A year.
Twelve whole months since the chaos, the blood, the hospital lights, and the whispery, terrifying first days of Eliana's life.
And now?
Now the house was quiet, warm, lived-in… and mine.
Ours.
The night felt like velvet. It was soft and slow,, the kind that made my heartbeat skip just by walking into our bedroom.
Jace was already there, leaning against the headboard with that annoyingly unfair glow he got whenever he finished a long day and finally relaxed. The lamp cast golden light over his chest, and I swear it should've been illegal for anyone to look that good after fatherhood, stress, and board meetings.
He glanced up when I stepped inside.
And that look…
God, that look.
Like he'd been waiting all day just to breathe again.
"Hey," he murmured.
I closed the door behind me, my smile tugging up on its own. "Hi."
