After a long day of training the new recruits, I returned home to find Rowan curled up on the sofa, her gaze distant and melancholy. At the sound of my footsteps, she glanced up, relief and something else, vulnerability perhaps, flickering in her eyes.
My heart squeezed at the sight. I crossed the room in three strides and gathered her into my arms. She melted against me with a quiet sob, her hands fisting in my shirt. She had been emotional the past few days. Going from happy to sad with the blink of an eye.
Her fear and sadness dissipated under my touch, our connection strengthening with each tender embrace. I stroked her hair, her cheek, murmuring soft words of comfort until the trembling in her body eased and a measure of peace returned to her eyes.
"Come," I said at last, taking
