Enjoy......xo
~ ~ Chapter Twenty Nine ~ ~
(Saxon’s POV)
Sitting in the empty teachers chair as Keith and a few of the other boys from my pack lounged around on the desks and filled me in on what Chris has been up to at school – I was already up to date with everything out of school and no one dared to ask me any questions about where I was, I think they all knew I was with Eva and soon they will figure out it was to bring Emily home.
“Testing,” A voice spoke out over the P.A system and I frowned, immediately recognising that voice even though she was trying to disguise it.
The others cracked up laughing, “Who the hell is that?” Keith laughed.
“Eva,” I mumbled as her ‘manly’ voice flooded the room once more.
“Saxon Redford, report to the front office immediately,” And it was clear she was holding back laughter and all of us in this room heard someone in the background shouting at her to get away from it. “By the way – Eva rocks this school! Oh and Chris is the greatest sidekick ever – beat that Stevie!” she laughed in her normal voice now and then silence.
My hands clenched immediately, this meant she was in the office with Chris but it didn’t sound like him in the background shouting, it sounded like one of her brothers. The room fell silent around me and I stood to my feet. Eva really needs to learn how to pick her friends better.
Slamming the office door open I made Mrs Hill jumped from behind her desk then she looked over at me, “Oh, Saxon, I'm dreadfully sorry, it was all just a prank....” she muttered something else but I blocked her out as I turned to face Eva and Chris watching me from the chairs outside of Grug’s office.
By the sounds of it, Travis was in there right now arguing with him. I wonder where Emily was; maybe she left for class since the bell rang before I even started making my way here.
“Hey Sax,” Eva greeted casually, like she didn’t just call me out over the schools P.A system like some lap dog to come running to her – though I guess I did in a way but more for the fact she was with Chris.
Tilting my head slightly to the side I studied her, she looked tired in the face, like she had got hardly any sleep last night because she had black bags under her eyes but she was grinning and bouncing around on her seat like she was full of energy. She better not be doing drugs, if she is she will regret it when I kick her butt.
“Why so tired?” I asked, ignoring Chris’s presence in the room.
She shrugged as the door opened and Travis walked out, slamming it behind him, running his hands down his face, “Eva, you’re suspended from school for three days as of right now,” He groaned, “Dad is going to be angry, you know that right? Why didn’t you listen to me?” he asked, looking over at her now and she shrugged again.
“Because it was a super cool idea and lots of fun,” She grinned, and then smiled at Chris alongside her, “Team EC,” She chuckled softly and I growled lightly at their bonding.
Chris looked up and smirked, then leaned in and whispered to Eva, knowing I could hear, “I think lover boy is jealous,” she laughed but then looked over at me and stopped, rolling her eyes.
Travis looked at me but said nothing as he turned to face his sister again, “C’mon, grab your bag, you’re going home,” he muttered, sounding exhausted and he noticed my confused look and smiled slightly, shaking his head, “When you’re woken up early to Eva and Brody throwing shoes at Grant, then Eva and Stevie carrying on about cannon balls and bags and sidekicks, you’re not really in the mood for anything else.”
Chris started chuckling as he and Eva shared a high five, then he stopped and frowned, “Did I just replace Stevie?”
Eva laughed shortly and nodded, “And you did such a good job that I'm thinking of giving you a permanent position,” she even went as far as patting him on the head, which he shoved her hand away and gave her an annoyed look. I would never have thought I would live to see the day Chris acts like a normal person and not the school bully.
He opened his mouth to respond but I growled cutting him off, “What did you even want Eva?” I snapped, instantly regretting taking my anger out on her as hurt flashed in her eyes for the briefest second before she narrowed them.
“I wanted to see you and couldn’t be bothered walking all over school,” she snapped back, “But now I'm in big trouble, so I guess I’ll see you when I come back,” and she folded her arms over her chest.
Groaning loudly, “You’re not going anywhere,” I mumbled and walked into Grug’s office, I feel more like a parent right now than her mate and that’s not good. Grug looked up instantly and looked extremely nervous, “Cancel Eva’s suspension right now, you were a fool for thinking I wouldn’t find out,” I snapped loudly, my anger leaking into my tone.
He opened his mouth to dibble some pathetic excuse but I cut him off, “And tell that stinking cousin of yours to stay the heck off my land!” my voice thundered around the small room, vibrating the windows and I'm sure every wolf in this area heard the power and command in that single sentence.
