Morning arrived quietly the next day.
Michelle woke to warmth first.
Not the aggressive heat of a heater or the sharp bite of sunlight through glass, but a steady, human warmth pressed along her back. An arm lay heavy around her waist, protective even in sleep, fingers curled as if they’d decided, sometime in the night, not to let go.
Her breath caught.
For a split second, disorientation rushed in.
Then memory rushed back in, slow and unavoidable.
Jeremiah.
He had stayed.
Her request, soft, almost afraid, echoed in her mind. Just stay. Right here. For tonight.
And he had.
Michelle lay perfectly still, afraid that any movement would break the spell, afraid this moment would evaporate the second she acknowledged it fully. His chest rose and fell behind her, steady and deep, his br
