Agnes

The morning light streamed through the curtains, casting golden stripes across the hotel room floor. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the haze of sleep, but a faint noise drew my attention. Snoring.

I turned my head toward the source of the noise, which was near the couch, and there he was—Elijah, sprawled across the sofa, one arm hanging over the edge and a leg bent at an angle that looked anything but comfortable. His hair was a tousled mess, sticking up in wild directions, and his mouth was hanging wide open as he snored.

It was hard not to laugh at his current state. Elijah was usually so calm and collected that I never expected to see him like this.

But it was also cute—unexpectedly, undeniably cute.

For a moment, I stayed there, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. It wasn’t often that I got to see this side of him, the side that wasn’t all business.

Trying to remain quiet so as not to wake Elijah or the still-sleeping Thea, I carefully slipped out of bed and padded closer to get a better look, just out of curiosity. Up closer, I could see the faintest hint of stubble across his sharp jawline, the way his long eyelashes swept across his cheekbones as he slept. But there was something else, too: a feather from his pillow on his neck.

With my heart stuttering slightly in my chest, I shifted slightly, leaning closer to him to pluck the feather away. But just as I reached out to pick up the feather, his eyes suddenly flew open, and before I could retreat, he sat up abruptly.

I shot backward, nearly tripping over my own feet in my haste. “Good morning!” I blurted out, too loud and far too cheery. My voice even made Thea stir behind me.

Elijah blinked at me, groggy and confused. “Morning,” he mumbled gruffly.

I bolted toward the bathroom before he could say anything more, my face burning. What was I thinking? Inches from his face like some kind of... I didn’t even know what.

By the time I finished showering and emerged from the bathroom, Thea was already bouncing on the bed excitedly. “Mommy! Can we go out for breakfast? Pleeeease?” she asked.

I glanced at Elijah across the room, who was scrolling through his phone. He nodded without looking up and I ruffled Thea’s hair. “Sure, sweetheart. Just let me get ready and then we can go.”

Thea hopped off the bed and rifled through my suitcase. “Wear this one!” she said, holding up a yellow sundress with tiny white flowers. It was one of the few dresses like that that I owned, something I had picked up on a whim months ago but never found the occasion to wear.

I hesitated. “You really think so?”

“Yes! It’s so pretty! You’ll look like a princess!” Thea declared, shoving it into my hands.

“Well, if you insist,” I said with a laugh.

When I emerged wearing the dress, a pair of sandals, and a straw hat a few minutes later, Thea clapped her hands in approval. “See? You look so pretty!”

Instinctively, I glanced over at Elijah. His eyes flicked over me briefly before he turned away, but not quickly enough to hide the subtle softening in his gaze. He cleared his throat, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

“Let’s get going,” he said.

After wandering down the street, Thea skipping between us with Elijah and me each holding one of her hands, we found a quaint seaside diner to have breakfast. We were seated at a small outdoor table overlooking the water, and Thea was practically bouncing in her seat as she scanned the menu.

“I want waffles!” she announced, pointing at the picture.

“Waffles it is,” Elijah said. We ordered our food, and I sipped my frothy coffee as I waited.

Elijah sat across from me, his coffee in hand, gazing out over the seascape. He didn’t say much, just made occasional conversation until the food came. I cut Thea’s waffles into manageable pieces, but every time I glanced up, I found his eyes on us.

There was something in his expression that made my chest heat, but I quickly averted my gaze.

When the waitress returned to check on us, she clasped her hands together gleefully. “You three make such a sweet little family,” she said with a grin.

Thea beamed. “Thank you!” she chirped before Elijah or I could say anything..

I forced a smile, glancing up at Elijah. His face betrayed nothing, but his eyes flicked to mine for a fraction of a second, and I felt my face warm up even more.

As we continued to eat, the sun caught Elijah’s hair, turning the dark strands a warm, golden brown. A hint of stubble lined his jaw, giving him a rugged look that I didn’t usually associate with the polished Alpha who always seemed so composed. Here, in the morning light with the ocean breeze softening the edges of everything, he felt... approachable. Real.

And I hated how much I liked it.

This isn’t real, I kept reminding myself. Elijah and I weren’t truly together like… that. We couldn’t be. Especially not with the faint upper outline of that mating mark poking out above the collar of his shirt.

But when Thea grabbed both our hands as we walked toward the nearby town, babbling excitedly about the sights she wanted to see, it was hard not to imagine what it would feel like if this moment could go on forever.

Thea spotted the carnival before I did, her squeal of excitement breaking through my thoughts. “Look, Mommy! Daddy! A carnival!” she shouted, already tugging at our hands.

The bright colors and cheerful music were impossible to miss, and before either of us could say a word, Thea was already dragging us toward the entrance.

We spent some time wandering through the games and booths, Thea’s eyes wide as she took in the sights. When she spotted a big stuffed shark hanging from a game booth, she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Can we win that one?” she asked, cocking her head.

Both Elijah and I turned to follow her gaze. The game was one of those impossible-looking challenges—a row of targets that had to be hit with a toy gun, each target smaller than the last. I frowned, already calculating how much money we would probably lose trying to win it for her. It would likely be cheaper just to buy the toy outright.

But what was the fun in that?

“I’ll give it a try,” I started, reaching for my purse, but Elijah stepped forward and cut me off.

“I’ve got this.” He pulled out his wallet and slapped a bill onto the counter.

“Are you sure?” I asked, skeptical. “These games are usually rigged.”

Elijah picked up the toy gun, testing its weight in his hand. “Watch and learn.”

Thea clapped her hands together excitedly as the vendor started the game for Elijah. “Go, Daddy!” she shouted. “You can do it!”

As calmly as ever, Elijah aimed and fired. One by one, the targets fell until he had hit every single one. When he was finished, the lights began flashing and the robotic voice called out through the speakers, “Winner, winner!”