Everyone knew Jack Nelson was not welcomed here under any circumstances, I don’t care how ‘nice’ or ‘fun’ Eva thinks he is, it is still all his fault my mum died, the reason why my dad went from being one of the most powerful Alpha’s to a broken shell, the reason I had to challenge my dad for this position that has ruled my teenage life and changed me into what I am today.
Don’t get me wrong, the power is great and I love being an Alpha but there are small moments in time when I wished I wasn’t, so I could just be chilled and have fun without worrying about everything else and now because of the way I’ve lived, my own mate doesn’t even like me the way I like her.
Giving Grug one last glare he nodded quickly and I turned and stormed out, not looking at anyone but I heard footsteps chase me down and I knew it was Eva before I even looked. She said nothing as she had to practically jog to keep up with me, so I slowed down and she offered me a small smile but still said nothing.
My wolf was howling on the inside at the fact she was basically by my side right now but I knew it wasn’t like that at all, I knew better than to hold any hope that it will ever be like that one day, friends is the most I'm ever going to get out of her.
We had different first classes but I walked her to her class and opened the door, daring her teacher to object at our lateness as I decided to join her in this class and he just watched me. Harper looked up and frowned but said nothing as Eva slid into the spare seat alongside him and I pulled a chair up and sat next to her but in the aisle.
“Mr Redford, do you plan on doing any work in my class?” the teacher asked in an annoyed tone.
Eva bit her lip to stop herself from laughing and I rolled my eyes, I could always feel myself relaxing around her sometimes, “Nope.”
“Wont your own teacher miss you in their class?” he tried again.
“Nope,” I muttered and stared out the window while Eva shared a text book with Harper and pretended to read it but her foot was bouncing under the table.
“Why are you so hyper today?” I frowned, looking up at her as she glanced over at me, her eyes looking more tired now than just before.
“I'm not,” she muttered and stifled a yawn.
“You should never listen to Stevie’s stupid ideas,” Harper grunted to her and shook his head, he knew something I didn’t.
I don’t know why but I didn’t want to leave her alone, there was something off about her and near the end of her second class – which was my original first class, she was yawning flat out and winding down, her energy draining away and it became more obvious just how tired she was when she kept closing her eyes.
“Eva!” Ms drew slapped her long ruler down on Eva’s desk, I instantly glared up at her and growled as Eva jumped awake, looking up startled, her bags under her eyes getting even worst. “Uh, n-nothing,” Ms Drew stuttered and hurried to the front of the room.
“Tell me now, why where you up all night?” Brody demanded; leaning over to her desk and looking her in the eyes, I stopped myself from growling.
She shook her head and mumbled, “I wasn’t.”
“Liar,” he shot back and she looked away.
The bell rang and she slowly packed away her stuff as Brody walked off, leaving her behind and she shot him an annoyed look. Growing impatient since we were now the last ones left in the room, I gently shoved her hands away and packed her stuff up into her bag with record speed and slung it over my shoulder since I never brought a bag or books to school.
I don’t know why but I found myself holding my hand out to her for her to take it and as I realised this I was about to pull it away but her small warm hand slid into mine and my fingers curled around hers with a mind of their own. She smiled sleepily up at me and I found myself smiling back before I led her out of the classroom.
I had already decided she had had enough of school and I was taking her back to my place for the day and then I would drop her off home later. By the time we reached the locked front double doors, everyone was already in class and there wasn’t one single person in sight, so all I did was grab the handle and shoved with a little of my weight behind it and the lock broke.
Smiling to myself because Grug was going to be ticked but I didn’t care, I should have a key of some sort to come and go as I please.
“Where are we going?” Eva asked quietly as she looked around.
“Back to my place, we can watch movies,” I suggested and then frowned; this will be the first time I have ever sat down and watched a movie. I know the agreement was I would continue school until I graduated but there is nothing against skipping a day to chill out.
“Okay,” She mumbled as I opened the passenger door to Keith’s jeep I was still borrowing, I have to remember to go buy myself a new car later when I take Eva home but this jeep has memories for me now. I wonder if he will let me buy it off him and he can go buy a new car; even though this isn’t fast enough for me or my usual style.
“Why did you want to see me this morning?” I asked once we were away from the school.
