Chapter 33
I wake up before the sun fully rises.
Years of military routine make it automatic.
But for once, I don't move immediately.
Because Chloe is asleep against my chest.
Warm under the blankets, one leg tangled with mine, hair spread across my pillow, while my arm stays wrapped tightly around her waist like some part of me already knows letting go would feel wrong.
My chest feels strangely full just looking at her.
Peaceful.
Safe.
Mine.
The thought settles deep and solid in my ribs.
Last night replays slowly through my head in flashes.
Chloe kissing me breathless on the couch.
Her nervous smile when I carried her toward the bedroom.
The way she looked at me like she trusted me completely.
Jesus.
I never thought something could wreck me this fast.
And afterward, holding her while she fell asleep against me felt somehow even more intimate than anything else.
No walls.
No fear.
No running.
Just Chloe curled into me like she belonged there.
Like maybe she wanted to stay.
I brush my fingers lightly along her back beneath my shirt, which she stole sometime during the night.
My shirt.
On her.
That shouldn't do things to me this early in the morning.
But apparently it does.
Chloe shifts slightly in her sleep, pressing closer instinctively.
A quiet, sleepy sound leaves her throat.
My entire brain immediately stops functioning.
Ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
I've handled combat deployments with more composure than this.
A tiny sleepy whine sounds from the crib nearby.
Both my attention and Chloe's shift instantly toward Ava, even half asleep.
Chloe's eyes barely crack open.
"Mmm," she murmurs. "Baby's awake."
Baby.
My chest tightens painfully.
Because lately, my brain keeps doing something dangerous.
Something terrifying.
It keeps thinking of Ava as mine.
Not biologically.
I know that.
But emotionally?
That line feels blurrier every day.
The first time, she reached for me instead of Chloe.
The way she settles more easily when I hold her.
How she falls asleep clutching my dog tags half the time now.
And God help me, I love that kid. Completely.
The realization should probably scare me more than it does.
Instead it just feels... natural.
Like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Chloe starts to sit up sleepily, but I gently tighten my arm around her waist.
"I got her," I murmur.
Her eyes lift to mine slowly.
Still sleepy.
Soft.
God.
That look alone could ruin a man permanently.
"You sure?" she whispers.
I nod once and press a quick kiss to her forehead before climbing carefully out of bed.
The morning air is cool against my skin as I cross the room toward the crib.
Ava immediately brightens the second she sees me.
Tiny arms reaching upward.
And yeah.
That absolutely destroys me.
"There's my girl," I murmur while lifting her carefully against my chest.
She presses sleepily into me immediately, like she belongs there too.
Behind me, Chloe watches from the bed quietly.
I glance over my shoulder.
And stop.
Because there are tears sitting in her eyes.
Not panicked.
Not sad.
Just overwhelmed.
"Hey," I say softly.
She shakes her head quickly and wipes at her face.
"I'm okay."
I walk back toward the bed slowly, Ava balanced easily against my chest.
Chloe looks up at me like she still can't fully believe this is real.
Honestly?
Neither can I.
Because somehow, somewhere between late-night breakdowns and movie nights on the couch, this stopped feeling temporary.
Stopped feeling casual.
Now it feels terrifyingly close to something permanent.
A family.
The thought should scare the hell out of me.
Instead, it feels like peace.