Ruby's POV
The world felt slower in the morning.
Like it was still stretching, still deciding whether to wake up at all.
I opened my eyes to soft light spilling through the canopy, slanting gold across Carter’s shoulder, the edges of his jaw, the rise and fall of his chest.
His arm was still around me.
His body warm against mine.
No alarms. No panic. Just breath and skin and silence.
I laid there for a moment, taking in the shape of him,the way he looked peaceful, finally. Like the worry had eased from his face for just a little while. His lips slightly parted, his lashes casting faint shadows on his cheeks.
God, he was Handsome.
But it wasn’t just that.
It was the way he stayed. The way he chose this,me,when everything else had been ripped away.
And after last night…
I felt d
