“Yes. Yes, yes,yes!”
And in that moment, with words, with gestures, and with signs, I promised them I wanted to be in their lives forever.
Logan surged to his feet, closed the distance between us in two strides, and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me into the air. He spun me around, his laughter mingling with mine as he kissed me, the world dissolving into a blissful blur.
Around us, the girls erupted, jumping, screaming, and clapping in a perfect, chaotic chorus of celebration.
Chapter Thirty-Four
LOGAN
The new job was demanding. At any other point in my life, its weight would have felt like a heavy burden, one I’d have shouldered with grim determination.
Now, everything was different. No matter how bureaucratic, challenging, or difficult the work became, I tackled it with a profound sense of peace—the peace of a man who was utterly, completely happy in his personal life.
I had been in the new position for a month, which meant my original agreement with Evelyn had officially expired.
And absolutely nothing changed.
She continued living with us, though she’d spent the first two weeks supposedly “apartment hunting.”We’d visited three or four places, but she found a fault with every one—and, I confess, I quietly agreed with every single one. Eventually, we just stopped talking about it.
What we had might seem rushed to an outsider, but for us, it was perfect. I couldn’t imagine a life where I didn’t wake up next to that incredible woman every morning, after making love to her the previous night.
In fact, I never imagined I’d ever use the phrase “make love” in my vocabulary. Now, it was the only term that fit.
With the stability of our new life, Evelyn’s focus shifted from finding an apartment to building her professional dreams. Using the money from our deal, she began planning her own language school in New York. Beyond Spanish, she wanted to offer Portuguese, French, German, and Italian. Most importantly, she was determined to establish a robust ASL program.
Together, we were also researching local daycares for the girls to start in the fall, a dedicated ballet school for Aurora, and a swimming school for Anna—who had decisively announced that was her calling.
Everything was falling into place, a feeling solidified by the legal recognition of my paternity for both girls. As for the press, we’d become old news. Luckily, the world forgets easily.
It was just past seven when I got home that day. Evelyn had her back to me, sitting at the dining table, absorbed in her laptop—likely reviewing another design draft from Camila for her school. On the rug, Anna and Aurora lay on their stomachs, deeply focused on a puzzle. Aurora, who was facing me, looked up and immediately scrambled to her feet, running over. I scooped her up into my arms.
“How’s my princess?” I said.
Evelyn turned, her face lighting up with a smile the moment she saw me. Anna also stood and came over, though at a walk, not a run like her sister.
Excited, Aurora began signing, her small hands flying as she recounted her day.
“Easy, sweetheart, slow down,” I laughed. “Or I won’t be able to understand.” My sign language was improving daily, but I was still learning.
Anna then launched into her own tales of the day’s incredible adventures. The two of them chattered and signed simultaneously as I did my best to keep up. Evelyn just watched us and laughed.
I finally managed to reach her, stealing a quick, soft kiss before Anna pulled me by the hand toward the half-finished puzzle.
“Wow, you two are really going for it.”
“And it has ahundredpieces!” Anna declared proudly. “A hundred! Right, Evy?”
“That’s right,” Evelyn agreed. “But now it’s time for a dinner break. Go wash your hands.”
They complained, desperate to finish their mission, but they obeyed. I set Aurora down, and the two of them scampered to the downstairs bathroom, where a small stool waited by the sink.
The moment they were gone, Evelyn stood, and I finally kissed her properly—a deep, lingering kiss that held the promise of the night to come, long after the children were asleep.
We ate dinner as a family, the four of us around the table. Afterwards, we all sat on the floor, pretending to help with the puzzle until it was time for bed.
We took them upstairs together.
