The last cardboard box had been tucked into the hallway closet, leaving the quiet house wrapped in the soft, amber glow of the bedside lamps.
Down the hall, Cole was fast asleep in his new nursery, his rhythmic breaths carrying faintly through the baby monitor resting on the nightstand. For the first time since they had met, there were no hospital shifts waiting, no baby assembly disasters, and no separate apartments to return to at the end of the night.
Leah stood by the foot of the massive king-sized bed, smoothing down the edges of the navy duvet. The master bedroom on the second floor was warm, smelling faintly of cedarwood and fresh cotton. Through the cracked window, the distant, rhythmic hum of the ocean crashing against the shore provided a steady, soothing backdrop.
Liam walke
