Liam held Phatima against him, slowly rocking her while they still stood in front of the fireplace. After she told him those words, he didn’t physically want to let her go. And for once, she seemed to lean heavier into him like she didn’t want to let him go either.
So when he could feel her getting sleepy, he whispered to her that he would lift her and then quickly followed suit.
While holding her in his arms, he walked to every candle and blew them out before continuing to make his way up the stairs to her bedroom.
Once inside, he moved to deposit her on the bed like he’d done so many times during those few months he’d first met her. Except for this time, when she slid out of his arms onto the cool sheets, she didn’t let him go or give him a look of incomprehensible fear. No, this time
