Athena
I woke up to giggles.
Not the sound I was expecting after everything that happened yesterday. I’d fallen asleep holding Tristan’s hand, felt the warmth of him next to me, and somewhere in the back of my mind I’d expected to wake up the same way.
But the weight on the bed felt different, lighter, and there were definitely more than two small bodies bouncing on the mattress.
I opened my eyes slowly and saw a flash of blonde hair and bright blue eyes staring down at me.
“She’s awake!” Lily shouted, her face breaking into the biggest smile I’d seen in weeks.
“Wake!” Liam echoed, his little voice full of excitement as he crawled across the bed toward me.
My heart did something weird in my chest, something that felt like it was breaking and healing at the same time. I pushed myself up
and immediately pulled both of them into my arms, hugging them so tight I was afraid I might squeeze too hard.
“I missed you,” Lily said against my shoulder, her small arms wrapping around my neck. “I missed you so much, Aunt”
“Miss you,” Liam repeated, patting my cheek with his chubby little hand.
“I missed you too,” I said, and my voice came out thick with emotion. “I missed you both so much.”
I pulled back just enough to look at them, taking in their happy faces and bright eyes. They looked good, healthy and safe, and seeing them here, made everything from yesterday feel worth it.
Every scary moment, every fear, every risk, it was all worth it if it meant I got to see and touch them again.
“Mommy said you were sick,” Lily said, her face turning serious. “But you look okay now. Are you better?”
“I’m much better,” I told her, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “I’m all better now.”
“Good,” she said firmly, then her face brightened again. “Because we need you to take us out. Mommy said you would take us out if we
asked nicely.”
I laughed, the sound surprising me because I hadn’t laughed like that in days. “Did she now?”
“Please?” Lily asked, batting her eyelashes in that way she’d learned worked on most adults. “Please, please, please?”
“Pease,” Liam added, copying his sister.
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Jan 14
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Chapter 227
“Okay,” I said, unable to resist them even if I wanted to. “Let me get dressed first.”
Lily squealed and jumped off the bed, running to the wardrobe in the corner. She pulled the door open and started rifling through the clothes hanging there like she owned the place.
I stared at the wardrobe in confusion. I’d been sleeping in this guest room for two days and I hadn’t even noticed there were clothes
in there.
I’d been wearing the same borrowed shirt and sweatpants since we got here because I hadn’t thought to look.
“This one,” Lily announced, pulling out a sundress I definitely didn’t own. It was light blue with small white flowers, simple and
pretty and completely new.
“Where did that come from?” I asked, getting out of bed and walking over to look.
“Uncle T and Dad said to put clothes in here for you,” Lily said proudly. “He said you needed pretty things.”
My throat felt tight. Tristan and Orion had gone shopping for me, had filled this wardrobe with clothes while I was dealing with everything else. When did they do it? I hadn’t even noticed.
“It’s perfect,” I told Lily, taking the dress from her. “Thank you for picking it out.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, beaming at me. “Now go shower. You smell like sleep.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
