***VERA***
I spent the night rolling from side to side on my bed, thinking about Tricia—her face, her bruises, and the sadness embedded in her eyes. I couldn’t understand what had happened to her or why she looked so maltreated. Thoughts flooded my mind making it impossible to sleep.
Conry noticed how restless I was and pulled me gently into his arms. He didn’t say anything, he just held me tightly like I meant everything to him. The warmth of his chest pressing against my back was enough to quiet the voices in my head for a while. His heartbeat was steady, calm, and soon I surrendered to his embrace. Wrapped in that silence, I finally drifted off to sleep.
Morning came too soon.
Conry woke me with a soft kiss on my cheek. “Morning, sunshine,” he murmured, his voice deep and sweet.
I
