Joanne looked at Jeffrey and smiled, warm and certain. "No. I love you. You're protecting me. I see that."
Her words reached deep into him. It wasn't just that she understood—she trusted him. She knew that behind every harsh decision was a softer truth: his need to guard her peace.
He leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you," he whispered.
He waited while she took a quick shower and made sure she was tucked comfortably into bed, warm and relaxed. Everyone had advised him not to spend the night before the wedding with her—tradition, superstition, whatever. Normally he would've ignored it, but Joanne seemed to believe it mattered. So, he respected that.
Still, he lingered. His fingers drifted through her hair, thick and silken from pregnancy. Her skin glowed with a gentle radiance, and her eyes had softened, lending her an ethereal grace.
She looked like an angel.
