life, thinking she was finally free from his ghost, he had known they were about to be thrown back into each other's lives.

And he hadn't said a damn thing.

Tiana inhaled sharply. "I need some air."

Before her mother could respond, she grabbed her bag and walked out, ignoring the way Zayden's eyes followed her.

******************************

Three years ago.

The beach had been nearly empty, just the two of them and the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

Tiana lay on the sand, eyes on the star-filled sky.

Zayden lay beside her, his arm resting just inches from hers.

"You ever wonder what life would be like… if things were different?" he murmured.

Tiana turned her head toward him. "Different how?"

He let out a soft breath. "If I wasn't me. If I didn't have… all this baggage."

Tiana frowned. She hated when he talked like that, like he wasn't worth anything.

"You think you're the only one with baggage?" she asked. "We all have our stuff, Zayden. That doesn't mean we stop trying."

He turned his head toward her, eyes unreadable. "Would you still try? If one day… I wasn't here anymore?"

Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten.

"Don't say stuff like that."

He didn't reply.

Instead, he reached out and linked his pinky with hers.

A silent promise.

One that, three months later, he would break.

**********************************

Tiana didn't know how long she walked before she finally stopped at the park near her house.

She sat on an empty bench, head in her hands.

Zayden wasn't just back.

He was woven into her life now.

She didn't know what made her more angry—the fact that fate kept throwing them together, or the fact that a part of her wasn't entirely mad about it.

Her phone buzzed.

Mom: Please come home. We need to talk.

Tiana groaned. She wasn't ready for this conversation.

But she also knew she couldn't avoid it forever.

Reluctantly, she got up and made her way home.

As soon as she stepped inside, her mother and Zayden were sitting at the kitchen table. Waiting for her.

"Good," her mother said. "Now we can talk."

Tiana sat down across from them, arms crossed. "Fine. Talk."

Her mother hesitated. "Sweetheart, I know this is a lot. But I need you to understand—this isn't just about me and Mr. Knight. It's about all of us adjusting."

Tiana narrowed her eyes. "Adjusting to what, exactly?"

Her mother exchanged a glance with Zayden, who just looked far too relaxed.

She had a bad feeling about this.

Then her mother said it.

"Zayden is moving in with us."

Tiana choked on air.

"What?!"

Zayden grinned. "Told you, sweetheart. We're family now."