Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ella
The Miami Aquarium pulsed with life, a mix of children’s laughter, the rhythmic splash of water, and the faint buzz of an overhead announcement echoing through the expansive glass-domed ceiling. Sunlight streamed through, making the tanks sparkle like living works of art.
Bess darted ahead, her sneakers squeaking against the floor as she skidded to a stop in front of a massive cylindrical tank filled with jellyfish. Pressing her hands against the glass, she tilted her head in awe, watching the luminous creatures drift in slow, hypnotic swirls.
“They look like ghosts,” she murmured, her voice filled with pure wonder.
I smiled, stepping beside her. “They do, don’t they? But they’re very much alive.”
Lucas stood behind us, his presence steady and warm, though I sensed his usual confidence was weighed down by something heavier. He hadn’t said much since we arrived, other than engaging with Bess when she pulled him from one exhibit to the next. But now, as Bess remained entranced by the jellyfish, he shifted slightly closer to me.
“This morning’s meeting was... complicated,” he said quietly, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
I turned to face him fully, instantly aware of the change in tone. “With Curtain?”
Lucas nodded. “My father is pleading guilty.”
I inhaled sharply, my gaze flickering over his face. Despite everything—despite knowing this moment was coming—I could see the weight of it settling on his shoulders. His father, Alistair Deveraux, had been an unshakable force in the art world, both legitimate and otherwise. Seeing him fall in such a public, irreversible way had to be surreal for Lucas.
“Curtain’s working on a deal,” he continued, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “It won’t erase what he’s done, but if it goes through, it could significantly shorten his sentence.”
I studied him, waiting for more.
Lucas exhaled, his gaze dropping momentarily before meeting mine again. “My mother was at the meeting, too. She’s... offering to help.”
I blinked in surprise.“How?” I asked cautiously.
“She suggested a program,” Lucas said, his voice carrying both disbelief and resignation. “One that would focus on returning the stolen artwork we still have.”
The words sank in slowly. We still have. A chill passed through me as I processed their meaning.
“At some point,” Lucas went on, “it’ll be on me to open the vault. To hand over what’s left.” He scoffed under his breath, shaking his head. “They don’t even know what all is in there. It’ll take time, sorting through everything and figuring out how to return what we can.”
I absorbed his words, the sheer magnitude of responsibility settling like a weight between us. This wasn’t just about clearing his family’s name—this was about undoing decades of secrecy, deceit, and stolen history.
Before I could respond, Bess spun around, beaming.
“Can we go see the stingrays now?” she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Lucas offered her a small smile, though I saw the tension still lingering behind his eyes. “Of course, kiddo.”
As we followed her toward the next exhibit, I slipped my hand into Lucas’s, squeezing gently. “You’re not in this alone. I love you and have faith in you,” I murmured.
He glanced down at me, a sense of serenity passing through his expression before he gave my fingers a soft squeeze in return.
“I know, and I love you too,” he said.
And somehow, I believed him.
Bess practically dragged Lucas toward the stingray touch pool, her small hands gripping his as she bounced with excitement. The air smelled faintly of salt water, and soft ripples spread across the surface of the shallow pool as stingrays glided just beneath it. Their smooth bodies cut through the water effortlessly.
“Come on! Hurry!” Bess squealed, tugging Lucas along as if he needed convincing.
Lucas chuckled but didn’t resist. “Alright, alright, I’m coming.”
She rushed to the edge, leaning over eagerly while an aquarium guide reminded the kids to keep their hands flat if they wanted to touch one. Lucas rolled up his sleeves and knelt beside her, the same easy confidence he carried in every situation radiating off him.
I, however, stayed back a few steps and lifted my phone to capture the moment with a video.
Bess reached out, her small fingers hovering just below the surface. A stingray swam closer, its sleek, gray body rippling through the water, and she let out a delighted gasp as it brushed her fingertips.
“It’s so soft!” she giggled, turning to Lucas. “You try!”
Lucas didn’t hesitate. He dipped his fingers into the water, running them lightly over the stingray’s back. “Huh,” he mused. “Not bad. Feels kind of like?—”
“Like velvet!” Bess interrupted, bouncing with excitement. “Mom, you have to try it!”
I froze.
The word Mom hung in the air between us, so casual, so unforced. Bess hadn’t even realized what she’d said. But I had.
A tightness formed in my chest, something warm and aching all at once.
Lucas’s head turned slightly in my direction. His eyes met mine, soft but assuring, as if waiting to see how I’d react.
I forced a breath, then crossed my arms over my chest, schooling my expression into something neutral. “I’m brave,” I said, lifting my chin slightly. “I just prefer my sea creatures behind glass.”
Lucas smirked, his knowing expression laced with amusement. “Sounds like an excuse to me.”
“It’s a preference,” I corrected.
Bess giggled again, running her fingers over the water’s surface. “Come on, Mom, it’s fun!”
There it was again.
