I closed my eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Tell Hadley I love her. And that I’m proud of her.”
“I will.”
I hung up, stared at the screen.
Kei stood. “Go back in there. See them again.”
I nodded.
The private room I’d paid for, the one with the big window and the fold-out couch, was quiet when I knocked softly.
Zariah opened the door, eyes wary but softer than before.
“She’s awake,” she said. “Feeding him.”
I stepped in.
Hadley was propped up in bed, Asher cradled against her chest, nursing quietly. She looked exhausted, beautiful, wrecked, unbreakable.
She met my eyes. “You came back.”
“I needed to see him again.” My voice was rough. “If that’s okay.”
She studied me for a long moment.
Then she nodded. “Come here.”
I crossed the room slowly. Zariah touched Hadley’s shoulder.
“I’ll give you guys a minute,” she said softly.
Hadley caught her hand. “Stay close. But… yeah. We need to talk.”
Zariah squeezed once, then slipped out.
I sank into the chair beside the bed.
Asher finished nursing, sleepy and full. Hadley lifted him to her shoulder, patting gently.
I watched, mesmerized. The way his tiny head lolled against her. The way her hand supported him like she’d been doing it forever.
“He’s so small,” I whispered.
“He’s not that small,” she said with a tired smile. “He’s perfect.”
I reached out, hesitant. She didn’t stop me. I brushed one finger along his cheek. He sighed in his sleep.
“I can’t stop looking at him,” I said. “At what we made.”
Hadley’s eyes met mine, guarded, but not closed off.
“I know,” she whispered.
Silence stretched, fragile, heavy.
Then she spoke, voice steady despite the tremor in it.
