Pauline's POV
I smoothed the covers over Echo, watching as her small fingers curled around the edge of her favorite blanket. Usually, bedtime meant negotiations - another story, a drink of water, anything to delay sleep for just a few more minutes.
Tonight was different. Her breathing evened out almost immediately, her body relaxing into the mattress without so much as a whispered request.
Something about it unsettled me. Was it because of Logan's presence? She'd accepted him so readily, despite not knowing the truth about who he was to her. The ease with which she'd warmed to him felt almost... natural.
I pushed the thought away and quietly left her room. The old wooden floors groaned softly beneath my feet as I made my way to the living room, where Logan waited on my threadbare couch.
