Chapter 103 – After the Fire

Stacy

Her breath slowed against my chest, warm and steady. One arm draped across my stomach, her leg tangled with mine, hair spilled over my shoulder.

God, she looked peaceful.

I didn’t deserve the way she trusted me.

I wrapped my arms tighter around her, one hand gliding up her spine, just to feel her breathe. I’d never held someone like this after—not like she was breakable, but like she was mine. Not even Tommy’s mom and I was with her for seventeen years.

But beneath the stillness, my mind wouldn’t shut off.

Was I wrong?

I’d told myself I wouldn’t cross that line. I’d tried to tell her no—you deserve time, space, healing. But the way she looked at me… the way she asked, let me choose what I feel next—and chose me?

How the fuck was I supposed to deny her that?

Not when she was shaking in my arms. Not when her voice cracked, asking me to help her rewrite the memory of someone else’s cruelty.

Not when I’d imagined it—us—a hundred times. A thousand.

And now that I had her?

Now I was