This time, my breath caught hard in my throat. I swallowed, my heart thudding against my ribs. Lucas said nothing, just continued watching me with that quiet intensity.
A part of me wanted to correct her, to gently remind her that she didn’t have to call me that. But another part of me—a much bigger part—wanted to hold onto her words, to wrap them around me and never let them go.
Before I could say anything, Bess turned to me, her face lighting up with an idea I could already tell was going to change everything. She ran straight toward me and threw her arms around my waist before tilting her head back to look up at me.
“Aunt Ella?”
Her voice was lighter than air, filled with excitement that made my heart tighten.
I crouched down to meet her at eye level, brushing a damp curl away from her forehead. “What is it, sweetheart?”
She hesitated, her tiny fingers twisting the fabric of her shirt as if gathering courage. Then, with the same unshakable confidence she carried in everything she did, she blurted out the words that sent my world tilting on its axis.
“Can I call you Mom instead?”
The air around me seemed to still. The sounds of the aquarium—the soft bubbling of tanks, the distant chatter of other families, the rhythmic splashes of stingrays—faded into the background.
I blinked, my breath catching.
“Bess…” My voice barely made it past my lips. I searched her face, trying to understand if she truly meant what she was asking.
Her expression didn’t waver. Pure, innocent, and unwaveringly sure. She filled the silence between us without hesitation. “You already take care of me like a mom,” she said as if it were the simplest truth in the world. “You love me like my real mom did.”
Her voice was small but steady, her brown eyes full of a kind of unquestionable trust that nearly undid me.
“I want us to be a real family.”
A sharp wave of emotion rose in my chest, thick and uncontainable. Love. Overwhelming, heart-wrenching, all-consuming. I had always loved Bess, always felt fiercely protective of her, but hearing her say it out loud—choosing me in this way—shattered something in me.
Tears burned at the corners of my eyes as I reached out and pulled her close, wrapping my arms tightly around her small frame.
“Oh, sweetheart,” I whispered against her hair. “Of course you can.” My voice broke on the words, and I held her even tighter. “I would love that more than anything.”
Bess hugged me back with everything she had, her little arms squeezing me like she never wanted to let go.
When I finally pulled back, I wiped at my damp cheeks, laughing softly at myself. That was when I felt Lucas’s presence beside us.
His hand rested gently on Bess’s shoulder, his expression unreadable—something deeper than just affection, something raw and unspoken.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to because we all knew exactly what we were to each other.
Lucas tilted his head slightly. His eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. I could see the wheels turning in his mind, the weight of a decision forming in real time.
“That’s a great idea, Bess,” he said softly, his voice warm with something I couldn’t quite place. “But I think we should ask your mom something even bigger.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Lucas turned his full attention to me, and suddenly, the bustling noise of the aquarium—the chatter of nearby families, the faint whoosh of water filtering through the tanks—faded into a distant hum.
I stared at him, completely caught off guard, as he exhaled slowly, steadying himself.“Ella,” he started, his voice low but sincere. “I could have planned something elaborate. A grand speech, the perfect time…” His lips twitched with the hint of a smile. “But the truth is, I don’t want to wait.”
The world spun before my eyes as if it, too, recognized the weight of what was happening.
“I love you,” Lucas continued, his expression open, unguarded in a way that made me weak. “I love Bess. And I don’t want to spend another second without knowing you’ll be mine—officially. Will you marry me?”
Bess let out a delighted gasp, turning to me with wide, shining eyes. “Say yes, Mom!”
A tear slipped down my cheek, but I barely noticed. There wasn’t even a second of hesitation. I already knew the answer—I’d known it long before now, long before the words were spoken aloud.
“Yes,” I breathed, my voice shaking with more emotion than I could control.
Then, stronger, surer—because I meant it with everything in me—I repeated, “A thousand times, yes.”
Lucas let out a soft, relieved laugh, his smile full of so much joy it nearly unraveled me all over again. Before I could say anything else, he cupped my face and kissed me deeply, right in there the aquarium, with Bess clapping beside us.
The kiss was everything—a promise, a new beginning, a love story that neither of us had seen coming but somehow had always been meant to be.
When we finally pulled apart, Bess was practically bouncing with excitement. “We’re getting married! We’re gonna be a real family!”
Lucas brushed a tear from my cheek in a way that sent shivers down my spine. “Looks like we have some shopping to do,” he teased.
Bess gasped. “For a wedding dress?”
Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. “Not yet. First, a ring.”
I laughed, wiping away the lingering tears. “Well, if we’re making this official, I guess we should do it right.”
Bess grabbed both of our hands, beaming up at us. “Can I help pick it out?”
Lucas smirked, glancing at me. “What do you think?”
I squeezed Bess’s hand and smiled. “I think that sounds perfect.”
As we walked toward the exit, hand in hand, I realized something deep in my bones—for the first time in my life, I wasn’t just looking forward. I was stepping into a future I couldn’t wait to begin.