Zayden squeezed her hand. "You know me, Mom. I can handle it."
"That's what worries me," Isabella replied.
She knew him too well.
"You're so confident. So sure of yourself. Sometimes I wish you'd slow down, just a bit. Just enough to be careful."
She knew him too well
"I'm always careful."
"You're actually pretty reckless," Isabella corrected. "Ever since you were a kid. Jumping off roofs. Climbing trees that were way too high. Fighting guys twice your size." She smiled sadly. "You've never known fear. And that freaks me out."
Zayden pulled Isabella into another hug. "I'll be good, I promise."
Isabella squeezed him tight. "Better be. Because if you get yourself killed, I'll drag you back from the afterlife just to give you a piece of my mind."
Zayden laughed—a real laugh. "I believe you."
They sat in silence for a bit.
Then Isabella pulled back and quickly wiped her eyes. "Alright, enough sappy stuff. Tell me about this Aylin girl. What's she like?"
