Lanie stared at her, slack-jawed, for what felt like an eternity.

Kate let thirty seconds pass. Then forty. Then a full minute before she spoke again.

"You okay?"

Lanie blinked, shaking herself out of her stunned silence. "Just wondering who you are and what you've done with my best friend."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm not moving in with him—"

"Yet," Lanie cut in smoothly, eyes twinkling. "You said you're not moving in with him… yet."

Kate hesitated. She didn't know how to argue that. Because, truthfully, wasn't that exactly what this was? A delay. A pause. A moment to let herself adjust to the idea before she inevitably fell the rest of the way?

Because she wanted to move in with Rick. That much was clear. But the reasons for her hesitation were tangled, buried beneath layers of fear and self-preservation.

One part of her wanted to leap without looking, to follow her heart with reckless abandon and trust that he would catch her. The other part—the one that had learned, over years of heartbreak and loss, to keep her heart locked away—was screaming at her to slow down.

It took everything in her to quiet that voice. To remind herself that Rick wasn't Adam, that he would never do to her what Adam had done. But it wasn't just about him—it was about the million other ways love could hurt. The ways life could unravel without warning.

She just had to find the middle ground. A way to fall while still keeping her balance.

"This feels… different," she admitted, her voice quieter now, more thoughtful.

Lanie's teasing softened, her expression shifting to something more understanding. "Different how?"

Kate exhaled. "Like it's right… but it still scares the hell out of me." She shook her head, trying to find the words. "He's going to talk to Alexis, and then… I don't know. I guess we just take it day by day."

Lanie studied her for a moment, then grinned wide. "I love this," she declared, stepping forward and pulling Kate into a tight embrace.

Kate huffed a laugh, wrapping her arms around her best friend.

"This calls for wine!" Lanie announced, already making her way to Kate's kitchen.

They drank. Talked. Laughed until their stomachs hurt. And when the wine ran out, they found themselves sprawled across Kate's floor, exhausted but deliriously happy.

Kate turned her head, watching Lanie with a sudden surge of gratitude. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she murmured, voice thick with emotion.

Lanie just smiled, reaching out to squeeze her hand before pulling her into another hug.

Then came the knock at the door.

Kate groaned, forcing herself upright. "If that's Esposito trying to drunk-dial you in person, I swear—"

But when she opened the door, she found herself blinking in surprise. "Alexis?"

Alexis was due home tonight. That was the whole reason Kate was here and not at the loft—to give Rick and Alexis time to talk, to let them have their reunion without her presence hanging over it.

Kate glanced past her, expecting to see Rick trailing behind, but there was no one else. Just Alexis, standing there with a guarded expression that sent an uneasy ripple through Kate's stomach.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

Alexis hesitated, her weight shifting slightly. "I was hoping we could talk."

Kate straightened. "Of course." She stepped aside, letting the girl in.

Lanie, still lounging on the floor, sat up at the sight of Alexis. She glanced between them, then made a move to stand, but Alexis waved her off.

"It's okay," she said. "You can stay."

Kate's concern deepened.

She led Alexis to the couch, sitting beside her. "What's up?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she cringed. Too casual. Too flippant. Maybe she shouldn't have had so much wine.

"Does your dad know you're here?" she asked, hoping to course-correct.

Alexis shook her head. "No… he thinks my flight lands in an hour."

Kate's stomach dropped.

Something was wrong.

She leaned forward. "Alexis—what's going on?"

The girl hesitated, looking down at her hands. She took a slow breath. And then, finally, she said it.

"I loved Atherton Prep."

Kate's world froze. She felt her breath catch, her fingers curling against her knees. It wasn't the words themselves, but the implication. What they meant.

But she couldn't let herself react. Couldn't be that selfish.

She swallowed, forced a small smile. "I've heard it's a great school."

God, she did not want to be having this conversation. Not without Rick here. Not when she felt so completely unprepared.

Alexis nodded. "They offer summer programs, so they let me sit in on a few classes this week. And the headmistress… she said with my record, I'd be a great fit for Stanford. She offered to help with my application."

Kate's chest tightened. The room felt too small. The walls too close.

She forced herself to nod. "That's… amazing, Alexis. It really is."

The girl looked down again, playing with the hem of her sleeve. And then, after a long silence—

"I know my dad thinks my mum is manipulating me."

Kate's pulse quickened. "Do you think she is?" she asked carefully.

Alexis exhaled, half a shrug. "Probably."

Kate studied her, waiting. There was more. She could feel it.

Alexis took another breath. "I think I'm willing to take the risk, though," she admitted, voice quieter now. "I've always lived by the motto 'do the thing that scares you most.' And this… this scares me. But it's a great opportunity. One that only a select few people get. And I know I'd regret it if I turned it down."

Kate could only sit there, letting the words sink in.

Alexis had already made her decision.

And then—softly, almost like she didn't want to say it—

"I'm sorry."

Kate frowned. "Why are you sorry?"

As much as they both knew Rick didn't like the idea of Alexis leaving her current school for her senior year, he'd made it clear that the decision was not his to make, and that he would support Alexis no matter what.

Alexis lifted her gaze, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Because… as much as I try to live by that motto, I know I can't do this without him."

The words hit Kate like a freight train.

"And I know that if I ask… Dad will come with me."

The breath left Kate's lungs.

Because that—that—was the unspoken weight behind this entire conversation.

Alexis wasn't just telling her she wanted to leave.

She was asking if Kate was ready to let Rick go with her.

And Kate had no idea how to answer.