The moment right before I wake up is always the worst part of my day. It’s been that way for the last two years. Half my brain is still trapped in whatever nightmare I was having when I jolt awake.
My breathing is shallow. This nightmare felt different. Hotter. My body feels unusually warm, and there’s a sweet scent in the air like cotton candy. I can almost taste it.
Then I feel it: something soft yet firm tickling the bottom of my chin.
There’s a head nestled in the crook of my neck, a slender arm draped across my chest, a leg hooked over my waist, and the unmistakable press of a soft breast against my side.
My eyes open slowly.
Well, s**t.
Hailey is curled up against me like a koala. I’m on my side with one arm cradling her shoulder and the other wrapped around her waist. We’re co
