I don’t hesitate.
I cup Olivia’s face, fingers framing her jaw, decorum forgotten. The kiss I give her is without restraint, conveying the love I feel for this woman that I have loved through all these years, and the life still unfolding ahead of us.
Applause swells around us when our lips finally part. Guests rise. The quartet shifts into a lighter melody. Sunset spills gold across the terrace as my father embraces us both, his hand firm on my shoulder.
Everyone I love is here and this moment could not be more perfect.
The ceremony gives way to celebration—glasses clinking, laughter rising, familiar faces drawing closer—as the night comes alive, full of promise.
The door closesbehind us with a click, and the sound settles through the suite like a boundary being drawn. The night slows. The world recedes.
Olivia takes two steps onto the rug and sways, buoyed by wine and the long stretch of celebration. She catches herself on the side table and laughs under her breath, entirely at ease. My hand finds her waist without thought, steadying her before she even realizes she needs it.
She doesn’t allow herself this often. When she does, it’s because she feels safe enough—and it’s only ever with me.
Tonight, she was incandescent, all ease and light. Watching her dance with Max, his small hands clutched in hers, her laughter rising freely as she spun him around, filled me with a joy so complete it left no room for anything else.
I was grateful Olivia didn’t have to cut short her fun this time.
Early on, Lucinda—our longtime nanny, steady and unflappable—swept the twins upstairs, as she has done countless times before. She’s been a constant presence from Max’s early days and earned Olivia’s trust over the years. She can relax, knowing Cordelia and Margot are in the safest hands.
When Max’s bedtime came, my parents stepped in, insisting we stay as long as we wished while they took him with them. To be honest, I could have never expected how naturally they wouldtake to the role of doting grandparents. But watching it unfold…it feels right.
She leans into me now, her cheek brushing the shoulder of my suit.
“I think I’m…” She pauses, a small hiccup escaping her. “…maybe a little drunk.”
I smile into her hair. “You don’t say.”
She swats my chest, the gesture more affectionate than reproachful.
She bends her knee to reach for the buckle of her heel, but I catch her hands before she can get there. “No. Let me.”
I lower myself on my knees in front of her. She steadies herself by resting her hands on my shoulders, her fingers sliding to the back of my neck. I lean into it.
“You’re always so good to me,” she murmurs. It isn’t praise so much as wonder.
I unfasten the first heel and slide it free. She exhales in relief and leans down to kiss the top of my head in thanks. When I take off the second, she presses her lips to my temple.
I look up at her, amused. “You’re supposed to be letting me help you get ready for bed.”
“I am,” she says. “I’m providing…emotional support.” Her words dissolve into a giggle.
Without warning—because I can—I rise and sweep her into my arms.
“Nathaniel!” she laughs, startled.
“My love,” I say, adjusting my hold, “you can barely walk straight. I’m preventing a concussion.”
She laughs again, nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck as I carry her into the ensuite. Marble counters gleam beneath soft sconces. The window is cracked open to the night, the air carrying salt and sea. I set her on the counter, her legs dangling,and for a moment I can’t help the thought that she looks unbearably precious like this.
I step between her knees and lift her chin with my hand. “Turn for a second, baby.”
She complies and I reach into her hair, removing the pins one by one. Her hair loosens and spills over her shoulders. My fingers thread through her tresses and lightly massage her scalp.
“Feels nice…” She exhales, eyes fluttering shut.
I then reach for her makeup remover and cotton pads. When I roll my sleeves up to reveal my forearms, I catch the shift in her attention immediately. Her gaze flicks down, tracking the line of skin from wrist to vein.
