Chapter 387:

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“You had your chance, and you ruined it yourself,” I said, stepping back and closing the door in their faces.

I didn’t check the window. Didn’t care whether they stayed or left. I turned and headed back upstairs, heart still pounding, head spinning.

When I got back to the room, Raina had woken, sitting up against the headboard with a sleepy frown.

“Was someone at the door?” she asked. “Did something happen?”

𝘋оw𝘯𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘢𝖻𝗹𝗲 рD𝖥𝗌 o𝗻 𝗀𝗮𝘭𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲ls.𝗰𝗼𝗆

I crossed the room, pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, and climbed back into bed, pulling her close. “Nothing important.”

The day moved slowly, morning arriving faster than expected. We were in the kitchen, light filtering in as we fed the babies.

Raina shot me a mock glare, threatening to end me when I nearly poured out some of the milk she’d pumped. I swallowed nervously and stole a kiss in the hallway anyway, just because I could, hoping it’d earn her forgiveness.

I caught her watching me strangely while I washed bottles.

“What?” I asked, smiling.

She shook her head, smiling back. “I just can’t believe this. You’re here. Present. With me. Doing everything I begged you to do for years. I keep waiting to wake up, or for you to switch back.”

I dried my hands and pulled her into my arms. “It’s not a dream, and I’m not pretending. I promise,” I said. “And I’m sorry, for all of it.”

She leaned into me, and I kissed her, soft at first, then deeper, because I meant it. I pulled back before it went further, grinning.

“Keep this up, and you might end up pregnant again.”

She laughed, covering her face, suddenly shy. “God, don’t even joke about that.”

We made breakfast together, mostly me, French toast and strawberries. I let her steal the last slice, pretending to be annoyed, which made her laugh harder.

“Excited about starting work next week?” I asked as we sat down to eat.

She froze, fork halfway to her mouth.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?” I asked, reaching for her hand.

“It’s a lot. I’ve never done anything like it, and now I have to live up to this whole legacy. What if I can’t? I already have my hands full with the kids, how am I supposed to manage a job too? I—”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said gently. “You’re not doing this alone, love. I’m here, and we’ll find a way to make it work, especially with the kids. I’ll cut back at the office, we’ll get help if we need it, whatever it takes. But I’m not letting you talk yourself out of something that’s yours.”

She nodded, tears welling, blinking them back with a small smile. “Okay.”

The week rolled by in a blur of bottles, diaper changes, kisses, late-night cuddles. I started working from home more, while Raina buried herself in research, bombarding Dominic with endless questions. The twins were thriving, our daughter healthy and thriving, laughing more each day. So did we.

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