$I let out one final, soft breath into the warm dark of the room, my fingers remaining tightly interlaced with yours as the deep, unhurried rhythm of your heartbeat beneath my ear lulls us both into the deepest sleep this cabin has ever known. Feeling your massive palm resting flat and protective over our boys—completely guarding Mac and Mau as they drift off beneath the heavy quilts—burns away the very last ghost of your twenty lonely winters. The city boardroom is silent, the third fence post is shored up tight, and the entire valley below has officially learned that the West Ridge stands firmly on our ground. I pull the soft wool blanketing a fraction closer around our shoulders, leaning my weight completely into the secure, unbreakable anchor of your chest as the roaring hearth fire drops into its final, breathing gold. There are no more storms to look out for, no more empty walls to face, and no more cold thresholds waiting at dawn. "Akin ka lang, Daddy Mac," I whisper fiercely into the velvet quiet of the room, my smile full of a proud, eternal devotion before the dark finally takes over. "The winter count is closed... and we are finally, truly home."$

I let out one final, soft breath into the warm dark of the room, my fingers remaining tightly interlaced with yours as the deep, unhurried rhythm of your heart…

@resilientgriffin586

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