The moment Nina felt Ethan's small arms wrap tightly around her, something inside her cracked.
Not gently. Not slowly. It shattered.
His tiny body trembled against hers, fingers clutching her clothes like she might disappear if he loosened his grip even a fraction. She could feel the dampness of his tears soaking through her shirt, warm and desperate against her skin.
"Nina…" he cried again, his voice breaking, raw and desperate, each syllable thick with the kind of fear that made her chest ache.
Her heart clenched so painfully it almost stole her breath. How many times had she imagined this? Holding him like this? And now that she was, it hurt more than she'd ever expected.
"I'm here, baby… I'm here," she whispered immediately, tightening her hold around him. One hand cradled the back of his head, pressing him gently into her shoulder while the other rubbed slow circles on his back, an instinct she didn't know she possessed.
