My eyes stayed closed as I sank deeper into the mattress. Every muscle in my body felt heavier than it should have been.
The mattress dipped beside me. "Morning."
I cracked one eye open.
Dane was already awake, propped against the headboard with a cup of coffee in his hand. Sunlight spilled through the gap in the curtains behind him, outlining his shoulders in gold.
"What time is it?"
"Almost nine."
I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked.
I considered it for a moment. Yesterday had been uncomfortable in places, but nowhere near as bad as I'd built it up to be in my head.
Seeing everyone again had been strange, emotional, and exhausting in ways I'd expected and in ways I hadn't, but I'd survived it.
"I think I'm okay," I admitted. "Tired."
"Understandable."
Tomorrow we'd be heading home. It was a small reassurance. Just one more day, and then things could go back to normal.
Whatever “normal” was supposed to look like now.
Unfortunately, that thought immediately dragged my attention toward memories I'd been successfully avoiding since waking up.
Last night had happened. Neither of us regretted it, and that was enough for now.
Eventually we’d have to figure out what it meant, but eventually wasn’t today. Today was the wedding. Everything else could wait.
"You know," Dane said after a moment, "we don't have to stay for everything."
I glanced up at him. "What do you mean?"
His expression softened slightly. "We can just do the ceremony."
"Skip the reception?"
"If that's what you want."
The offer shouldn't have affected me as much as it did. It would’ve been easy for him to insist we attend everything after coming all this way.
Easy to remind me that this was the whole reason we'd made the trip. Instead, he was quietly giving me an out, just in case I needed one.
"I'll think about it."
Dane nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer.
I closed my eyes again, hoping to steal another hour of sleep.
The mattress shifted suddenly. Dane had moved before I could react, bracketing me against the bed, both arms planted on either side of my head.
For a moment, all I could do was stare. He was too close.
Close enough for me to notice he'd shaved. The usual shadow along his jaw was gone, leaving smooth skin in its place. The faint scent of aftershave drifted toward me.
