I was shaken awake by a sudden, agonizing soreness in my lower back. It felt as though a boulder had been dropped onto my spine overnight, the weight radiating through my hips. My waist throbbed with a dull, persistent ache—nothing compared to the white-hot labor pains I had endured with Finn, but enough to make every breath feel restricted.
The heavy warmth draped across my midsection alerted me to the other presence in the room. I shifted slightly, looking down, and was met with a deep, penetrating gaze. Eric was awake. His dark grey eyes were fixed on me, but they lacked their usual cold steel; instead, they were startlingly calm, as if the storm of the previous night had finally washed him clean.
“Go... od morning,” I managed to stammer out, my voice thick with sleep.
He didn't repl
