Alexander:
I looked out the window, smiling as the light barely filtered through the curtains, pale and hesitant. I hadn’t slept. Not really. I lay there, still as stone, afraid that if I moved too much I’d wake her, and afraid that if I didn’t hold her, she might vanish.
Alessia was pressed against my bare chest, her head tucked beneath my chin, her breathing slow and even. Peaceful. More peaceful than I’d ever seen her. Our baby’s heartbeat strong inside her, my hand laying protectively over her stomach, gently caressing it.
And I chose to stay by her side.
I ignored the weight of my title, the pull of duty, the reports stacking on my desk. None of it mattered more than the woman in my arms.
By the time she woke again, the sun was higher.
Noon.
She shifted first, a soft sound le
