Chapter 31
ASHER
THREE MONTHS LATER
The smell of pancakes fills the kitchen as I flip another onto the plate. The twins argue at the table over the junior security badge.
“Emma had it yesterday,” Ella says, arms crossed.
“But I did more ninja moves with Uncle Zane!” Emma shoots back.
Zane, fresh from his night patrol, sips his coffee, clearly over it. “Both of you earned it,” he grunts, dropping the badge on the table. “Figure it out.”
They grab it at the same time before running outside, their laughter trailing behind them.
I lean against the counter, watching through the window. It still throws me off how normal this feels. After everything, waking up here with them like this doesn’t seem real.
I think about Olive. About last week, when I took the girls to meet her. It wasn’t planned; I just needed space to think. But when Emma and Ella started asking about my family, something told me to just do it.
Olive took one look at them and shook her head, smiling. “You’ve already decided, haven’t you?”
And maybe I have.
Since I let go of my old place, Olive is now at one of my apartments I own in the city, and she seems to like it there.
We’ve now moved into the place that’s closer to Mia’s workplace.
It’s big enough for the six of us, and any pets the girls might own in the future (something they’ve been hinting they want).
Mia walks in, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
She steals a pancake straight off the plate and leans against me like it’s second nature.
“You keep feeding me like this, and I’ll never get rid of you,” she mutters around a bite.
“You say that like it’s even an option.” I press a quick kiss to her temple and hand her a plate.
Across the kitchen, Zane watches over his coffee, shaking his head. “You two are disgusting,” he mutters.
Mia smirks. “Jealous?”
“Don’t even joke about it,” Zane warns.
I smirk.
Through the window, I watch Damon out in the yard with the girls. No more “Secret Agent” games—now they’re getting real training. Drills. Footwork. Defense stances. Their tiny bodies move in sync, following Damon’s instructions with serious expressions.
I sip my coffee. “We’re really raising junior protection specialists, huh?”
Mia, standing at the counter, just nods. She’s not really paying attention, just stirs her tea with a far-off look.
Something’s off.
“You good?” I ask.
She blinks and snaps out of it. “Yeah. Just… work stuff.”
Before I can press, she sets her mug down and heads upstairs.
I glance at Zane, who’s leaning against the counter, flipping through his phone. “What’s that about?”
He shrugs. “Probably the new job.”
Right. The job.
Mia switched hospitals a few weeks ago—better pay, better benefits, more security. It made sense. But something about the way she left just now doesn’t sit right with me.
I look back outside. The girls laugh as Damon corrects their stances, making them do it again. A few months ago, they were playing hide and seek. Now, they’re learning how to throw a proper punch. I’m so proud of them.
“Listen, there’s something I need to run by you,” Zane says, shifting his weight like he’s uncomfortable. Which is weird, because Zane is never uncomfortable.
I raise a brow. “What? Don’t tell me you’re proposing.”
The joke lands flat when I see his expression.
Oh, you’ve got to be joking.
Zane scratches his jaw. “Yeah… about that.”
I groan. “No. No way. I had this whole thing planned.”
Zane crosses his arms, grinning. “Well, I hate how in sync we are.”
“This is unbelievable.” I shake my head. “How the hell are we both proposing at the same time?”
“Damon, too,” Zane says casually.
I nearly choke on my coffee. “Oh, come on.”
Zane shrugs. “Mia deserves it.”
I sigh, rubbing a hand down my face. He’s not wrong, but I was supposed to have this big moment, this perfect plan. Now I have to share it?
Zane claps me on the shoulder. “Look on the bright side. She can’t say no to all three of us.”
“That’s not very comforting,” I say, scowling at him. I shake my head, still trying to process. “This is ridiculous.”
Zane smirks. “You gonna back out?”
“Hell, no,” I mutter, already running through a mental checklist. “But now we actually have to plan this thing.”
Zane leans against the counter, arms crossed. “Damon probably already has a whole tactical strategy laid out.”
I snort. “Of course he does.”
The thought of Damon sitting somewhere with a serious expression, mapping out the perfect proposal like it’s a military op, almost makes me laugh. Almost.
Zane taps his fingers against the counter. “So? We’re doing this together?”
I exhale. “Yeah. We are.”
It’s not how I imagined proposing to Mia, but maybe that’s the point. She’s not a conventional woman. Our life isn’t conventional. So why should the proposal be?
“She’s gonna lose her mind,” I say.
Zane grins. “That’s the idea.”
The next few days pass in a blur of planning.
