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Chapter Nineteen — The Space Between

作者: Laurel wilder
last update 最終更新日: 2025-05-24 06:05:25

Chapter Nineteen — The Space Between

They didn’t have sex that night.

Not because they didn’t want to.

Not because they weren’t ready.

But because this—what they shared—was deliberate. Grounded.

And neither of them needed to rush past the stillness of what they were building.

It wasn’t the first time Elena had fallen asleep beside Jack.

But it was the first time she had ever woken up in someone’s arms without fear creeping in.

No flinching.

No confusion.

No guilt.

Just warmth.

Just breath.

Just Jack.

Over the next few weeks, Jack began leaving quiet pieces of himself in her world.

A toothbrush tucked into the holder beside hers.

A gray hoodie that lived permanently on the back of the couch, because Lila liked to wrap herself in it like a cape.

A paperback novel with creased corners and a folded receipt as a bookmark, resting on her nightstand beside her own stack of half-finished books.

And a framed photo of his mom—eyes kind like his, her smile small but certain.

He set it on the she
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