Page 36 of Controlled Drift
Chapter Seven
Morning came softly, filled with love and light—golden and slow—spilling through wide panes of glass and warming the wood beneath his bare feet.
Niko followed Ethan and the sound of voices down the hall, the low hum of life already in motion, and stepped into an open-plan space that stole his breath for a second time since arriving.
The kitchen and dining area opened out toward the lake in a sweep of glass and timber, clean lines softened by warmth.Stone countertops, wide and inviting.A heavy wooden table built to be used, not admired.Shelves lined with cookbooks and mismatched mugs.It wasn’t sterile.It wasn’t staged.
It was lived in.
Lucy stood at the stove, sleeves rolled, hair pulled back, wooden spoon in hand, and authority in every movement.The smell of coffee, butter, and something sweet filled the air.Tane was at the counter beside her, carefully slicing fruit exactly the way she’d instructed, while Victor stood at the sink rinsing dishes with the focused seriousness of a man on a mission.Luca hovered nearby, stirring something in a pan under Lucy’s sharp eye.
“No, not like that,” Lucy said, tapping Luca’s wrist lightly with the spoon.“Gentle.You’re cooking eggs, not interrogating them.”
Luca muttered an apology and adjusted, earning a satisfied nod.
Across the room, the rest of the team was utterly useless.
Drew sat cross-legged on the floor, holding a plush bee aloft and making exaggerated flying noises.“Incoming,” he announced gravely.“Bee is approaching the target from the west.”
Kael lay on his stomach nearby, chin propped in his hands, nodding along like this was a serious briefing.“Negative,” he countered.“Wind conditions are unstable.Bee needs to abort and regroup.”
“Abort?”Poppy gasped, clutching her own stuffed bee to her chest.“He’s brave.”
Keanu crouched beside her, laughter in his voice.“He is very brave.Best pilot I’ve ever seen.”
Poppy beamed.“He flies fast.”
Drew dipped the bee dramatically.“Fastest in the room.”
Poppy giggled again, the sound bright and infectious, and Drew looked momentarily undone by it.
They were completely, hopelessly enthralled.
Lucy glanced over her shoulder, took it all in, and snorted.“At least someone’s having fun,” she said, before turning back to the stove and clapping her hands once.“Victor, plates.Tane, juice.Luca—don’t burn that.”
So, this was Poppy.
She was three, give or take.Auburn curls escaping a messy ponytail.Bright blue eyes that missed nothing.She sat cross-legged on the rug, clutching a stuffed bee in one hand, laughter bubbling out of her as Kael made ridiculous buzzing noises.
Niko felt it land in his chest like a physical blow.
No wonder.
Ethan appeared at his side without a word, already moving toward his daughter with single-minded focus.
“Morning, bug,” Ethan said, dropping to one knee.
