I woke slowly. Sunlight warmed the room and dragged me out of sleep. The sheets smelled like ocean air and clean linen. Shade had booked the hotel right on the beach. It was close to where he took me the night before, where the moon came up over the water. We were staying here until we could get my mother's body released and take her home for the funeral.
The peace didn't last. It never did. Reality hit. The emptiness followed.
The bed felt empty. I turned, looking for Shade, and found him standing on the balcony. The door stood open, letting in ocean air. He leaned against the railing, staring toward the ocean. Cigarette smoke curled away slowly. He stood still, facing the water silently. I could see the tension in his shoulders.
I watched quietly, grief edging closer. I pushed it away
