A few hours passed, and Ethan and the twins did not feel like getting out of bed. It was still warm.
Ethan stayed still a little longer, arms loosely wrapped around the girls beside him. Their breathing was soft and steady.
Evelyn's head rested against his chest, while Everly was curled into his side, one hand lightly gripping the edge of his shirt.
The room was quiet. Dim sunlight was starting to come through the tall windows, casting a soft glow across the floor.
He didn't move right away. There wasn't any need to. This was one of those rare mornings where nothing felt urgent. No alarms. No stress. Just peace.
But his stomach had other plans.
So he slowly eased his arm out from under Evelyn and sat up carefully, making sure not to wake either of them.
Everly mumbled something but didn't open her eyes. He smiled to himself, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood up.
