–Livana–
My husband and I were tangled in that quiet, breathless space where time thins—making love, talking in half-whispers, existing only as us—when my tablet vibrated against the sheets. The glow of the screen cut through the dimness, sharp and unwelcome. Tyrona. Her name alone carried the weight of a storm. She was trying to force her men onto our floor.
I exhaled slowly, already calculating outcomes.
"This is stressful," I murmured, my voice steady despite the tension curling beneath my skin. I tilted the tablet toward Damon. On the screen, Sky was curled against Jane on the sofa, his small body fitting into her like instinct. His cheek was pressed to her shoulder, his fingers knotted in her sleeve, utterly safe. "But look," I added, softer now. "It's adorable that Sky loves to snuggle with Jane."
Damon glanced at the screen, nodded once, and calmly reached for a bowl of strawberries, nibbling one as if armed men weren't testing our perimeter.
