Page 272 of Let Me In

Then lay the phone beside my pillow, turn toward the open space in the bed, where the blankets are still slightly rumpled from this morning. Where his arm should be. I press my cheek into the sheet and breathe deep.

The porch light stays on.

So does my phone. I tuck it beside me on the pillow and curl in tighter beneath the quilt.

The fire’s nothing but a faint glow now.

And I’m just starting to drift—eyes heavy, body finally softening into the sheets—

When the screen lights up.

One more message.

I reach for it with a sleepy hand, blink hard, and read:

I am.

Goodnight, sweet girl. Get some rest.

A breath leaves me.

Deep. Full. Steady for the first time all night.

I let the phone fall gently beside me and turn into the pillow.

And whisper it to the dark.

“Goodnight, Daddy.”

A soft breath leaves me, loosening something in my chest. My shoulders sink deeper into the mattress, muscles unwinding.

Then let go.

Let sleep come.

Wrapped in the hush of his voice, even from far away.

Silence,warm and disorienting, settles over me. For a moment, it doesn’t register. The bed is warm, the blanket heavy. Luca curled along my back, snoring faintly into my spine.

But the space beside me is still empty.

And that’s when I remember.

My hand reaches for my phone before I’m fully conscious. The screen lights up under my fingertips. No new messages. No missed calls.

Just the last thing he sent.

I am.

Goodnight, sweet girl. Get some rest.

I breathe it in like a prayer.

Then rise. The morning passes quietly. I feed the dogs. Slice bread with trembling hands. The toaster clicks loud in the quiet. I wait for the pop, then spread butter slowly, watching it melt into every ridge. Light the fire and answer two of Cal’s check-in rules by noon. I don’t go outside. Not once, not even when Luca noses the door and glances back at me like he’s asking.

The porch light spills a narrow glow over the doorway. I’m careful to keep the door cracked just enough to clip Luca’s tether.

He waits, patient as always, tail low but steady.

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