Chapter 28: Morning Light
Emery woke slowly, as if her body wasn’t quite ready to leave the warmth wrapped around her. The first thing she felt was heat — steady, grounding, familiar. The second was the soft rise and fall of Brent’s breathing beneath her cheek.
For a moment, she didn’t move.Didn’t think.Just existed in the quiet.
The cabin was still, the early morning light slipping through the curtains in pale gold ribbons. Outside, birds were beginning to stir, their soft calls weaving into the silence. Inside, everything felt warm and safe and impossibly gentle.
Brent’s arm tightened around her, his hand resting against her back like it belonged there.
“You awake?” he murmured, voice rough with sleep.
“Maybe,” she whispered.
He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his che
