"My sweetheart," she murmurs back, and winds her arms around him, holding him close. She's never thought of herself as a tender person and she doesn't have the gentlest touch, but she finds herself wanting to be sweet with him, to ghost her fingers over his skin and smooth his hair and feel his heart beating against her chest.

She smiles, dopey and pleased, and kisses the edge of his ear. "You're worth the wait."