Not a bad idea at all.
???
I tossed the towel over my shoulder and headed downstairs. Alec was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, while Nick and Ella were outside in the hot tub. The patio doors stood open, letting in the warmth and the steady hush of the sea. Their voices drifted in on the breeze—soft laughter, relaxed, unguarded.
“I checked in on Dominion,” I said, leaning against the counter.“If everything holds, we can stay out here a few extra days.”
The villa sat high above the beach—modern lines, glass and stone—but far enough back to ensure privacy and security. Sunlight spilled across the tiled floor, the air carrying salt and heat. Eric’s games would pause for now. Permanently, once he caught a bullet.
Alec dropped a few bay leaves into the pot and set the lid in place before glancing back at me over his shoulder.
“Good,” he said, scratching at his beard.“I like seeing her like this. Out in the sun. Away from it all.”
He hesitated—just long enough to mean something.
“Vitamin D’s good for the baby.”
“If there is one,” I mused.
His mouth curved.“About that—she hasn’t had her period yet.”
The words cut through me sharply.
“Fuck,” I said.“Check if it’s safe. She’s practically boiling herself in that hot tub.”
Alec didn’t bother with his phone. He headed straight outside, purposeful. I went back upstairs, retrieved mine, and spent the better part of the afternoon deep in medical forums and articles—what not to eat, what not to drink, what not to soak in.
Every so often I looked up from the screen.
Ella drifting in the pool.
Nick stretched out on a lounger beside her.
Sunlight glinting off water and skin.
Alec made sure she drank constantly. Nick never left her side.
She wore a simple electric-blue bikini—bright against her skin, almost glowing. I couldn’t remember who’d bought it. At this point, her wardrobe was expanding faster than any of us could track.
I sent a few links into the group chat and finally went to join them for lunch. The mood was light. Easy. Ella laughed freely, shoulders loose, eyes bright.
For now, this was peace.
This—this—was the family I wanted around me to raise and protect our children.
Chapter 46
Alec
By the second night, everyone was rested, lulled into that deceptive calm that only comes when you’re far from responsibility. The slate-grey fireplace dominated the living room, its long horizontal flame modern but hypnotic—controlled, contained, mimicking something wild without ever losing its boundaries.
I dimmed the lights before joining them.
Ella was curled into the corner of the sofa, legs tucked beneath her, the glow of the fire brushing gold across her skin. Rowan had a drink balanced loosely in his hand. Nick looked half-sprawled, lazy in appearance only.
“How about a game of truth or dare?” I said, settling into the seat opposite them.
I kept my tone light. Idle. As if the idea had just occurred to me.
