The room was still cloaked in shadow when I stirred. My face felt stiff with dried tears. My arm hung off the couch awkwardly, tingling, and for a second, I forgot where I was or why my chest felt so heavy.
Then his voice broke through the silence. “Sweetheart.”
Jackson.
I blinked in the dark as he scooped me into his arms like I weighed nothing. His warmth wrapped around me, strong and familiar, and I melted against his chest without resistance.
He sat on the edge of my bed, cradling me gently in his lap. “Why aren’t you sleeping in here?”
“I missed you,” I murmured, curling tighter against him. “I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone this much until I reached for you last night and found nothing but cold sheets.”
He exhaled into my hair, pressing his lips to the crown of my
