chapter 71

Everly I’m not sure how late it is when Valen comes in, but I feel him slip into bed beside me before snuggling into my back. When I wake up later, though, he’s gone; his side of the bed is cold. I wonder what time he got up and left. I do, however, notice Valarie's letter has been opened because it’s sitting on the bedside table. Picking it up, I place it back in its envelope before tucking it away in the top drawer where it won't get ruined. Racing around, I quickly get dressed for work. Marcus took Casey to school for Zoey, and she’s also running around getting changed, hopping on one foot as she slips her shoe on because both of us are already late. Kalen had already taken Valarian to school. He’d sent me a picture of him and Valarian at the school gate, so the only thing I have to do today is pick him up when he finishes. In the meantime, I have a never-ending list of work at the hotel, having fallen behind recently with all the added drama. There’s the cleanup from the event to b