Chapter 26
“Vaughn,” I whispered, my voice hoarse with exhaustion. I stretched my arm through the bed's safety bars, reaching for him.
He stirred, blinking awake. When he saw me, he leaned forward, brushing a kiss against my temple before taking my hand in his, squeezing gently. “He’s in good hands, Joey. VJ’s going to be fine.”
I tried to hold it together, but my breath hitched, and the tears came. “He’s so small. I can’t... I can’t lose him, Vaughn.”
His thumb brushed across the back of my hand, soothing. “We’re not going to lose him. He’s a fighter. But you’ll need help when he comes home. I’ve been thinking…” He paused, his gaze drifting as if weighing his words. “I’m considering giving my position to Brian Lieberman.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. Brian Lieberman had been a senior board member at Ashworth for over twenty-five years. Vaughn had worked his entire life to become CEO, and now he was willing to hand it over?
“No,” I protested, wiping my tears. “You’ve wanted this for so long, Vaughn. You fought for it.”
His eyes softened as he leaned closer. “When I watched you give birth to our son, I realized... none of that matters anymore. Not the money, not the power. I’ve loved you for so long, Joey, and I screwed it all up chasing things that don’t even compare to you and VJ.
I believe we were meant to have him. We belong together, all three of us. ”
I looked away, conflicted. "We can raise him without being together. We don't need to make this about us."
“No.” Vaughn’s voice was firm but tender, pulling my attention back to him. “Together is the only way it can work. Say you’ll marry me.”
I stared at him, my heart racing, torn between the love I had once felt and the hurt that still lingered from the past. He had betrayed me, but seeing him now, vulnerable and willing to change... it stirred something inside me. If Colson could change, maybe Vaughn could too.
I reached up, cupping his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin under my palm. “Ask me again,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Before he could respond, the nurse came in, interrupting the moment to check my vitals. Vaughn stepped back, nodding to me with a knowing look, as if he understood that the conversation wasn’t over.
Hours passed in a blur. Vaughn waited until a reasonable time to notify our families, and soon enough, my hospital room was buzzing with visitors. Flowers filled the space—roses, lilies, daisies—along with balloons and congratulatory cards. The scent was overwhelming, but the love was palpable.
VJ was perfect, despite his placement in the NICU.
The doctor estimated he’d need to stay in there for a couple of weeks until he was strong enough to come home.
I clung to the hope that he would be home by Christmas, but I hadn’t even had a moment to decorate the house.
The holidays felt like a distant dream now.
Exhaustion tugged at my eyelids, and before I knew it, I had dozed off again. When I woke, the room was quiet, and Vaughn was gone. In his place, on the bedside table, sat a stunning crystal vase filled with two dozen red roses. The deep red blooms seemed to glow in the soft room light.
A smile tugged at my lips, and I let my eyes drift closed again, the scent of roses filling my senses as I slipped back into a restless sleep.
I didn’t see Vaughn until the next afternoon when he came to pick me up. I hated leaving VJ here, but the doctor said after another check that it was possible he would only be here for a week. I planned to visit him as much as I could even though I was in slight pain.
“Joey, how are you feeling?”
I frowned. “I haven’t seen you for hours.”
If this was how he would take responsibility, by leaving us at the hospital while he ran around doing God knows what.
“I was busy. Come on, Joey, don’t be angry at me. I was prepping a few things as your house before you came home.”
I softened. “I’m sorry.”
“Can you help me get dressed?”
He nodded, helping me dress in the sweatsuit he brought for me to change into. We had forgotten the bag I packed and had waiting when we ran out of the house two nights ago.
Once I received my discharge papers, we stopped by the NICU to see VJ. He was crying and that got me crying because my arms felt empty without him. When I was pregnant with Colson’s baby, I couldn’t wait to be a mother. Now that VJ was here, I felt horrible that I couldn’t take him home with us.
Vaughn comforted me. “We’ll see him every day. The week will fly by before you know it.”
He wiped at my tears, planting a kiss on my forehead as we left the NICU. I looked through the window as the orderly rolled me away in a wheelchair. Vaughn was almost silent as we turned onto my street.
“Close your eyes,” he said, pulling over.
“Vaughn, I don’t feel like games.”
He exhaled loudly, his voice laced with frustration. “It’s not a game. Just humor me.”
I closed my eyes, and the car began to move again. When it stopped, he placed a kiss on my cheek.
“Open them.”
I did and gasped at what I saw. The porch was decorated with Christmas lights woven around the railing. A small Santa with his reindeer was stuck in the lawn and a wreath adorned the door.
“You decorated?”
He nodded with a smile. “I know you love the holidays. That’s where I was. I also went grocery shopping.”
I raised my eyebrows as our family came out on the porch, calling to us. I couldn’t help but smile even though our son wasn’t with us. When I stepped inside, the house smelled of cinnamon and spice and was beautifully decorated complete with a ten foot tree. It was the perfect welcome home.
Vaughn waited on me hand and foot. The transformation was almost surreal—gone was the man who once prioritized power and control over everything.
Now, he was present, attentive, and almost..
. gentle. I sat propped up in bed, watching him move around the room, fetching my water, adjusting my pillows, calling the hospital for updates on VJ when we weren’t there.
"Do you need anything else?" he asked softly, his voice carrying a tenderness I hadn’t heard in years. He hovered near the bed, his eyes searching mine, waiting for a sign, any sign, that I needed something.
I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. "No, I'm fine, Vaughn. You don't have to—"
"I want to," he cut me off gently, but firmly. "Joey, let me take care of you."
There was something in his tone that made me pause.
This wasn’t the old Vaughn, the one who schemed and manipulated to get his way.
This was a man who had watched his son come into the world too early, who had seen me go through hell to bring that tiny life into being. And now, he was here. Really here.
I watched him as he straightened the blanket at the end of the bed, his movements almost too careful, as if he was afraid of breaking something. It was strange to see him like this—so hands-on, so different.
"You’ve changed," I murmured, studying his face.
He looked up from the blanket, his brow furrowing slightly. "I had to."
I tilted my head, waiting for him to elaborate.
He let out a slow breath and sat on the edge of the bed, his hand finding mine once again.
"When I saw you in labor, fighting to bring our son into the world, something clicked.
I've spent so much time focused on the wrong things—control, my career, trying to win at everything.
But in that room... none of that mattered. All I cared about was you. And VJ."
His words hung in the air, and for the first time in a long time, I believed him. I saw it in his eyes—the sincerity, the regret, and something else... hope.
"I wasn’t sure you could change," I admitted quietly, squeezing his hand.
"Neither was I," he replied, his thumb tracing small circles on the back of my hand. "But I’m trying. For you. For us."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The quiet hum of the heating registers in the room filled the space, and in that silence, I realized how much weight had been lifted.
The Vaughn I had once loved seemed to be resurfacing, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself believe that maybe. .. just maybe, we could make this work.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice breaking slightly. "For everything."
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek, his lips lingering there for a beat longer than necessary. "You don’t need to thank me. This is where I belong, Joey. With you. With our son."
He took a chance, his lips hovering over mine before he pressed them to mine. I wove my fingers in his hair, kissing him like I used to, wanting to love him as much as I had months ago before he betrayed me. It was possible I could forgive him. I’d forgiven so many people during my short life.
He broke away, searching my eyes. “You said to ask again. Marry me.”
I nodded, forcing back tears but failing as they spilled over my lids. “Yes,” I whispered.