With Malakai happily settled at his grandparents' house, Jey and Natalia finally had a moment to themselves. It wasn't planned, but as they drove away, the idea of having a quiet lunch together-just the two of them-felt right.

Jey glanced over at Natalia in the passenger seat, watching as she looked out the window, lost in thought. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She smirked, turning to him. "Just thinking about how easily your parents took to Malakai. I wasn't expecting them to react like that."

Jey nodded. "Me neither, to be real. But they love him. I saw it the second they laid eyes on him."

Natalia exhaled, a weight seemingly lifting from her shoulders. "That means everything."

Jey reached over, resting his hand on her thigh. "I told you, baby. You ain't gotta do this alone no more."

She placed her hand over his, squeezing gently. "I know."

A few minutes later, Jey pulled into a small café by the beach-somewhere low-key, away from too many eyes. He wanted this time with her to feel normal, not like they were sneaking around or had the world watching.

They found a table outside, the ocean breeze cool but not too harsh. Jey leaned back in his chair, watching as Natalia scanned the menu. "What you getting?"

She hummed, tapping her lip with her finger-a little habit of hers that he had always loved. "Probably a burger. I'm starving."

Jey grinned. "That's my girl."

She arched a brow playfully. "Oh, I'm your girl now?"

Jey smirked, leaning forward. "Always been."

Natalia rolled her eyes, but he caught the small smile she was trying to fight.

They ordered their food, slipping into easy conversation. It felt natural, the way they talked about everything and nothing at the same time-like no years had passed, like they were still those two kids who used to dream together.

"You ever think about what would've happened if we never lost touch?" Natalia asked after a moment, swirling her straw in her lemonade.

Jey exhaled, looking out toward the ocean. "All the time." He turned back to her, eyes steady. "But I try not to live in the what ifs anymore. We here now, Nati. That's what matters."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah... we are."

Their food arrived, and for a while, they just enjoyed the meal, stealing bites from each other's plates, laughing over old memories. It was easy-too easy.

And maybe that's what scared Natalia the most.

After they finished eating, Jey reached across the table, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I wanna do this right," he said, his voice low but firm. "Not just with Malakai. With us."

Natalia's breath hitched. "Jey..."

"I mean it," he cut in gently. "I don't wanna rush you. I know we got a lot to figure out. But I'm not gonna pretend like this thing between us ain't real."

She searched his face, seeing nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

A slow smile spread across her lips. "Okay," she whispered.

Jey grinned. "Okay?"

Natalia laughed. "Yeah. Okay."

He brought her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "Good. 'Cause I ain't letting you go this time."

Natalia felt her heart flip in her chest, and for the first time in a long time, she let herself believe that maybe-just maybe-this could really work.