I reread the message like it might change if I stare long enough, like the truth I'm looking for might suddenly appear between the lines.

A hit-and-run. That's all we know officially.

No license plate, no witnesses, just the aftermath. It's been months, and still no answers. Danny's been keeping tabs on it for me—or maybe for himself, since he hates loose ends almost as much as I do. But every lead we've chased has fizzled out like smoke in the wind. And yet, something doesn't sit right.

Call it instinct or experience, but I can't shake the feeling that this wasn't random. The timing, the location—it all fits too neatly for coincidence, but the evidence doesn't connect. Not yet, anyway.

But I've got time.

And if there's one thing I'm good at, it's being patient. Because some truths take time to surface, and some secrets need to be dragged into the light.

And I plan to do exactly that.

For Nate. For Nora.

It's what family does.

Kat steps closer to me, her smile lighting up every fiber of my being. She leans in and kisses me with the kind of familiarity that still makes my heart skip.

"You sure you're okay?" she asks, her voice laced with that gentle concern that's become her trademark.

"I definitely am now," I say, placing a soft kiss atop her head. "Have you heard from Nora and Ol? They both settled?"

Kat beams, her eyes bright with maternal pride.

"Nora sent me pictures yesterday of her and Camilla on the London Eye. She looks happy." Her voice softens with wonder. "And Ol and Mia may have found an apartment together. God, when did my babies become full grown adults?"

"They'll forever be babies in your eyes, even when they're forty and have kids of their own," I smile, watching the emotions play across her face.

"Oh don't say that. I'm not ready to be a grandma yet." She laughs, but there's a wistfulness there that makes me want to hold her tighter.

Kat leans against the railing, her expression softening.

"So," she begins, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture I've come to recognize as her way of preparing to share news, "I need to head back to Boston for a day or two. Ollie needs help packing up the house. I'm flying out this afternoon. Lydia's picking me up in fifteen minutes and dropping me at the airport."

I arch a brow, already missing her. "You sure you don't need backup?"

She smirks, that playful glint in her eye that first made me fall for her. "I think I can handle a few boxes, Nick." Then, her tone shifts, a little more tentative. “But, I do need a favor."

"Name it." No hesitation. Never with her.