24. Into the Fire

The morning sunlight grew brighter as the day continued to creep forward, but neither of them moved. The world outside their bedroom felt distant, almost unreal, as if it didn’t exist in this bubble of warmth and intimacy they’d created. Belle felt her mind drifting, thinking about how far she’d come, how far they’d come.

She remembered when Noah had first entered her life, a stranger whose gaze alone could send her pulse racing. He was a man who seemed so unattainable, so distant, yet now here they were, wrapped around each other like they’d always been meant to fit this way. A part of her had fought this for so long, afraid of what it meant to open herself up to someone like him. But now, lying in his arms, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"You're thinking too much," Noah said suddenly