Danelle stirred awake slowly, blinking against the soft sunlight filtering through the bedroom curtains. As her vision cleared, she found herself sandwiched between the quiet breaths of her children.
Olivia had curled into her side, her tiny hand resting over Danelle's stomach. Eva and Ethan were sprawled on either side of the bed, their arms thrown out in peaceful surrender to sleep.
She turned her head and checked the time on the digital clock on the nightstand. 9:12 a.m. Her eyes widened. She hadn't meant to sleep in this late.
Between the stress of the sudden move, the contract marriage, and her children's whirlwind excitement, exhaustion had swallowed her whole the night before.
Carefully, Danelle peeled herself from the tangle of limbs and soft breathing. She tucked Olivia's blanket a little tighter around her and tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake them.
