Chapter 108 Harper
Harper
Morning sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting the cabin in soft gold. I blinked awake slowly, my body warm and heavy, still curled against Carter’s chest. His arm was draped around me, the steady weight of it an anchor I never wanted to lose.
For a long moment, I didn’t move. I just listened—to the quiet rise and fall of his breathing, to the soft crackle of the fire burned down to embers, to the silence that finally felt safe.
We’d made it through the night. He’d come back to me.
My hand traced the edge of his shirt, fingers brushing the scar at his side, the new scrape along his shoulder. He shifted a little, eyes still closed, but even in sleep, he tightened his hold on me, pulling me closer.
A small smile tugged at my lips. Even unconscious, he protected me.
The fear was still there, lingering like smoke in the corners of my chest. Redwood wasn’t gone. The fight wasn’t finished. But it felt different now. Less like a shadow pressing down, more like something we’d face together, side by side.
I pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heartbeat, whispering into the quiet, “Thank you for coming back.”
His breath caught, though his eyes didn’t open. His hand smoothed over my back, rough and tender all at once. “Always,” he murmured, his voice gravelly with sleep.
Tears pricked my eyes again, but this time they weren’t born of fear. They were from hope, fragile and new, but strong enough to keep me steady.
I tucked myself closer into him, letting the sunlight and his warmth wrap around me.
For the first time since the warehouse, I believed in tomorrow.
Not because it would be easy. But because I wouldn’t face it alone.