Page 40 of Jasper

This is going to be the longest night of my damn life.

* * *

Ijerk awake, chest heaving with a sharp breath, my heart thundering as if I’ve just been ripped from one of my usual nightmares.

Only… I haven’t.

This is completely different.

There’s no darkness clawing at my mind. No echoes of the past. No cold sweat soaking the sheets.

Just sunlight. Soft and golden, streaming through the window and spilling across the floor. It stretches up the side of the bed, touching the edge of the blanket where she sleeps.

And then I remember.

Where I am.

Who I’m with.

I turn my head slowly, my muscles tense out of habit, but the second I see her, it all melts away.

Ariana.

Curled on her side, her small blanket tucked beneath her chin, one hand loosely fisted around the fabric. The attached pacifier nestled between her lips, rising and falling gently with each quiet breath. She needs a new one. The plastic guard is faded, and from the looks of it, she’s chewed on the nipple a few too many times. Then again, the blanket also looks like it’s seen better days. How long has she had it?

She’s completely still, completely unaware of how much power she has in this moment—over me, over everything. Since the day I first laid eyes on her.

God, she’s beautiful.

Her shiny hair is a soft halo around her face, messy and wild from sleep, but somehow, it only adds to her adorableness. Her cheeks are flushed, lips parted just enough around the pacifier to make my chest tighten. She looks so damn Little. Makes me wonder when she last slept this peacefully, tucked in a warm, safe bed. I really don’t want to think about it too much because otherwise I’ll just get pissed that I didn’t find her sooner.

Almost as if being pulled by a magnet, I can’t look away. If I do, I might miss something. And I don’t want to miss anything when it comes to Ariana.

I blink, slowly, trying to process the strange swirl of emotions. Then it hits me, fast and fierce.

I slept.

All night.

No nightmares. No tossing and turning. No staring at the ceiling.

Just… sleep.

And her.

I can’t remember the last time that happened. I can’t remember the last time I woke uprested.The last timeIfelt this peaceful.

Because of her.

I don’t move. Don’t even breathe for a second. What will happen once I go back to sleeping alone?

Her pacifier shifts slightly with each gentle suckle, her lips soft and pink, and I feel a strange twist in my stomach. My fingers twitch beside me, aching to reach out, to touch her—but I don’t. Not yet.

Not until she starts to stir.

She lets out a soft sigh, and her body shifts closer. Her lashes flutter as her eyes begin to open, heavy with sleep. The pacifier slips from her lips and rolls onto the pillow, landing silently between us.

Her gaze finds mine almost instantly, hazy and unguarded.

---