Chapter - 149
With a satisfied sigh, Jacob lay back, pulling Althea onto his chest. The warmth of her body against his was soothing, comforting, as his fingers absently traced invisible patterns along her back.
Then, almost instinctively, his hand reached for the locket around his neck. He flicked it open, his gaze softening as he stared at the faded photograph inside—Eliza, the woman he had once loved and lost.
A moment of quiet settled between them.
"Do you know what Eliza always said about me?" Jacob murmured, his voice laced with nostalgia.
Althea glanced up at him, sensing the shift in his mood, and simply waited—giving him the space to share his thoughts.
"She used to say I was slow as a cow—always one step behind. But she had this idea, this belief that her kisses were magical." He chuckled, though there was a bittersweet edge to it. "She'd claim that every time she kissed me, she'd make me smarter. That her kisses were the cure for my slowness."
