“You’re serious?” I asked softly.
He gave a low hum, brushing his thumb along my jaw. “Dead serious. You don’t work for me anymore, Tessa. We’re together. Big difference.”
I swallowed, letting the words settle around us. “I… I don’t even know what to say—”
And then, abruptly, my stomach turned, a harsh, sudden churn that made my vision swim. I froze, panic flaring in my chest. “Uh—”
Before I could explain, I bolted from the bed, clutching my stomach as my body betrayed me. Felix jumped to his feet behind me, concern etched across his face. “Tessa? What—what’s wrong?”
I barely managed a shaky, “I… I need—” before the nausea overtook me completely, and I stumbled toward the bathroom.
I barely made it there before the world tipped sideways. My stomach heaved, and I doubled over, hands pressed to the cold tile. The suddenness of it left me breathless, scared, and more than a little confused.
I rested my head on the toilet, breathing shallow and shaky, and he stayed right beside me, thumb brushing along my back in slow, comforting circles.
“You’re going to be okay,” he murmured, voice low, but there was something else under the surface—something unreadable, but not entirely hidden. “I’ve been waiting for this, you know.”
I blinked at him, confusion flashing through the haze of nausea. “Waiting for what?”
A small, almost smug smile tugged at his lips, though his eyes stayed soft and steady. “For you to tell me you’re mine in more ways than one.”
My stomach twisted again, and I clutched the edge of the toilet, words failing me. “I… I don’t—”
He pressed a hand to my hip, steadying me, his eyes dark and unwavering. “You’re mine, Tessa. And you’re carrying what’s ours.”
The words landed like a thunderclap, and for a heartbeat I couldn’t breathe. My fingers tightened on the cold porcelain as his meaning unfurled inside me, heavy and undeniable.
Pregnant.
I blinked up at him, and for a moment the world fell away. The man who had once haunted my nights with danger and unpredictability, whose very presence had made me feel small and trapped, was here—soft, steady, completely mine.
It was almost unbelievable, how far we’d come. The man who had once scared me, who had been untouchable and wild, was mine in the deepest, most intimate way. And I was his, completely, without hesitation or doubt.
I let out a slow, trembling breath, leaning into him, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek.
“I love you,” he murmured, words only for my ears.
“I love you too,” I whispered back, the words carrying everything we’d been through, everything we’d survived.
For the first time in my life, there was no tension. No fear. No shadows.
And for the first time, I felt truly home.
Epilogue
Felix
After the cleaning company had finished, it was clear that the brownstone still needed work. The floors gleamed in some places but were scuffed in others, paint and wallpaper peeled faintly in the corners, and a few fixtures were stubbornly outdated. The smell of fresh cleaning products mingled with the lingering dust of old walls, a reminder that the place had a long, layered history.
So, we had temporarily moved out while a construction company tore into the walls, replaced outdated fixtures, and gave the place the kind of overhaul that soap and polish couldn’t touch.
We tried to keep it as original as possible—honoring the original wood floors, the ornate moldings that had survived decades, and the worn-but-sturdy banisters that led to the upper floors. Every imperfection told a story, and slowly, we began toimagine how our own life might fit into these walls, weaving our present into the echoes of the past.
“I can’t believe it’s finished,” Tessa murmured.
“I think it flew by,” I said, sliding a hand gently over her rounded belly.
Tessa smiled softly, a warm, quiet glow in her eyes. “Yeah… it feels like just yesterday I was pulling expired food out of the cabinets.”
