“I like it better in here with you, too,” I told her honestly. Getting out of bed, I picked her up and waited until she crawled over to the pillows. Once she was comfortable, I got in beside her, and we laid our heads on the same pillow. “What’s your bunny’s name?”

“Bun-Bun. My aunt Raven gave her to me when I was a baby. Do you want to snuggle with her?” She lifted it and touched its nose to my cheek. “She’s real soft and gives the best cuddles.”

I just looked at the bunny then at Nova, who gave me these big, hopeful eyes, as if she wanted me to cuddle the stuffie. I took it and gave it a quick hug before giving it back to her. Even though the room was mostly dark with just the night-lights to see by, her smile was so bright, it made something feel as if it were glowing in my chest.

“See?” she said with a yawn. “Bun-Bun is the bestest cuddler.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “The best.”

“Ryan?” she murmured, her voice full of sleep now.

I traced my eyes over her face, and without thinking, I tucked a few locks of her pretty hair behind her ear. “Yeah?”

“Don’t tell, but I was scared.” She yawned again. “But I didn’t want to be a baby and sleep with my mommy and daddy. And Garret won’t let me sleep with him.”

I grimaced at the mention of her brother. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him. He was kind of cool, even if he was grumpy and got into trouble a lot. But what I didn’t like was, from what little I’d seen of him with Nova earlier, I’d noticed he didn’t treat her the way she should be treated. She was so tiny and precious. Why didn’t he want to protect her like I did?

“It’s okay,” I told her and moved closer so I could wrap an arm around her. “You can sleep here any time you want.”

“Promise?” she whispered, snuggling against me with Bun-Bun tucked under her arm, her ear right over my heart.

“I promise,” I whispered back.

She got quiet and I thought maybe she had fallen asleep, but she surprised me when she said my name. “Ryan?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re my best friend.”

I blinked, looking down at what little I could see of her face. No one had ever called me that before. I had friends at school, but no one I was close enough to call my best friend. I liked Ciana more than I liked most kids, and I loved her, but I wouldn’t even call her my best friend.

Yet Nova calling me her best friend felt more right than anything ever had. More right than the first time I finally got to call my mom, Mom.

“You’re my best friend too, Nova,” I told her quietly.

She made a happy sound and cuddled closer. I tightened my arm around her, and I just lay there holding her until her breathing evened out, telling me she really had fallen asleep this time. The digital clock glowed the time, and I realized only about ten minutes had passed since I’d woken from my bad dream.