RJ also held a crayon, coloring the sun, creating the vineyards in the background. She wore a sweet smile, probably didn’t even know it, and in a blink, he saw it—

Their future. Children, seated at a large table, him at the grill, or maybe he’d make his own pizza oven, RJ hollering at the boys to stop wrestling, maybe braiding a little girl’s hair like she did for Hana this afternoon.

Yep, he was smack in the middle of Never Never Land. Of his own personal pocket of happily ever after.

But it was fake, wasn’t it? Because even as RJ looked over at him, grinned, his words to her—no, his lie to her—turned into a hard ball in his chest.

He should have told her the truth about the attack. The bounty.

Because every day that he didn’t, the lie grew.

And Coco still didn’t have any answers.

“Cannoli, and then it’s bedtime, young miss,” Tessa said. She’d taken over the care for Hana, who seemed to lean into her like she might be her grandmother, or at least wished it.

Tessa put the tray of round, chocolate covered, cream filled desserts on the table, then handed one to Hana. She held it in both hands as she ate it. “Vikoosna.”

“Tasty,” RJ translated for Tessa, who nodded, winked at Hana.

She beamed around a mouthful of food.

“These are fantastic, Momma,” Ziggy said.

“RJ helped make them.” Tessa sat down. “She’s turning into quite the chef.”

“Hardly.” RJ laughed. “I can follow directions, that’s it.”

“That’s the start. And then you figure out the rest as you go.” Tessa picked up her coffee, made strong, but without caffeine.

RJ was cooking?

York couldn’t stop looking at her. The way she held her own coffee cup in both hands, her eyes so impossibly blue under the starlight, the flickering candles in the middle of the table. She wore a light-blue shirt, a pair of jeans shorts, her legs tanned. Her ring sparkled on her finger.

Something about her had changed since they’d found each other again. An easiness about her, and he dared to hope that maybe, hopefully, she’d started to see their future, also.

The life they could have, if they reached for it.

So yes, he’d made the right decision in keeping the assassination attempt to himself. He’d tell her after they cleared the bounty from his head.

“How’s the book, RJ?” Ziggy said. “Have you finished it yet?”

RJ put down her cup. “Don’t start. So much crying. So, Meyer, the German SS officer—I think she calls him the Obergruppenfüehrer, has moved into the house with his staff, so she’s in constant danger. And her brother has gone into hiding. But worse Fred is going to take the Janowitzes to the border, try and get them to safety.”