It had been two days since Carson rescued me from the wicked people. The bruises on my skin were healing slowly, but the fear in my heart was leaving even faster—because he was always with me and that's sometimes all I needed.
He didn’t leave my side. Not even for a second and somehow, just sitting next to him… made everything feel okay again.
That morning, I was sitting by the balcony, watching the sun rise when Carson walked in with two mugs of hot chocolate.
“You’re up early,” he said, handing me one.
“I couldn’t sleep much,” I replied, smiling as I took the cup. “But this helps.”
He sat down beside me, close enough for our arms to touch.
For a few minutes, we just sat in silence, listening to the birds, feeling the breeze.
I glanced at him and smiled. “You haven’t even asked how
