Marnie woke to the steady rhythm of Michael’s heartbeat under her ear, the soft rise and fall of his chest anchoring her to a warmth she had never grown tired of. Morning filtered weakly through the curtains, turning the room gold and gentle.
Her first thought was how calm she felt.
Her second… was that her stomach, for some reason, churned.
Not the kind that came from nerves.
Not the kind that came from last night’s intensity.
A different kind.
A quieter, stranger flutter—like her body whispered a secret she wasn’t ready to understand.
She pressed a hand against her abdomen, confused.
Michael stirred beneath her.
“Good morning,” he murmured, voice rough from sleep.
She forced a small smile. “Morning.”
He brushed a thumb under her chin as he always did, a soft ritual he rarely s
