CHAPTER 229: NEW BEGINNINGS

Their breathing slowly calmed, though their hearts still beat wildly, echoing against each other’s chests.

Logan lay on his side, propped on one elbow, watching her with a gaze so tender it made Jean’s throat tighten. One of his hands traced idle circles over her bare shoulder, then moved to brush a damp lock of hair from her cheek.

Jean, still catching her breath, let her fingers rest against his jaw, feeling the scratch of stubble and the warmth of his skin. For a long moment, neither spoke. The only sounds were the soft hum of the rain still falling outside, and the occasional slowing thud of their hearts.

"You’re staring," Jean finally whispered, a tired smile playing at her lips.

"I know," Logan replied, his voice husky but softer now. "I can’t help it."

She bit back a laugh, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. "Stop... You are embarrassing me."

"Good," he murmured, pressing a slow, gentle kiss to her forehead. "You should know what you do to me."

Jean’s chest tightened... not from desire this time, but something warmer, softer. She shifted closer, her head tucking under his chin, breathing in the scent of him... rain-dampened skin, faint cologne, and something entirely Logan.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked, almost under his breath, as though afraid to break the quiet spell.

"Better than okay," she whispered, her voice muffled against his chest. "For the first time... I feel safe."

His arms tightened around her, and she felt him exhale shakily, as though he’d been holding that breath for too long.

They lay like that, tangled under the sheets, the world beyond the bedroom door distant and unimportant. Jean traced faint patterns over his chest with her fingertips; Logan kissed the top of her head, then her temple, unable to stop touching her... needing the reassurance that she was real, here, his.

"You should sleep," He murmured eventually, though he didn’t loosen his hold.

"Only if you sleep with me. I don’t want you to go," She whispered.

"Always," He promised, and pressed another kiss into her hair.

Jean’s eyelids fluttered shut, exhaustion finally tugging her under. Logan listened to her breathing even out, his thumb brushing the back of her hand where it rested over his heart.

And for the first time in years, he felt something close to peace.

_________________________

The sterile quiet of the hospital room had become almost part of the walls themselves. For weeks, the machines had been the only ones speaking... Soft, steady beeps, rising and falling like a heartbeat borrowed from somewhere else.

Outside the window, the late morning sun spilled across the floor tiles, golden and patient.

Then almost too small to notice... the rhythm changed. A flicker on the monitor. A blink in the pattern.

Emma’s eyelashes fluttered, faint as the rustle of silk. Then again. And slowly, her eyelids dragged themselves open.

The world that met her eyes was painfully white. Blurry. For a moment, it was all noise: the soft whoosh of air from the vents, the tick of the clock on the wall, the gentle sigh of bedsheets.

She tried to move... her fingers twitched against the pale blanket.

The machine next to her caught the movement first, its beeping rising fractionally. A nurse passing by in the corridor stopped while walking by, then rushed in, eyes widening.

"Emma?" the nurse whispered, hoping to crack through her voice. "Can you hear me?"

Emma’s lips parted. Dry. Heavy. But something flickered behind her gaze... confusion, then recognition, then relief.

Her chest rose in a shaky breath.

"Je...an..." She rasped, barely audible.

The nurse squeezed her hand gently, tears threatening her own eyes.

"It’s okay, dear. You’re safe. Let me call your family."

As the nurse turned to reach for the phone, Emma blinked again, fighting the weight of her eyelids. The last thing she remembered before the dark swallowed her had been fear. Now, for the first time, she felt something different.

She felt light. She felt awake.

The soft mechanical beeping beside her pulsed on... steadier now, stronger. Outside, the sunlight had never looked so warm.

___________________________

Morning light filtered pale and silver through the curtains, softened by the rain still whispering against the windows.

Jean stirred first, eyes fluttering open to find herself nestled against Logan’s bare chest. For a moment, she simply listened to the quiet rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear... steady, calm and comforting.

His arm lay heavy around her waist, holding her close even in sleep. She shifted a little, and Logan’s lashes flickered, then lifted.

"Morning," he rasped, voice low and rough with sleep.

"Morning," she whispered back, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Still raining?" he asked, blinking blearily toward the window.

"Mm‑hmm." Jean nodded, her cheek brushing his chest. "Didn’t stop all night."

"Good," he murmured, tugging her even closer. "Means we don’t have to get up yet."

Jean huffed a soft laugh. "Logan... we both have a company to run."

"It’ll survive an extra ten minutes," He teased, pressing his nose into her hair. "Besides... It’s your fault."

"My fault?"

"For getting me all worked up last night," he murmured, warmth in his tone. "Now I can’t let go."

Jean flushed, heat rising in her cheeks. "Stop it... you’ll embarrass me again."

"Perfect. Then stay embarrassed right here with me," he grinned, his voice still thick with sleep.

They lay there in quiet for a moment, rain tapping softly at the window. Jean traced small circles on his chest, feeling the slow thud of his heart under her fingertips.

"Did you sleep well?" Logan asked gently, almost tentative.

Jean nodded, her voice softer than a whisper. "Better than I have... in a very long time."

His chest rose with a silent breath, and he bent to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Good," he said. "That’s how it should be."

She smiled, letting her eyes drift closed again, safe in his warmth. And for those few rain‑softened minutes, there was no past, no yacht scandal, no boardroom battles waiting outside their door.

Just them... tangled in sheets and sunlight, the sound of rain wrapping them in something that felt almost like peace.