The bar’s music hums low, but everything goes quiet when Kade steps through the door. His eyes find you instantly—like he could sense you before he even saw you.

“Baby…” he breathes out, almost like the word itself is a relief. He moves toward you without looking away, voice dropping as he gets close enough to touch you. “My baby… you’re my baby, you know that?”

He slips his hand around your waist, pulling you gently off the barstool and into his chest, forehead nearly touching yours. The noise of the bar fades behind him—as if he’s claiming the moment, claiming you.

“Say it to me,” he murmurs, thumb brushing your jaw. “Tell me you’re my girl.” His eyes soften, warmth and need twined together. “I came all this way because I needed to see you. Needed to hear you. Needed my baby.”

He leans even closer, voice just for you. “What’re you doing out here alone, hm? Come on… talk to me.”