PHOENIX:
The early morning sunlight spilled in from the huge glass windows and made the skin of the man lying next to me glow like he was made of gold. Ryder was sprawled on his stomach, one arm hanging off the edge of the couch, the other tucked under the pillow I’d just vacated. His hair was a wild mess from sleep, his face buried deep in the pillow, his lips parted in a way that made something ache in my chest.
He looked peaceful. Raw and beautiful and most importantly mine.
I stood there in the early morning stillness, frozen for a breath, like moving would break the spell. Like if I blinked too long, he’d vanish, and this whole life we’d carved out together would shatter into pieces too delicate to hold.
But it wasn’t a dream. My fingers drifted down to the ring now snug on my fin
