51. CHAPTER 48 #3
I leaned into him and placed a kiss on his jaw.
Across the lawn, my mother and Lady Kade were once again debating blanket thickness.
Zane was arguing with Adrien about cocktails.
Julian watched them all with that unreadable half-smile.
Blaise saluted me with his glass. Isolde was texting away on her phone.
Céleste eyed my dress for the tenth time today, now from a distance, reminding me with subtle cues that I need to do a postpartum capsule collection, no arguments.
Chaos. Noise. Life.
Our life. Our chaos.
I looked down at my husband—this man I hadn’t wanted to want and now couldn’t imagine living without—and at our daughter snuggled securely against his chest. I caught a glimpse of the pink cosmos I’d planted weeks before Aurora was born. They’d bloomed beautifully.
A love that lasts.
Sometimes it still felt unreal, the life we’d built.
Orion must have felt my gaze, because he turned slightly, adjusting the way Aurora’s small head rested in the crook of his arm before looking up at me. His eyes flicked to the flowers, then back to my face.
“You’re pleased with yourself,” he said. “They turned out exactly how you wanted.” His voice lowered. “I suppose I can take a little credit.”
I must have made some kind of face, because his eyes narrowed with amusement.
“Or is there a flaw you recognise, wife?”
“Not in the flowers,” I countered. “Just in the ego sitting next to them.”
His eyes darkened with heat. “Keep talking to me like that and I’ll put you over my knee when everyone leaves.”
My throat went dry. My breath stuttered. The sound of his voice went straight through me. I felt my heartbeat climb into my throat.
He moved closer, letting his mouth skim my cheek in a near-kiss.
“Nothing else to say now, hmm?” he drawled, his lips barely grazing my skin.
I swallowed hard, holding on to the fabric of his shirt, the warmth of his body pulling me in before I could think. I loved and hated how much he could undo me by his words alone.
He tilted my chin with the gentlest touch, guiding my eyes to his. His heat and constant devotion, all aimed at me.“I’ve got you, Léa,” he whispered, as though he could feel the tempo of my heartbeat. “Always.”
I parted my lips to whisper something back, he closed the distance and kissed me. It was a slow kiss, filled with triumph and tenderness at once. I kissed him back, conscious not to disturb the tiny bundle sleeping soundly on his chest.
When we finally drew apart, the side of his head pressed against mine.
“I’m lucky to have you both,” I breathed.
He smiled, answering without hesitation.
“I’m the lucky one.” His fingers traced over my knuckles.
He looked at our daughter, then at the garden full of our friends—our chosen family—and then back at me.
“I used to think the company was my legacy. The board. The Kade name. I used to think that was all of it. But none of this”—his gaze drifted over the lawn, then returned to my face—“would exist like this without you. We fought for this. We built this together.”
I swallowed, letting the weight of that sink in, breathing in the scent of the garden and the man beside me.
Across the lawn, Marcus and Zane were laughing at something Julian said. My mother’s voice cut through the babble of conversation as she directed the staff.
Orion drew closer again, his beard skimmed my cheek. “In about an hour,” he murmured, low enough that only I could hear, “I’m getting you out of this dress and making sure you remember exactly who you married.”
A laugh slipped out of me. “Threats in public, Mr. Kade?”
“Only promises, Maia,” he said, his gaze sweeping over me like he couldn’t wait to kiss every inch of me.
I turned my head, meeting his gaze fully. “I love you.”
His whole demeanor eased in that way that still unraveled me. “I love you more than anything,” he replied. “You are the only legacy that matters to me, Léa. You’ll always be.”
He guided my hand to his chest, holding it there over his heartbeat, just above where our daughter’s head rested.
“Forever yours.”
Then his mouth met mine in another kiss. I could still taste champagne on his tongue, and the complete victory of a man who had finally found his home, and everything he’d ever wanted. The kiss was slow, sure, and filled with a peace we’d both spent our lives running toward.
Somewhere behind us, someone wolf-whistled. Zane complained about public displays of affection. Isolde argued for it. Aurora stirred, sighed, then stilled again.
I closed my eyes, holding his hand tighter, my heart fuller than I’d ever thought possible.
“You're right,” I said, savoring the warmth of his lips. “We built this, and I'm never letting it go.”
Orion gave a real triumphant smile and pulled me into another perfect kiss. And just like that, with my husband’s mouth on mine, my daughter safe between us, and our loud, complicated world spinning on around us, I knew I would continue to choose them. Choose him. Choose this.
No matter what the future holds, we would be better than okay.