From the kitchen, she could still hear Umma and the aunts cleaning, their voices soft, steady, blending into the clatter of dishes. Outside, her papa and the uncles finished up, their low laughter drifting through the cold night air.
She, Elias, and Joon had been on kid-entertainment duty. They’d finally worn them out to the point where they were scattered across the living room in various states of sleep, on laps, curled into blankets on the floor.
Han was nestled against Bea’s side, his small head trustingly in her lap. She brushed her fingers through his hair, smiling at the warmth of him, the deep, rhythmic breaths of a child who felt completely safe.
This had been her world. It still was.
But it wasn’t the only one anymore.
Her phone buzzed.
GAGE: How’d it go?
BEA: Fun. Loud.
BEA: Also my family is convinced I have a rich boyfriend.
GAGE: They’re not wrong.
She snorted.
BEA: I told them if I did, he’d be quiet, calculating, and terrifyingly strategic.
GAGE: Strategic, yes. Terrifying is subjective.
BEA: Right. I’ll clarify tomorrow.
GAGE: You should.
It was evening in Toronto, and early morning in Northgate.
BEA: Merry Christmas, Gage.
GAGE: Merry Christmas, sweetheart.
Chapter Two
Incoming video call: Gage
She swiped.
He was standing in his bedroom, just outside the open doors of his walk-in wardrobe. Tall, broad, built for control. The tuxedo jacket was gone, white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, bow tie undone around his neck. Blue eyes. A face too perfectly symmetrical to be soft. Austerely handsome in a way that made her want to reach through the phone just to feel the heat of his skin and remind herself he was real.
Bea sat up in bed, face soft with sleep, hair tangled down one shoulder. The ultra-fine merino crewneck she was wearing was massive on her, charcoal grey. Clearly a man’s.
Gage’s eyes narrowed slightly, peering at it. “That’s mine.”
She looked down. “Yeah.”
“You took it.”
She shrugged under the blanket. “You never said I couldn’t.”
“I said you could wear it. You didn’t say you were taking it across continents.”
“Are you demanding it back?”
“Not yet.” His gaze dragged over her. “But I will.”
