Chapter 16 Morning Light
MORNING LIGHT
LILY
I wake to the soft brush of fingers against my cheek and the solid weight of Enzo’s arms wrapped around me. The room is dim, the first light of morning beginning to filter through the curtains. His breath is warm against my ear as he whispers, “Hey, sleepyhead. Time to wake up.”
I groan softly, shifting in his lap. “What time is it?”
“Early,” he says with a chuckle. “But lucky for you, you’re not on breakfast duty today. That’s all me, so you can sleep as late as you’d like.”
I stretch, my muscles pleasantly aching from last night’s activities. “You? Cooking breakfast?” I tease, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, don’t act so surprised,” he smirks. “I’m a man of many talents. You just relax.”
I eye the sun barely peeking through the curtains, then look back at Enzo. “Why are you going to cook breakfast so early?”
Enzo chuckles, and it’s so unexpected I almost gasp. The sound is throaty and low and perfect. I want to make him do it again. He replies before I can try, “I am going to sleep a couple of hours in my bed first. Then I’ll make breakfast.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll move so you can get your beauty sleep,” I tease.
As I climb out of his lap, a cool draft brushes over my skin, and I shiver slightly.
Enzo watches me with a glint of amusement in his dark eyes, but there’s something deeper there too—something that sends my heart skipping.
It’s a combination of affection and possession.
Enzo’s emotions are never simple or straightforward, and this is no exception.
“Go on,” he urges. “I’ve got this.”
I hesitate, my gaze flicking to Jax. He’s still sound asleep on the bed, his dark hair tousled, his face unusually peaceful. Free of the constant stress he carries, he looks younger, more vulnerable.
“Who’s next on Jax duty?” I ask.
“I was just going to go see if anyone was awake and if not, wake someone up,” Enzo replies with a shrug.
An impulse I can’t resist takes hold of me, and before I overthink it, I cross the room and climb into the bed beside Jax. “Let the others sleep. I’ll stay here,” I murmur.
Jax stirs as I settle against his side, and his arm instinctively wraps around me. The naturalness of it tugs at my heart, even though he doesn’t fully wake. His warmth and solid presence anchor me, a comfort I hadn’t realized I needed.
“If you’re sure,” Enzo replies quietly.
“I’m sure. Just wake me when it’s time to actually eat,” I tease again.
Closing my eyes as I hear Enzo exiting the room, I let myself drift back to sleep, lulled by the steady rhythm of Jax’s breathing.
When I wake again, sunlight fills the room. Fingers gently stroke my hair, and I open my eyes to find Jax watching me, stroking a hand through my tangled mane. His green eyes are filled with a swirl of emotions—sadness, guilt, and some anger and frustration mixed in, too.
“Good morning,” I say softly, smiling up at him and choosing to ignore the emotions he’s wearing so openly. When he’s ready to talk, I’m here, but I’m not going to force it.
He frowns, his hand pausing in my hair. “Lily, you shouldn’t be in here.”
My smile falters. “Why not?”
He looks away, his jaw clenching. “Because I don’t deserve to have you in my bed. Not after everything I’ve done.”
I reach up, cupping his cheek and gently turning his face back to mine. “Jax, you have to forgive yourself. It’s the only way forward.”
His eyes search mine, filled with doubt and self-loathing. “What if I’m beyond redemption?”
“You’re not,” I say firmly, my heart aching for him. “None of us are perfect, Jax. We’ve all made mistakes. But we can still find a way to be better. To be happy.”
His lips twist into a frown. Then he leans down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. When he backs away, he adds some space between us. He stares at me, his eyes probing, then finally responds, “You really believe that?”
“I do,” I whisper with conviction. “I believe in you.”
He sighs, the tension in his body slowly easing. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this. To deserve your forgiveness. To deserve you, Lily.”
“Stop worrying about that right now,” I say, my fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw. “Just let me be here for you. I want to be here for you. Your focus needs to be on recovery, and then everything else will fall into place after that.”
He studies me for a long moment. Then, tentatively, he leans down, his lips brushing against mine. It’s a kiss filled with questions, unspoken promises, and the fragile hope of something better.
When he ends our kiss, he tugs me into his side, and we lay side by side in silence. It feels like the first step. Like progress, but I know that Jax is barely two days outside of his drug use and there’s a long road ahead of us.