Dinner becomes a blur of champagne, speeches, laughter, and stolen touches. Valentina rests a hand over her abdomen more than once, each time sending a shock wave through my chest.
When dessert arrives, she sits close beside me at the head table. Her fingers graze my thigh under the linen. She whispers, "You okay?"
"Not remotely. I need to get my shit together for this kid we're having."
Her eyes widen. "Me too."
"Nah. You'll be a pro," I assure her.
The rooftop quiets again as conversations slow. The moon hangs above the city like a gold coin. Soft music drifts from speakers.
I take her hand and guide her to the far side of the rooftop, where the lights dim slightly, and the city hum softens into a gentle pulse.
She steps into my arms without hesitation. I sway with her, one hand at her lower back, the other laced with hers against my chest.
She glances up. "What are you thinking?"
"That I didn't know I had a missing piece until I met you."
Her breath catches.
"You changed everything I understood about loyalty, courage, and devotion."
"You're killing me tonight, Brax," she says, tearing up again.
I grunt. "I can't wait to marry you again, raise our babies with you, and build a life no one can tear apart."
Her forehead presses to my chest. My heartbeat hammers against her cheek. I lower my chin to her hair and close my eyes.
The world narrows to the woman in my arms.
After a long moment, she murmurs, "You're going to be such a good dad."
Emotion punches through my ribs. I swallow hard. "Only because our kid gets half of you."
She huffs a quiet laugh.
I tilt her chin up and kiss her slowly, sealing everything we've survived and everything we'll build. When I pull back, all I see is the mother of my children and the love of my life.
Her voice catches. "We're really doing this?"
I grin. "Yep. But we've already done it. Now we get to enjoy it."
With the city below us, our families behind us, and our future kicking off inside her, I kiss her again. Love swells between us, but it's only the beginning of the future I plan to guard with my last breath.
EPILOGUE
Valentina
Three Years Later
Aurora shrieks with laughter, her chubby legs pumping as she toddles across the rooftop backyard like she's training for a marathon she has every intention of finishing. Sunlight bounces off her dark curls, and the tiny red bow clipped into them wobbles with every excited step.
"She's getting faster," Brax mutters beside me, narrowing his eyes like our daughter's a fugitive he's tracking. "She wasn't that fast yesterday."
"She turned two today. Maybe she's embracing her power," I tease, adjusting the floral sash on my dress.
He grumbles, "She already embraces her power. She tells me no fifty times a day with confidence."