She smiled slightly, “I wanted to put my blackmail to good use.”
Shaking my head, I should have known it would have been for something like that, “What were you going to make me do?” I probably would have done it even without the blackmail but this way she won’t think she has heaps of control over me.
Shrugging, “I didn’t know yet, I figured I’d work it out once I saw you but then Chris and I got in big trouble with Grug,” she mumbled, leaning her head on the window and staring lazily out into the trees.
My hands clenched the steering wheel at the mention of Chris’s name but I knew if I snapped about it she would get all defensive. She always sticks up for people she cares about and I only wished I was one of those people, heck, I wished I could get along with her and muck around like she and Chris were. They didn’t even know each other for that long and he knows she is my mate! He needs to go find his own.
“But you were the one shouting over the P.A,” I pointed out, not getting how Chris was even involved.
Eva chuckled quietly, “He was my distraction, and he started a fight with some kid to get the lady out the room.”
As she said that all I could think of was ‘that should have been me being her distraction.’ But then again, it was my name she called out, not Chris’s and that little thought settled my inner turmoil a tad.
“We’re here,” I spoke softly as I parked the car by the front steps and looked around, when Eva didn’t say anything; I looked over at her to see she was fast asleep. Climbing out the jeep, I went over and opened the front door before walking back and opening her car door and scooping her up into my arms and just like last time I did this, she curled in tight to me.
Making my way up the stairs to my room I smelt Vance before I saw him and as I stepped onto the top landing, he was there leaning against the wall. His eyes darted to Eva sleeping in my arms and he cocked an eyebrow questioningly.
“Thought she hated you or something like that,” he grunted.
Glancing briefly at him as I walked past, “Not anymore,” and he smirked slightly while he fell into step alongside me. I made him second in charge after I kicked Chris out – which I still don’t regret, he should have been on my side on the night of the dance, not anyone else’s.
“She’s a rude little thing when she’s awake,” he commented and I growled lowly at him, I didn’t want to wake Eva up, she looked so exhausted and all I wanted to do was care for her which sounded so mushy and unlike me but I guess having a mate changes a few things. “Means she will fit in well around here,” he sounded slightly amused.
“And when have you ever met her?” I half demanded in a low tone as he quickened his pace and opened my bedroom door for me; I gave him a nod of acknowledgment and stepped in.
“When she came to see you, she made me go get her a cold glass of water.”
I remembered that water, “So, you’re the reason I had it thrown in my sleeping face then?”
He held his hands up defensively, “I didn’t know that’s what she was going to do - she said she was thirsty,” he frowned.
Smirking slightly because it was obvious she had lied to him and he got played by her, it’s not a good thing that my new second in command got tricked by a girl but I know for a fact how cunning Eva can be at times, “She lied.”
“I figured that now,” he mumbled then watched me as I laid her down gently in the middle of my bed, “Did you knock her out or something to get her here?”
A growl rumbled through my chest, “No,” I spat, furious at his question, “I don’t need to knock my own mate out to get her to come somewhere with me!”
I watched as his face hardened then his eyes flickered to Eva again which made another growl rumble through my chest, how dare he look at her!
“People are trying to sleep,” her soft melodic voice mumbled into the pillow, turning to look down at her as she buried her face into it and rolled onto her stomach I felt myself calming down. She has such control over me that it is insanely scary, “Where am I?” she mumbled again with a yawn but kept her face buried.
“My house,” I responded quietly.
She yawned again, “Whose bed am I in?”
“Mine.”
“Now go away, I'm sleeping,” she mumbled making me laugh quietly on the inside as I nodded for Vance to get out with me following him. Closing the door softly behind me, I leant against the wall and folded my arms over my chest and prepared to wait.
“Are you guarding her?” Vance asked with slight disbelief to his tone which I narrowed my eyes at making him change his tone pretty quick, “It was just a question, Alpha.”
“Maybe I am but she is not to know about this,” I grunted with a warning to my words, one which he received loud and clear.
Vance smirked, “Nothing worse than a mate who knows she has control over you – happened to my older brother and he is basically a kitchen maid now.” He snickered which made me cringe because I could imagine Eva doing just that to me plus more and purely for her own entertainment.
