Page 34 of Jasper

It’s clipped to her blanket. And it’s nestled between her lips as she sleeps, her features soft and peaceful in a way I haven’t seen before. A vulnerability that punches straight through my chest.

I stand frozen on the threshold, staring at her for longer than I should.

She looks small.

Breakable.

Mine.

I take quiet, slow steps in and lower myself onto the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle her too much. My fingers move instinctively, gently brushing along the swell of her cheek.

She stirs beneath my touch, lashes fluttering until her eyes blink open and meet mine.

For a moment, neither of us speaks. There’s just the quiet between us, tender and intimate.

My heart races. Something unfamiliar and comforting twists inside me, pulling tighter with every second I look at her. She’s beautiful beyond words and adorable at the same time.

“Hey, Little one,” I murmur, voice barely above a whisper. “It’s time to wake up.”

Her eyes widen slightly. She shifts, and her pacifier slips out from between her lips, falling onto her blanket.

Her cheeks turn pink.

“I—” she starts, flustered.

I smile softly. “It’s okay. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

Her fingers tighten around the blanket.

I reach out again, carefully smoothing her hair away from her face. “You looked peaceful. Didn’t want to wake you. But it’s dinner time, and you need to eat.”

She nods, her voice still small and sleepy. “Okay. I just need to use the bathroom first.”

I pause, my fingers still lightly stroking her hair. “Would you like any help?”

She blinks, surprised. Her lips part, but she doesn’t speak right away. Then she slowly shakes her head. “No… I’m fine. Thank you, though.”

I nod, even though every part of me wants to stay, to keep taking care of her. To be close to her while she’s in this sleepy, vulnerable state.

“I’ll be downstairs,” I tell her, standing reluctantly.

A small smile tugs at her lips. “I’ll be there in a few.”

I linger a second longer before finally stepping out, leaving the door open behind me.

When I get back to the dining room, my family is around the table, but they haven’t started eating yet, even though it’s a few minutes past six.

“Is she coming down?” Rowie asks.

I shoot my sister a smile and nod. “Yeah, Row. She’s coming. She was napping. Go ahead and start eating.”

No one moves, and when I look around, they all look completely unbothered.

“We don’t start eating until the entire family is around the table. We’ll wait,” Theo replies.

And although I want to argue with my brother and tell them all to fuck off and stop being nosy, my chest is too tight with gratitude for them to say anything at all. So I give them a sharp nod while we all wait for Ariana to come eat with us.

14

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