Twenty four hours later…
After a busy day at the bakery and a long walk afterwards with my husband, the house felt different tonight.
Not in a bad way. More like everything had softened around the edges, the kind of softness that only came after a day full of laughter, teasing, and the two of us dragging half the street's attention everywhere we walked.
I still felt the warmth of Jace's hand in mine.
I still felt the weight of his arm around me while he made me sit down for the hundredth time.
And I still felt that strange fluttery calm sitting in my chest. It was the kind that only came when the world slowed enough for me to actually breathe.
By the time we got home, the sun had already slipped behind the hills, leaving a faint pink glow through the living room windows. I lowered myself into the couch, letting out a soft exhale as I eased my legs up.
Jace always pretended he didn't notice, but he absolutely did.
