I lay awake last night and let it settle. Freya. The baby. Echo Valley. This isn’t a phase or a detour. It’s my life now.
The right one.
The certainty runs so deep that doubt doesn’t survive it. Whatever came before feels distant, like it belonged to another man entirely.
Footsteps approach outside, soft, sneakers, not boots.
And then the door creaks open.
Freya fills the doorway. That enticing hair of hers is still damp from a shower, jeans hugging every curve. She looks tired and beautiful andhere.
“You’re up,” I say.
She grips the door frame. “Well, I did pass out at what? Six?”
I put the sandpaper down. “Something like that.”
She steps inside the workshop, gaze flicking to the crib pieces. “You’re working on it.”
“For her,” I say. Then, I soften it. “For us.”
“Anton…” She runs her finger along the workbench. “We need to talk.”
My chest tightens, one hard hit under my sternum.
Yesterday cracked everything wide open. I can only imagine how fucking scary it all was on that ledge with a lunatic with a gun in his hand.
I move toward her slowly. “Sure, honey. You got all my attention.”
A small, shaky smile touches her mouth.
She suddenly seems unsteady. It’s too early. She should be sleeping. Resting. It took it out of her. Her fingers tremble where they rest on the edge of my workbench.
Shit.
I step forward. “Freya? Sit…” I grip her hips in my hands and hoist her up onto the workbench.
Fuck, is she not feeling right? Is it the baby?
She shakes her head fast. “Don’t worry. I’m fine. I just…” Her eyes flick upward, and I swear I see my whole damn world in them.
But I also see a nervous energy that’s not usually there.
What the hell is going on? Did they miss something at the hospital?
“Talk to me.” I take her hand.
“Anton… I love you.”
The words crack something open I’ve kept sealed for a long time. I don’t speak. Don’t move. I let them hit me fully before I earn the right to answer.
Then, I slide between her legs and slip my fingers under her chin. “I love you, too.”
She smiles softly. “I wanted to say it first because I want you to know I mean it and I’m not just saying it back.”
My thumb sweeps her cheek. “And I want you to know, I’ll never say those words to any other woman but you.”
I slide my hands to her waist, firm enough that she feels exactly where she stands with me. I’m careful, not because I doubt this but because yesterday is still written on her bruised skin.