(Eva’s POV)
Yawning and stretching as my eye fluttered open I felt revived and well rested as my eyes scanned the room, causing me to bolt up into a sitting position – where the heck am I? Then just as quickly as that thought came so did realisation as I remembered me and Saxon skipping school and me half waking up and telling him to let me sleep after he said I was in his room.
Scanning the room once more I was surprised to find that he wasn’t actually in here, I thought he would have ignored me and stayed. Huh, strange. What was even stranger was the fact his room was spotless, like obsessive compulsive spotless – I bet he hires a maid or something because there is no way the Saxon I know is a clean freak.
The bedroom door opened up slowly and I watched as Saxon poked his head around and looked over at me, “You’re finally awake,” he smirked teasingly and opened the door wider before walking all the way in.
“Yeah...” I mumbled as I looked around his room again, nothing looked to be out of place at all and it looked so bare, “Your room is clean,” I frowned, looking back over to him.
He stopped walking and pulled a face as he glanced around his room before shrugging, “So? Yours is a mess.”
“Hey,” I scolded lightly and he smirked again.
“It is and you know it.”
“I prefer to call it lived in.”
“Call it whatever you want – it’s still a mess,” he shrugged again and walked the rest of the way to the foot of his bed before sitting down.
“Whatever,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes.
“Sleep well?” he suddenly asked as he looked at the ground with his hands resting loosely in his lap.
“Yeah?” I wondered where this was going.
“Why were you so tired but so hyper this morning – you didn’t take drugs, did you?” and he looked up at me with a glare.
My jaw dropped open, “What? You think I took drugs? What on earth is wrong with you?” I shouted, shocked he would even think that! Yeah, I can be a little crazy at times but that’s me naturally, I don’t need drugs in my life at all.
“Whoa,” He held his hands up, “It was just a question; you were a bit weird this morning.”
Glaring at him angrily, “That’s what happens when you’re tired and your brother convinces you to scull an energy drink down as quick as you can – it kind of goes straight to your head.” I still wasn’t happy about his slight accusation.
“Why were you so tired then?” he questioned me again and I wasn’t really liking this third degree interrogation.
“I didn’t sleep well, is that a crime?” I half snapped, trying to keep my anger in check but this is harder than what it seems.
A cocky look came across his face, “Miss me that much, huh?”
“No!” I snapped defensively and maybe a little too quickly but I didn’t miss him, I just couldn’t sleep but now he is going to think otherwise no matter what I say.
“I think you did,” he smugly replied in a sing song voice. Glaring angrily at him I reached behind me and grabbed a pillow then quickly threw it at that big head of his that could do with a little deflating at this moment. It hit him on the side of the face and fell to the floor with a soft thump, then Saxon slowly turned to face me with one eyebrow raised, “Feel better now?” he asked slowly but calmly.
Nodding my head I watched him carefully, waiting for some kind of retaliation, though it’s surprising how good it feels to hit someone with a pillow. Saxon just stared back at me in a calm way which honestly worried me even more; I was expecting him to snap at me or try and tell me off or something.
“Can I ask you something?” I blurted out and watched his calm face turn to one of shock then just as quick - suspicion.
“What is it?” he asked suspiciously and I smiled slightly before gently shaking my head.
“Now, don’t get all angry and wolf on me but.....I want to know what it is with the whole Jack thing?” I rushed the last part out and held my breath, I had to know though and as I scrunched my face up ready for the yelling I watched his jaw clench and hands curl up into large tight fists, his eyes began to turn that deep black they always do when he is really mad and I regretted asking.
“Drop it Eva,” his voice growled sounding more like the wolf inside him as it echoed throughout the room and I gulped, yeah I so should not have asked him that.
‘Where are you?’ Brody’s demanding voice filled my head and I groaned internally.
‘Ticking Saxon off again, why, what’s up?’
‘What’s up?’ he basically shrieked, sounding like a girl like he had last night, ‘Schools finished and you’re nowhere to be found and now you’re telling me your making that thing angry again!’ his voice was rising in anger and it was annoying me.
‘I’ll be home soon, okay?’
‘You need to come home now.....pack meeting,’ He mumbled the last part and I frowned.
‘What on earth is a pack meeting?’
‘It’s where your pack has a meeting!’ he snapped back at me with agitation.
‘Whatever, I’ll leave in a minute,’ I muttered and looked over at Saxon while taking a small deep breathe, “You okay?”
