When I woke up the next morning, both Declan and Cam were gone from the bed. As I stretched my arms over my head, I winced. My body felt like it had been through a marathon the night before. While it had gone through the emotional wringer, I'd slept in crazy angles, and my muscles were telling me about it.
As I rolled over on the mattress, an ache pressed in on my chest. It was one of loneliness and despair. I knew it wasn't just because of waking up alone or what I'd experienced with the St. James men last night. It had been building all week as I grew closer to a particular date on the calendar.
Papa's birthday.
Last year, we'd celebrated at his lodge in Helen. There had been catered in BBQ while my mom had baked one of her legendary cakes. We'd sat outside on the porch talking, eatin
