PENNY POV
I woke up with my cheek pressed against Liam’s shoulder.
For a moment, I did not remember where I was.
There was warmth under my face, a steady breath beside my ear, and the faint smell of pine and clean cotton. Someone had covered me with a blanket. The lights were low. Somewhere far away, a machine beeped in a slow, patient rhythm.
It almost felt peaceful.
Then memory came back.
The facility.
The women.
The newborns.
Perse.
I jerked upright so fast Liam’s hand caught my elbow before I could slide off the sofa.
“Sorry,” I said immediately, because apparently my first instinct after almost falling on the hospital floor was manners.
Liam blinked himself awake.
His hair was a mess. There was a crease on his cheek from the sleeve of his shirt, and his eyes were still so
