Chapter 339: The Break In

Kayla’s POV

The whole car ride back from the station felt like someone had sucked all the air out of it.

Nathan had climbed out at the curb like a kicked puppy, pleading for him to give him a chance to talk more over lunch tomorrow…if I still wanted to.

I’d just nodded, too numb to argue, and watched him disappear through the glass doors.

David didn’t say a single word to Holly the whole way. His jaw was locked so tight I thought it might crack.

Meanwhile, Holly kept shooting him these little sideways glances, but he stared straight ahead like the road owed him money.

When we finally pulled up to the apartment building, I stepped out first. “I’ll wait downstairs,” I told them, slamming the door a little harder than necessary.

I needed a minute. Just one minute to breathe without feeling like my entire life was a bad reality show.

I leaned against the lobby wall, arms crossed, staring at the fake palm tree in the corner like it had answers.

A couple minutes later the elevator dinged and Holly bounced out, cheeks bright pink, lips evidently swollen from whatever they did back there.

David was hanging half out the driver’s window, grinning like a teenager who just got his first kiss. He waved at me…actually waved, all dopey and lovesick…before peeling away.

Wow! Wasn’t he just brooding minutes ago?

Love. God, I was happy for them. Really. But the only love that didn’t scare me anymore was the kind I had for Caden and for Holly.

Romantic stuff? Nah. That tide could stay far, far away. Even thinking about Nathan for half a second made my stomach flip, but I shoved it down hard. Not tonight.

Holly looped her arm through mine as we headed upstairs. “Okay, spill. You’re not actually mad at me for the whole ‘Captain of the football team’ thing, right? Because that was gold.”

I snorted despite myself. “You’re ridiculous.”

Inside the apartment the lights were low, the leftover Thai food from earlier still smelled amazing, and for the first time in hours I felt like I could actually exhale.

We ate straight from the containers, showered off the day’s chaos, then crawled into my big bed like we used to do back in college.

Holly immediately scooted over and threw a leg over mine, her hair still damp and smelling like my coconut shampoo.

“Kay,” she said, voice all light and goofy, “you have to open your heart just a tiny bit. Nathan? He seems like a decent guy. Like, actually decent. I’ve watched enough dramas to know a walking red flag from a mile away. Remember Marcus back in college? The one who ‘forgot’ his wallet every single time he took us out for lunch? Or James who had three different girlfriends on rotation? Nathan’s not that. He doesn’t seem like that kind of guy. He’s… I don’t know. Safe. And hot. Mostly safe, but the hot helps.”

I smiled, but it felt sad even to me. “We all thought Caleb was decent too, Hols. Remember? We both thought that he wasn’t that kind of guy. Everyone kept saying how lucky I was to be pursued by him. And look where that got me. A kid I never planned for in my wildest dreams and a life that still feels like it’s on fire. Literally.”

Holly’s arms were around me before I even finished the sentence.

She squeezed tight, like she could hug the bad memories right out of my bones.

“I know how you feel, Hols. Caleb is the biggest fool of the century. He has no idea that Caden is the best thing that ever happened to us. And you are not ruined. You’re a badass single mom running her own bakery. But seriously…take it at your pace. If Nathan gives you even one off vibe, I will personally run him over with David’s car and pin it on David, then we run away together. I’ve got your back, always.”

We both cracked up at the same time, the kind of laugh that starts in your belly and shakes the whole bed. It felt good. Normal. For a second the weight on my chest got a little lighter.

We finished the last of the spring rolls, brushed our teeth, then cuddled back under the covers. The city lights outside the window glowed soft orange. I stared at the ceiling and let the words spill out.

“I’m scared, Holly. What if Caleb’s family actually succeeds in taking Caden away from me? They’ve got money, and the best lawyers on speed dial. I’m just…me. An orphan with a bakery that barely keeps the lights on. One bad month and I’m done.”

Holly propped herself up on one elbow, eyes fierce. “What do you mean ‘just you’? Ava is stinking rich, Kay. Like, ‘private-jet-for-brunch’ rich. And you’re basically her sister at this point. If it comes down to money, we ride on her wings. She’ll hire the best lawyers, the scariest private investigators, whatever it takes. I’ve got your back. Ava’s got your back. We are not letting that man anywhere near Caden without a fight.”

I swallowed hard. Inside my head I was screaming, But how long can I keep leaning on Ava? How long before she gets tired of cleaning up my messes?

I didn’t say it out loud. I just nodded, let Holly rub slow circles on my back until my eyes got heavy and the world finally went quiet.

We must have dozed off hard because the next thing I knew a shrill alarm was blasting through the whole building. Not just our apartment…every unit.

Doors were slamming in the hallway, people shouting in confusion. My heart shot straight into my throat as Holly sat up beside me, hair wild, eyes wide.

The home line on the nightstand started ringing. We both stared at it like it was a bomb.

I grabbed it on the third ring, voice shaky. “Hello?”

“Ma’am, this is building security,” a calm male voice said. “Just doing a welfare check. There was an attempted intrusion at the perimeter. Motion sensors caught it and the alarm went off. The individual fled before we could apprehend. We’ve got eyes on every exit. We didn’t mean to scare you and we apologize for the disturbance.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Yeah. It’s okay. Thank you for the hardwork.”

I hung up. Holly was already looking at me with the exact same expression I felt on my face…tight, scared, knowing.

We both said it at the same time, barely a whisper.

“Caleb.”

Thank God I’d picked this apartment. The other house…the one with the creaky back door and the cheap locks…he could’ve walked right in. Could’ve grabbed Caden. Or me. Or both of us. Tied us up until I signed whatever custody papers he wanted.

The thought made my skin crawl so hard I almost had a panic attack.

Holly grabbed my hand and tugged me back under the covers. “Hey. Hey. We’re safe. He didn’t get in. We’re okay.”

We weren’t going back to sleep after that. It was barely four in the morning. We stayed up, lights on, wrapped in blankets like kids at a sleepover.

Holly tried to distract me with her usual nonsense…stories about the time she accidentally sent David a voice note ranting about him, the guy at the supermarket who thought “namaste” was a pickup line, the disastrous blind date Ava had arranged for her where the dude brought his mom.

She was doing the voices, the hand gestures, the whole bit. It was hilarious. Normally I would’ve been crying laughing.

But tonight my brain wouldn’t shut up.

What if I took Nathan up on his offer? What if I actually let him help? He was a police captain, for crying out loud. He had the badge, the resources, the whole system behind him. Maybe… maybe I didn’t have to do this alone.

Sometime around six the sky outside was just starting to turn that pale gray color. My phone dinged on the nightstand. I reached for it, half expecting a spam email or a reminder from the bakery.

But… It was a text. From Caleb.

I opened it with a thumb that suddenly felt numb.