“Fine,” he muttered through clenched teeth and it was obvious to me he was trying to calm down the best he could right now.
“Um, well....good,” I muttered, not really knowing what to say. I'm not that flash with comforting words, “I have to go now, something about a pack meeting? I don’t know,” I still had no idea what that was even about, no one has mentioned a pack meeting to me until now.
Saxon scoffed loudly at this and I narrowed my eyes defensively but the stupid boy didn’t pick up on that as he spoke, “It’s not even big enough to be classed as a real pack.”
“Hey!” I snapped loudly, “That’s my family and my pack you are talking about and we are better than yours any day of the week!”
He growled lowly but angrily at me, “Find your own way home then!” he snarled and anger shot through my body, he is such a flippin’ jerk at times! Why do I even bother giving him a chance? Well, not no more.
“Fine I will!” I snapped as I jumped off the bed and stormed out of his stupidly clean room, slamming the door behind me like a tantrum throwing child and stomped down the stairs until I was out the front door and walking down the long dirt driveway with my arms folded angrily over my chest and kicking every rock I could see.
Slamming the front door open I stopped and turned around to glare at the start of the woods down the road where I had just come from. He had followed me all the way home, staying out of sight but I knew he was there and it only infuriated me even more that he thinks I'm not even capable to walk myself home.
Walking inside I slammed the door shut and Stevie poked his head out from the kitchen with a confused look which turned to one of caution as he noticed how ticked off I was, “Where’s this stupid meeting then?” I snapped, looking away from him and glaring at the wall.
“What meeting?” he sounded confused.
Looking back up at him, “The stupid pack meeting Brody told me we were having,” I growled, trying to calm my temper down but it was a slow process. The walk would have helped if I didn’t have a stupid stalker following me.
“Um, he lied to you!” Stevie blurted out quickly then pointed up the stairs and ducked back onto the kitchen as fast as a bolt of lightning.
Letting a growl rumbled through my chest I stormed to the stairs and up them, making my way to Brody’s room where I kicked his door open and he jumped in his chair before spinning around and away from his computer to look at me with wide eyes as he took my appearance in.
“Don’t ever lie to me again Brody Thorn!” I snapped, my voice echoing around the room and most likely half the house as I made my way over to his bookshelf and snatched up his iPhone, he started to protest but I glared at him, “You get it back when you learn not to lie,” I snapped again but not as harsh this time.
It took me over an hour to completely calm down but it was the run I took with Harper that helped me the most. Laying down on my bed in the darkness it brought a little smile to my face as I closed my eyes and pictured the scenery through the eyes of my wolf. Everything is magnified and stands out more, you notice the little things regular humans don’t and they are missing out. Every smell is sharper, sounds are even clearer in wolf form; basically everything is so much better and simpler.
A scraping noise had my eyes snapping open and looking over at my window as I watched it being slowly lifted up. My first reaction was to grab something and hit the intruder with it but then the wind changed direction and his scent hit me full force in the face – maybe I should grab something to hit the intruder with anyway, I thought as I watched him climb in slowly.
“You don’t have cool ninja skills like me Saxon,” I mumbled as I looked away and back up to my ceiling.
“You’re not even a ninja Eva, you’re a wolf,” he muttered back. Well, at least he seems to be in a better mood now. I was too – until he climbed through my darn window like a peeping tom.
“What do you want?”
Saxon didn’t reply right away as he closed the window and walked quietly over to my bed, I felt it dip a little as he sat down next to me, his large figure outlined in the darkness and as my eyes grew adjusted to him being in here, I could make out his facial features.
Travis taught me how to ‘tune’ out my wolf abilities and to ‘tune’ them back in because honestly, walking around all day and night with excellent vision gets annoying. I like my night time to be just that, night time. I don’t like being able to clearly see everything unless I absolutely need to.
“I'm sorry about earlier and I'm sorry for making you walk home,” he muttered his apology and I rolled my eyes but said nothing as he continued, “You wanted to know about......Jack,” he snarled his name like it was poison, “I’ll tell you but you have to do one thing for me.”
I could already feel his body shaking with inner rage as he mentioned Jacks name and it really made me want to hit it out of him faster as to what was going on. I can’t stand not knowing anymore. They always say ‘curiosity killed the cat’ but guess what people? I'm a werewolf, I think I will survive.
