*Jared*
Early morning sunlight drifted through the curtains in my bedroom as I slowly laid out the final piece of clothing Eliza had mended on my bed, staring down at what she'd done.
I was at a loss for words. I'd noticed the bandages covering her fingers, and her fatigue had been obvious. I'd even felt guilty about what I'd hardly considered a punishment being so physically grueling.
But then I found out why it had taken her the entire day and well into the night to complete the job.
I picked up a shirt she'd tactfully mended and turned it into the sun. Little needlepoint flowers stitched in pale pink thread adorned the sleeves and surrounded the patches she'd sown across the chest.
I looked down at the bed where the rest of the clothing had been laid out, all of it mended, all
