Asher’s POV

I woke up alone, the sheets tangled around my legs. Sunlight sliced through the blinds in sharp white lines across the pillow Tara should’ve been using if she were here with me. Six days. Six nights without her body next to mine. My chest did that stupid tightening thing again, like someone had wrapped a belt around my ribs and yanked.

I grabbed my phone off the nightstand. 9:14 a.m. There were no messages from her yet. She usually texted around nine, with a good-morning message, a selfie of her coffee, and something about the baby kicking. I stared at the blank screen for a second too long,...