“What?” I asked quietly and with slight suspicion, hoping it wasn’t something too drastic, though I probably would have agreed just so I can find out.
“Let me hold you,” his voice was barely a whisper and he almost sounded embarrassed.
“Uh, what?” I mentally slapped myself for my own stupidity but in reality it wasn’t that long ago when he made me walk home and he doesn’t exactly live across the street.
“It will keep me calm and stop me going wolf,” his jaw was now clenched; I could hear it in his tone and smiled slightly.
“Naw, big bad Alpha needs a cuddle?” I cooed in a voice people use with babies all the time and chuckled quietly as I wished the bedroom light was on so I could see his reaction clearly but when I was hit in the arm with my pillow, I knew it had ticked him off at least a little bit, laughing I tossed the covers of my blanket back and patted my bed alongside me, “Come here then.....my wittle baby,” I cooed the last part.
Saxon climbed in alongside me and rolled over top of me on purpose, grunting under his weight I tried to shove him off as his body shook with silent laughter before he lay down alongside me, “Jerk,” I huffed, wiping my hair out of my eyes.
“Stop with the damn baby comments then,” he muttered and I laughed once before we fell into silence just lying still alongside one another. I didn’t know what to do - do I just wrap my arm around him or what? This is so stupid and weird. Why does he have to be so annoying?
My thoughts were cut off as his arm slid underneath me and abruptly pulled me closer to him so my head was on his chest and his arm was hugging me around my back with his hand resting on my arm, “Jack use to be in our pack, back when my dad was Alpha,” he spoke so quietly and I could already hear his heart picking up speed.
“He was second in command and was my mum’s best friend since high school; if there was anyone my dad trusted with his mate it was Jack,” he growled the last part and I felt it rumble through his body into mine. Wrapping my arm around his waist and squeezing gently he took a few deep breathes.
“Rogues rarely attacked our pack, they were too fearful of my dad’s anger – the same anger that runs through my veins but on the day Jack and my mum went for a run was the day apparently a small group crossed the borders onto our land. I don’t believe his rubbish of a story at all,” he hissed while his body started shaking slightly.
“Deep breathes,” I whispered and he hugged me tighter to him as his chest fell and rose along with my head still listening to his beating heart as it slowly went back to a more normal rate.
“Jack called for backup saying he couldn’t take them all on and protect my mum, she was also a stubborn little thing so I believe she would have fought for herself but by the time my dad and some others got there, it was too late.....she was dead. Her wolf body was laying on the ground, unmoving and not breathing.” He took a few deep breathes again as I gently rubbed his arm, “I heard people saying she was pretty messed up but the words that stuck with me the most was that there was no signs of rogues being there at all – only my mum and Jack.” He snapped Jacks name with such anger it made me flinch, “Sorry,” he mumbled and rubbed small circles on my arm which I don’t think he even realised he was doing.
“It’s okay,” I mumbled as my thoughts were filled with images of my old smiling principal, it couldn’t be the same Jack, but I know it is because Grug is his cousin but it just didn’t sound like something the Jack I knew would do. He never raised his voice once while at school, never shown any signs of anger at all, even with me and all the pranks and naughty things I would get up too.
“He ran from the pack not even twelve hours later, leaving some crap note saying he couldn’t handle the guilt of not defending her better but we all know he ran from guilt, just guilt from murdering my mum like a cold hearted dog that he is. I’ve wanted him dead ever since. My dad was only a shell, he was dead inside and I was furious with him for not even wanting to hunt Jack down and make him pay.”
Saxons entire body was shaking now and he let go off me as his hands curled up into fists, his breathing was sharp and fast, “Sax, calm down,” I whisper hissed as I rolled over to lie on top of him and take his face into my hands, cupping his cheeks I stared down into his dark eyes, “Calm down,” I spoke in a stern voice that wasn’t asking but telling him to do as I say.
Something flashed within his eyes but I didn’t understand what it was, all I know is that a minute later his arms were wrapped back around me and holding me tight to him with my head back down on his chest. Closing my eyes I listened to his steadying heart as it fell into a rhythmic beating and slowly drifted me off to sleep in his warm and safe embrace.
“Damn you Eva,” he barely whispered, “You just ordered an Alpha around.” Were the last words I heard before I fell asleep with a small smile on my face.