Chapter 325: The Depth of Us (Ryder's POV)

(Ryder's POV)

The room was silent, with only the faint sounds of our labored breathing filling the space as we lay together in the quiet aftermath.

Kate lay on her back, her eyes closed with a tiny smile on her lips.

I reached out, my fingers brushing over her cheek gently. I just needed to touch her, to feel her skin against mine, to prove to myself that this was all real.

As I looked at her, watching the way her chest rose and fell, the way her smile lit up her face, I felt something I couldn’t name. Maybe it was peace. Maybe it was something more than that. All I knew was that I’d never felt anything like this, anything that even came close.

This was the girl who’d shown up in my life and turned everything upside down. She'd made me question everything I'd thought I'd known. She'd complicated everything, but at the same time, made it all so much easier. I couldn't remember a time before her and I didn't want to.

Every part of me felt settled, like some force inside me that was usua