From the tone of his voice, I can hear how proud he is of me.
"This accomplishment has made me more confident about myself, you know," I say, thinking about Morgan, about how she always told me that it was all because of her that I reached the top, that I wasn't as talented as I thought.
"You should have believed in yourself more."
"This is still overwhelming for me." I say. "I feel like I'm a baby who just learned how to walk all over again."
"Life threw you surprises," Luke says. "When you face too many hardships, you’d be surprised what you can learn about yourself."
He speaks like he has had that kind of moment too, and I know that he has. The story that Ms. Langston told me is still fresh in my mind.
Silence fills the air before I start talking again. "Since I've been taking a break from the spotlight for a while, thinking about attending an upcoming award makes me slightly nervous."
My mind wanders to the event, which will be filled with other celebrities and reporters.
Now that I think about it, this is the first time that I'll be attending a big public event since I became Luke's wife.
Things are different now.
"Will you go with me?" I look up at him.
"Of course." He pecks my lips. "It's an honor for me to be there with you."
I giggle. "Have you been to a red carpet? Or this kind of event before?"
Luke shakes his head.
"Nah. No. Never." He scoffs. "I guess that I should get used to it, shouldn't I? Like, having small talk with other celebrities, being interviewed by the host and taking pictures on the red carpet." He rolls his eyes.
I laugh, knowing that all of those things are far from Luke's image.
"I see that you prefer having a conversation with your business partners," I say, making him raise his eyebrows. "Or politicians."
"In a heartbeat," he deadpans, making me laugh harder.
I kiss his lips tenderly, cupping his cheeks. Even though our worlds are different, we are slowly getting into each other’s.
When we pull away, he stares at me with so much intensity that it makes my breath catch in my throat.
"I'll always be there for you, Cassie," he whispers, a small smile touching his lips. "I'm your husband."
I smile at him too, feeling lots of warmth in my heart. I can't detect any lies from the way he said those words.
"About that..." I falter. "Now that I think about our contract—"
"There is no such thing anymore," he cuts me off, his thumb brushing against my cheek as he looks at me tenderly. "We are the real thing, Cassie. The contract is dumb. We are real husband and wife. This is our home. Don't you think so?" His voice is so soft.
Another smile creeps on my lips, while my vision starts to get blurry with tears of joy, which he then wipes away.
"I've never felt so close to home," I whisper, my voice hoarse.
Is it really happening? Have I finally found my happiness? Have I finally found my home?
Luke is my home.
He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Stay here. With me. With Aiden. We belong together, and nothing can change that. We don't have to pretend in front of the world, because there's nothing to pretend. It is what it is."
I lean closer to him, burying my face into his neck as he tightens his hold on me.
