I apologize for not updating yesterday as something came up so I'll add the two chapters from the skipped update today, hope for your understanding 😥😥😥
chapter(1/2)
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The house was finally still.
Lyra had surrendered to sleep in her crib after a long, drowsy feed, her tiny chest rising and falling in rhythm with the soft instrumental music playing on loop. Will stood by her for a minute longer, just watching. Her hand had clutched his shirt before drifting off, like she was afraid he might leave.
He hadn't let go until she did.
When he stepped back into the bedroom, Eliza was already curled on the bed, sitting against the headboard, her hair twisted into a loose bun, legs tangled in the duvet. She had one of his worn hoodies on, sleeves tugged over her fingers, and a look in her eyes he hadn't seen in a while—soft, open, a little raw.
"How is she?" she asked.
"Dreaming. Probably about world domination."
Eliza smiled faintly, but the curve of her lips didn't quite erase the edge of emotion in her gaze.
Will climbed into bed beside her, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. He didn't touch her yet—he just looked at her.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
She blinked once, slowly. "I thought I'd be better at today. That it would feel... easier than it did."
Will reached out, taking her hand. "You were incredible."
"I wanted to be her entire world today." Her voice cracked, just a little. "But she still reached for you."
He pulled her closer then, her body folding into his chest, her face pressed to the hollow of his throat.
"She reached for me because she knows you're safe. That you'll always be there when she turns back. You're her sun, Eliza. I'm just... one of the stars."
Eliza exhaled against his skin. "I know I'm not supposed to care. I know babies go through phases. But I waited so long to meet her. I gave up sleep and my body and a part of who I used to be. And sometimes, when she clings to you instead... it stings. It makes me wonder if I did something wrong."
Will pulled back just enough to look at her. "Eliza Bennett, listen to me."
She blinked up at him, eyes glassy.
"You are the heart of this house. You are the reason she exists. The reason I know what love really feels like. And someday, when she can talk and walk and remember... she'll know who you were in the moments you thought you weren't enough."
Eliza's eyes filled and spilled, silent tears tracing her cheeks. Will kissed each one away.
They lay like that for a while, curled together, hands twined beneath the sheets, wrapped in the ache and wonder of loving something so completely it rewrites your DNA.
And when the clock slipped toward midnight and the house stayed quiet, Eliza tilted her face up and whispered, "Will?"
He turned his head to meet her gaze.
"Thank you... for today. And for always."
He smiled softly, brushing his thumb along her cheekbone. "Always isn't even the half of it."
Then, in the hush of that vulnerable night, he kissed her — slow and sure — not to claim, but to comfort. To remind her she was still the girl he'd fallen for, now simply folded in new layers of grace and fire.
And in each other's arms, after she slept, they found rest too.