Page 151 of Seven Lost Summers

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I thought I was done with that part of myself.

That whatever I carried for Bianca all those years ago had taken every last piece of my heart with her.

I thought that kind of love only comes once, and when it’s gone, it drags the fucking light out with it.

But Quinn… She’s already starting to matter. She’s threading herself into places I swore were dead.

And for the first time since Bianca, something stirs inside me.

Bianca’s not being replaced.

She’ll always live in every scar, every silence.

But she’s shifting. Making space. Moving aside in my heart without resistance or pain. As if she knows it’s time.

And in that space, Quinn is settling.

Quietly, and the ache that used to live in every breath… the edge doesn’t cut as deep anymore.

I swallow hard, trying to look away and gain control of my thoughts, my body, the way my heart beats, but I can’t.

She turns her head again, rests it back against my shoulder, and exhales softly. I catch the warmth of her breath, the weight of her, the quiet trust she’s giving me.

I don’t move. Don’t blink.

Because right here—this moment—is when I know I’m fucked.

My gaze lifts on instinct, when I realize Nate’s watching me.

Pizza half-eaten in his hand, a faint crease between his brows. He doesn’t say a word, because I know what he sees.

I’m falling.

Same as him.

Maybe not as deep, not as hard, but it’s happening—and he knows.

And that’s what terrifies me.

Because loving something only ends one way.

It gets ripped away. No warning. No reason.

One day she’s in your arms, and the next, she’s a memory that tears you open every time you breathe too deep.

And I’ve only barely started breathing again.

Because if I let her in…

And if I lose her…

I’m not sure I’ll survive it twice.

Chapter 26

Quinn

Thedoorswingsopen,and I trail after the guys, stepping into the house.

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