Justin's POV
I didn't sleep well that week. It's not the twitchy, witching-hour type of wakefulness I had in my twenties after a bad quarter; it's the heavy, thoughtful kind that sits behind your eyes and won't let you relax. Elena sleeps beside me like a steady babe.... breath even, fingers curled into my shirt and I watch her until the dark becomes gray and then gold. I kept thinking about what she asked, and the way she asked it: quiet, brave, without demand. "I want a child, Justin." She said it like an offering. She didn't expect an answer that night; she only wanted to be heard. I promised I wasn't running.
