Chapter 40
Phoenix
Harmony stayed the night at Dad’s with the rest of my brothers.
Dad wasn’t only the director of the police force; he was a force of nature.
A man who opened his home and heart to many people over the years, so it wasn’t surprising when he took Harmony in.
Outside everything seemed so quiet and peaceful, but inside me adrenaline still hummed.
The night dragged on with me still feeling the need to hold my breath, despite Braden being home.
I had to keep telling myself he was safe. That we were together in our home.
Now it was morning, I was tired and stressed as I sat at the kitchen table, elbows braced on the wood, watching steam curl from my mug and thinking about how close we’d come to losing everything.
Elyna padded into the kitchen barefoot, her hair in a messy knot, wearing one of my old T-shirts. She carried Braden on her hip. “Morning,” she said, voice still soft with sleep.
Braden was all smiles as she placed him in his high chair and went to the counter to prepare his cereal. She gave him a spoon to hold in the meantime, and he was babbling to the spoon like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
“Morning,” I echoed.
When his cereal was ready, Elyna grabbed a seat at one of the chairs closest to the high chair, and she began feeding him, smiling, and making her usual silly sounds and funny faces.
I watched them together; the curve of her shoulder, the sound of his laugh, and something inside me finally settled after last night’s disaster.
The fear was still there, but it wasn’t in charge anymore.
Elyna caught me staring. “You look like you didn’t sleep.”
“I didn’t,” I admitted. “I was too wired and grateful.”
Her smile tilted. “Same.” Braden had spent the rest of the night cradled between us in bed. The thought of putting him back in his crib had both of us reeling with anxiety.
I poured her a cup of coffee. When she finished feeding Braden she came to stand beside me, hip against the counter. For a long minute we didn’t say anything. The quiet was good, the kind that let your heart catch up to the rest of you.
“I keep thinking about yesterday,” she said finally. “How fast everything can go from normal to nightmare.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, that exact thought had settled heavy on me through the night.
She looked over at Braden. He was busy trying to stick cereal into his sippy cup. “He doesn’t even know he was in danger. I keep telling myself that’s a blessing.”
“It is.” I reached out, letting my hand rest against her wrist. “He’s safe. You’re safe. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Her throat worked, a small nod. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if . . .”
“Hey.” I stood and caught her face between my palms. “Don’t finish that sentence. We’re past it.”
Her eyes met mine as she held back tears, “Phoenix,” she whispered, and I could hear everything she wasn’t saying in that one word.
I kissed her. The kind of kiss that said, “This is what I choose every damn day.”
When I pulled back, she smiled faintly. “You always know what to say.”
We both laughed.
“There’s a first time for everything,” I said.
She got quiet again, studying me like she was trying to figure out where to start.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You look different.”
“Different how?”
“Like you finally let yourself breathe.”
Maybe I had. Or maybe I was just done pretending that wanting them wasn’t the most honest thing about me.
I drew a slow breath. “Elyna, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Her brow furrowed. “Okay.”
I ran a hand through my hair. Words were never my strength; I built things instead. But what I wanted to say needed to be built with words.
“I love you,” I said simply. “I’ve probably loved you longer than I’ve admitted, even to myself. I just… I didn’t know what to do with it before.”
Her lips parted, surprise flickering there before it softened into something deeper. “Phoenix…”
“I mean it,” I said. “I’ve spent my whole life protecting things: my brothers, this land, the brewery. But you and Braden… you’re not something I need to protect. You’re what I want to live for.”
Tears gathered, fast and hot. “You can’t say things like that when I’m holding it together by a thread.”
I smiled. “You’re stronger than you think, Wildflower.”
She laughed through the tears, shaking her head. “You always think I’m strong.”
“I know you are.” I paused, thumb brushing her cheek. “And that’s why I want to ask you something.”
“Okay…” she said slowly, wary but curious.
“I know Braden isn’t mine by blood,” I said, voice low. “Riley gave him life, but you both gave me something I didn’t even know I needed. Every time he calls me ‘Da,’ I feel like I’ve been handed a second chance at being the man I want to be.”
Her breath hitched. “Phoenix…”
“I want to make it official,” I said. “I want to adopt him. Be his father in every way that matters.”
The silence that followed was thick. Braden dropped a
and giggled like the universe was laughing with him.
Elyna stared at me, eyes wide, shining. “You mean that?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I want to be his dad. And I want you to be my wife, but that isn’t a marriage proposal. I can do better than this. I just wanted you to know where I stand. I didn’t want to waste another minute.”
She covered her mouth, tears spilling over now.
“I’ve never felt this way before, Phoenix.
I’ve made such terrible mistakes. You and Braden are the only right choices I’ve ever made.
I love you, Phoenix Thorne, and saying that out loud should scare me, but it makes me feel free. ” She ended on a half sob, half laugh.
“Come here,” I said, roping her in close to me by her waist. I kissed her like she was my forever. We kissed until Braden banged his spoon hard and we both turned toward him, laughing. He beamed at us, saying something that sounded almost like “Yay.”
“See?” I said, brushing Elyna’s cheek. “He approves.”
She reached for Braden, kissed his forehead. “You hear that, baby? You’ve got two parents now who love you more than anything.”
Braden squealed and clapped, which seemed like a good enough signature for now.
I looked at them, at her holding him, sunlight cutting through her hair, and felt something I’d never felt before. Not just peace. Not even happiness. Belonging.
“We’ll need to start the paperwork,” I said, trying to sound practical, even as my chest felt like it might split open.
“We’ll talk to Pierre?” she said.
I nodded. “He’ll help. I know the process: all the background checks, home visits, all that. I don’t care how long it takes. I just want it done.”
She leaned into me. “Phoenix Thorne, official father.”
“Has a nice ring to it,” I said.
We stood there with Braden between us, the three of us a messy, beautiful tangle of hope and tired hearts. Outside, frost glittered on the orchard. The chime Dad had installed pinged softly when the wind nudged the porch door, but it wasn’t an alarm anymore.
Elyna brushed a hand through Braden’s hair. “He’s going to grow up here,” she said softly. “Safe. Loved. Knowing exactly who he is.”
“Yeah,” I said, voice thick. “He’s going to grow up knowing his dad built him a home, and his mom taught him how to live in it.”
She pinned me with a look. “You really think this is forever?”
“I don’t think,” I said. “I know.”
We kissed again, slow and sure, until the sound of Braden’s babble filled the space between us. For the first time since she’d come back to Val-Du-Lys, there was no running left to do.