“Kids okay?” he asks. I hear the rustle of him removing his clothes.
“Mikaela was floating until she completely folded,” I mumble. “Come to bed.”
The shower turns on in the master bath, its soft rush pulling me under again. I surface only once, when the mattress dips and his weight settles beside me.
His hand slides over my waist, warm and sure, pulling me back into him.
“I love you,” he whispers into my hair.
“I love you, too.” My eyes are heavy, but I force them open for a moment because this matters. “Tonight…when you left? It didn’t feel like you were leaving me. Not like before.”
His hand pauses on my hip. “No?”
“No.” I smile, pressing a lazy kiss to his chest. “It felt normal.”
His answer is lost to me. I’m asleep before the words even reach my ears.
CHAPTER 32
Rhys
Ihold her as she sleeps.
I listen to her breathe, replaying the night in my mind.
The incision, the calm teamwork, the husband’s relief. There’s a peaceful hum in me, a sense of rightness.
This is what medicine is supposed to feel like. This is what coming home is supposed to feel like.
After twenty minutes, though, another hum starts.
I hear light footsteps.
Finn’s.
Then Mikaela’s, softer and smaller.
There’s a shuffle outside the bedroom. A whispered argument.
“You think he’s home?” Mikaela wants to know.
“Yes. But he’s probably asleep.” Finn says calmly.
“I want to see if he’s home.” Mikaela sounds militant. I can all but see the expression on her face.
I smile, slip out of bed, and open the door before either of them can bicker their way into waking Jayne.
“Hey,” I whisper.
Both kids freeze like they’ve been caught sneaking contraband candy.
Then Mikaela launches herself at me.
“You’re home,” she mutters into my t-shirt, her voice thick with sleep.
“Of course, I am.” I smooth a hand over her hair.
Finn doesn’t launch, but he steps close and bumps his shoulder against my arm in that sixteen-year-old version of affection he pretends isn’t affection.
