Gérard drew in a slow, steady breath as his gaze lifted to the moonlight slipping through the narrow gap in the curtains.
Charlotte lay nestled against him, fast asleep, her body curled into his as if she belonged there. The quiet rhythm of her breathing, the warmth of her pressed against him it settled something deep inside him. Having her safe in his arms filled him with a kind of peace he had never known.
The mere thought of losing her
It wasn't something he could even fully grasp. It terrified him in ways he had never experienced before.
Somewhere along the way, she had become everything. As essential to him as the blood running through his veins.
Her confession echoed in his mind, and a soft, genuine smile touched his lips.
She loved him.
