Chapter 17 - THE MORNING AFTER THE SNOW
The morning sun reflected off the fresh blanket of snow, turning the penthouse windows into sheets of dazzling white light.
Tessa woke up to the gentle, rhythmic sound of snowplows rumbling down Fifth Avenue far below. For a long moment, she lay completely still, wrapped in the heavy warmth of down comforters and the solid, reassuring weight of Rafe’s arm thrown protectively over her waist.
The silence of the apartment was peaceful, uninterrupted by sirens or the frantic alarms of an emergency room trauma bay.
She turned her head slightly on the pillow. Rafe was still asleep, his dark hair falling across his forehead, the fierce, unyielding lines of his face softened completely in repose. The jagged scar along his jawline caught the morning light—a quiet reminder of the battles they had left behind, but one that no longer carried any terror.
Slowly, carefully, so as not to wake him, Tessa slipped out from beneath his arm and sat on the edge of the mattress. She pulled a thick cashmere robe around her shoulders and walked barefoot across the hardwood floor toward the large windows overlooking Central Park.
The park below was a pristine, untouched canvas of white. Dog walkers were leaving winding tracks across the great lawn, and children were already pulling sleds toward the gentle slopes near the Bethesda Terrace.
A soft rustle behind her announced Rafe’s awakening.
"You're up early," his deep, gravelly morning voice murmured from the bed.
Tessa turned to see him propped up on one elbow, his broad chest bare, watching her with dark, intense eyes that were already fully awake and focused entirely on her.
"The snow," Tessa said softly, smiling as she walked back toward the bed and sat down on the edge. "It makes everything look so clean. As if the city washed its face overnight."
Rafe reached out, catching her hand and pulling her gently down beside him until she rested against his shoulder. He pressed a warm, lingering kiss into her hair.
"Cities don't wash their own faces, Tessa," Rafe said quietly. "People do. People like you, who walk through locked doors and refuse to let the darkness win."
Tessa looked up at him, her heart swelling with a deep, quiet certainty. She leaned up and kissed him softly, tasting the morning on his lips.
May you like
"Come on," she whispered against his mouth. "Nora will be waking up soon, and if we don't get downstairs, she's going to use her stacking blocks to demolish the coffee table."
Rafe groaned playfully, pulling her back down for one more second before finally throwing off the covers. "If she destroys that mahogany table, I'm billing her college fund."
