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They moved together toward the bed and discarded clothes along the way. There was a tenderness between them as Mac’s hands mapped her body with reverent care, his eyes holding hers in the dim light of the suite.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured while he pressed kisses along her collarbone. “So beautiful.”

Kelsey felt herself blush under his attention, her own hands exploring the planes and angles of his body, his strong shoulders, firm chest, the dip of his spine. The gold band on his finger caught the light as his hand traced down her side, a visual reminder of the commitment they’d made, however pragmatic its origins.

Their lovemaking was slow, deliberate, charged with emotions neither of them seemed ready to name. Mac watched her face intently, learning her responses, adjusting to please her. Kelsey felt herself unraveling under his touch, all the stress and fear of the day transforming into something warm and bright that spread through her limbs.

When they finally came together, skin to skin with nothing between them, Kelsey felt tears prick behind her eyelids, not from sadness but from the overwhelming intensity of the connection. Mac kissed them away with movements gentle but insistent, bringing her to the edge and then following her over.

Afterward, he held her close, her head pillowed on his chest, his fingers tracing idle patterns on her bare shoulder. The city continued to glow beyond the windows, but Kelsey’s world had narrowed to this bed, this man, this peace in the midst of chaos.

Mac’s breath was warm against her hair. Eventually, his breathing deepened and his body relaxed into sleep. But Kelsey remained awake a little longer, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear, watching the city lights play across the ceiling.

Her last conscious thought before sleep claimed her was how strange life could be—how the worst day of her recent life had somehow led to this moment of unexpected comfort.

Chapter 21

The predawn light cast a glow over Boston’s skyline, the same soft-edged dawn that had crept over the island every morning since Kelsey moved there. But here, the light rebounded off steel and glass, making the city glitter like a jewel box. Kelsey held her coffee mug in both hands and let the warmth seep into her palms as she stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Noah would be waking soon. Did he have his favorite cereal for breakfast at the Prescotts’? Had he remembered to brush his teeth without being reminded? Was he scared, confused? Her chest tightened at the thought of her son thinking, even for a moment, that she had abandoned him. The whole situation was surreal, that they had come to this point was unthinkable just last year at this time.

The gold band on her finger caught the light as she raised the mug to her lips. Twenty-four hours ago, she’d been a single mother, widow, desperate and alone. Now she was married to a man whose quiet breathing she could still hear from the bedroom. The speed of the transformation made her head spin.

Behind her, the sheets rustled. Mac appeared in the doorway moments later, hair tousled from sleep, wearing only his pajama bottoms. She tried to not stare at his fit chest she’d used as a pillow last night.

His eyes found hers immediately, as if he’d been searching for her.

“You’re up early.” His voice was still rough with sleep.

“Couldn’t stop thinking.” She gestured toward the city with her mug. “Beautiful morning, though.”

Mac crossed to her, his footsteps silent on the plush carpet. He stood beside her, close but not touching, both of them gazing out at the awakening city.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked after a moment.

“Noah,” she admitted, but it was of no surprise to either of them. “I’m worried about what they’ve told him. If he thinks…” Her voice caught. “If he thinks I gave him up.”

Mac ran a hand through his hair. “You wouldn’t ever. He knows you better than that.”

“He’s seven, Mac. Seven-year-olds don’t have the most sophisticated understanding of court orders and custody arrangements.” She set her mug down on a side table with perhaps more force than necessary. “What if they’re telling him I don’t want him? What if he believes them?”

“Hey.” Mac’s hand found her shoulder, and he turned her gently to face him. “Noah loves you. He knows who his mother is, who’s always been there for him. That foundation doesn’t crumble in a couple of days.”

Kelsey wanted to believe that, needed to believe it. But the knot of fear in her stomach wouldn’t ease. “What if he’s scared? What if he was crying for me and they wouldn’t let him call?”

“Then we deal with that today,” Mac said firmly. “We get him back, we reassure him, we make things right.”

Kelsey looked up at him, seeing the flash of conviction in his eyes. This man who had been a near-stranger a few weeks ago was now her husband, now fully invested in helping her retrieve her son. Their son.

She swallowed deeply.

“We should talk about how we’re going to tell him. I don’t want him to get involved in the adult drama surrounding this whole mess. But he needs to understand what is happening.”

Mac nodded, moving to the coffee maker to pour himself a cup. He took it black. A detail she hadn’t noticed about him, but it was now one of countless things she would need to learn about her new husband.

“What do you think is best?” he asked, returning to stand beside her.

“Honesty,” Kelsey said without hesitation. “Noah does best with frankness. He doesn’t need all the adult details or the legal jargon, but he needs the truth at a level he can understand.”