Even before she opened her eyes, Cadence was very much aware that she was not alone. As her mind reached the outskirts of consciousness, she realized who it was that had his arm wrapped around her, and she felt an overwhelming wave of calm rush over her spirit unlike anything she had experienced since the day Jack had called her and told her he was sick.

She wasn't quite ready to wake up, not yet, though she was looking forward to seeing Aaron. Still, the exhaustion that had knocked ...