Chasing Shelter (Sparrow Falls, #5)

by Catherine Cowles

I needed safe, stable, and predictable. And Ellie was rainbow fireworks.

Hearing her say my name was beauty and pain all at once. “‘Night, Blaze. Try not to start any more fires.”

I suddenly didn’t want to eat the pizza. I wanted to find a way to preserve it for eternity so I could remember how this felt. My stomach growled as if to argue with me.

“Trace,” Lolli said softly. “Love isn’t something you can play safe. It doesn’t work that way. You want the good stuff, you gotta take risks.”

“You’re nothing like him. Wouldn’t be surprised if you sprang from nothing but magic and fairy dust. Because that’s what you leave in your wake.”

“She changed what love meant. I don’t think I understood until she came into my life. What it could truly be. She’s made me a better father. A better brother. A better son. She’s made me a better man. And I will do everything in my power to be a good steward of that love. To honor it. To protect it. To protect her.”

“No, you’re going to listen. I’ve been searching for something for as long as I can remember. Looking for belonging, safety. I’ve been chasing shelter, and you’re the one who finally gave it to me.”