Vivienne hugged Lombard tightly by the door. She didn’t even let him step fully into the house before wrapping her arms around him like she had been waiting for this exact moment for years.It felt like something inside her finally settled. Like her heart, which had been all over the place, suddenly found where it belonged again.Lombard stiffened at first. He didn’t move, didn’t return it immediately. Then slowly, like it cost him something, he raised his hand and placed it on her back, patting her gently.That was all he gave, but it was enough for her.It didn’t take long before she realized she was crying into his chest.She pulled back slightly, wiping her face, a little embarrassed, but also not really caring.“I didn’t even plan that,” she muttered, letting out a shaky breath.Lombard just looked at her.That was when everything hit her at once.After their parents died, everything had gone to hell. She had been too young to understand most of it, but Lombard had stepped in lik

A few minutes later, Lombard was done eating. He had moved into the sitting room and was already messing around with the video game console she had somewhere in the house. Honestly, he hadn’t even known she owned one. Then again, at the back of her mind, Vivienne had probably always assumed Lombard would show up someday, so she kept things like that around without even realizing it.“You’re going to spend the night here?” Vivienne asked, walking in and leaning against the doorframe for a second before moving to the sofa.“Unless you want to throw me out, I plan to,” Lombard replied without raising his head, still focused on whatever setting he was adjusting on the device.Vivienne sat down, watching him quietly for a moment.“Do you ever feel like we’re getting old?” she asked.“Never,” Lombard said instantly. “I still think I’m eighteen every time I look at myself in the mirror.”“Stop,” she groaned, dragging a pillow to her sid