I double-check my gear as Mia steps into the kitchen, adjusting the collar of her scrubs. The sight of her still does something to me, even after all these months. She’s so confident, steady, beautiful.
“Ready for your first day running the new medical training program?” she asks me, grabbing a travel mug from the counter.
I nod, keeping my expression neutral. “Yeah. It’s been a long time coming.”
I’ve spent months developing this program—teaching security teams the advanced first aid techniques that have saved my own ass too many times. No more overseas contracts, no more extended absences. This is what I wanted. A life here. A life with her.
And tonight, if all goes to plan, that life will be official.
I glance at Zane, who’s pretending to be preoccupied with his coffee. We’re both trying to act normal, which makes it painfully obvious that something’s up. Mia, of course, notices immediately.
“What’s with you two?” Mia asks, brows furrowed.
“Nothing,” Zane and I say at the same time.
Mia tilts her head, narrowing her eyes. “You’re acting weird.”
I force a chuckle and shoulder my bag. “Just first-day nerves.”
She gives me a knowing look, but thankfully doesn’t push. Instead, she steps closer, resting a hand on my chest. “You’ll be great,” she says, then leans up to press a kiss to my cheek.
If she had any idea what we had planned for tonight, she’d be a lot more suspicious.
I clear my throat. “I gotta go.”
Zane claps me on the back as I head for the door, his smirk saying, Don’t screw this up.
I shoot him a glare before stepping out into the crisp morning air.
My truck’s parked in the driveway, but I pause for a second, looking back at the house.
The girls are probably upstairs, still tangled in their blankets.
Mia’s inside, sipping her coffee, getting ready for work.
And inside my jacket pocket, there’s a ring waiting for tonight.
I exhale and head for work.
Our new house sits on a stretch of land just beyond the city limits, where the lake glows golden at sunset.
It’s bigger than the old place, built with security in mind but without feeling like a fortress.
Multiple exits, reinforced windows, and a state-of-the-art surveillance system ensure we never get caught off guard again.
But inside? It’s a home. Warm lights, worn-in furniture, laughter in the halls.
The deck out back is my favorite spot—wide, sturdy, with enough space for all of us to sit and watch the lake. Right now, it’s where we’re gathered, watching the girls demonstrate their new self-defense moves.
Ella throws a perfect punch in the air, turning back to us for approval.
“Good follow-through,” I say, nodding. “Keep your wrist straight.”
Emma executes a dramatic spinning kick, nearly toppling over in the process. Damon catches her by the shoulder, grinning. “Balance, kiddo. Power doesn’t mean much if you fall on your face.”
Zane, arms crossed, gives them both an approving look. “Not bad. But if a guy grabs you—” He moves to demonstrate a quick breakaway maneuver, which Emma eagerly mimics.
Mia watches from the deck railing, smiling.
Damon’s the one who set all this up: the fairy lights as an excuse for Thanksgiving that’s coming up, wine, and Mia’s favorite cheese.
We’ve been waiting for the right time, and it’s now.
The girls don’t know every detail, but we asked for their blessing earlier this week, and they were thrilled. Emma had gasped and asked, “Like a fairytale?” Ella had nodded solemnly and said, “Mom deserves all of you.”
Zane meets my eyes across the deck, subtly reaching into his pocket. Damon gives a barely-there nod. My heart kicks up a little. It’s time.
I glance at Mia, taking in the way she tilts her head when she laughs, the way she reaches out to tuck Emma’s hair behind her ear, the way she’s finally at peace.
Damon clears his throat, stepping forward. The guy doesn’t get nervous—ever—but I can see it in the way he flexes his fingers, like he’s shaking out tension before a fight.
“Mia,” he starts, his voice catching a little. “We’ve been through hell together. And somehow, through all of it, you’ve held us together. You’ve made this a home. A family. We—”
She frowns, her expression tightening like she knows where this is going.
“I’m going to stop you right there,” she says, shaking her head. Then, to our complete shock, she turns and walks inside.
For a second, none of us move.
“What the hell was that about?” I ask, my chest tightening.
Damon stares at the door like she might come right back out and say, “Just kidding.”
She doesn’t.
“Maybe she got overwhelmed,” Zane offers, though he doesn’t sound convinced.
“I told you we should’ve done this one at a time,” he adds, rubbing a hand over his jaw.
Damon exhales sharply. “This doesn’t mean no.”
“No,” I agree. “But it sure as hell doesn’t mean yes, either.”
Zane shakes his head. “We should give her a minute.”
Damon doesn't look convinced, his hands still clenched at his sides, but he nods once. “Fine. A minute.”