The evening sky glowed with soft gold and deep shades of orange as fairy lights shimmered across the Morrison estate garden. Roses lined the stone pathway leading to the center pavilion where family and friends gathered with smiles that refused to leave their faces.
Beth stood beneath the flower arch with tears already gathering in her eyes before Jacob had even spoken a word.
He looked devastatingly handsome in a black suit, but it was not the suit that made her heart race. It was the way he looked at her like she was still the shy girl he had fallen in love with years ago.
Like she was home.
Jacob reached for her trembling hand and kissed the back of it gently.
"Why are you crying already?" he whispered with a soft laugh.
Beth laughed through her tears. "Because I know you are about to make me cry even more."
Their families chuckled warmly around them.
Mrs. Morrison dabbed at her eyes dramatically. "I spent two hours on my makeup for this nonsense."
"Mom, you are making it worse," Beth said, laughing harder.
Jacob dropped to one knee slowly and the entire garden became silent.
Even the music faded into the background.
Only him.
Only her.
"Elizabeth Morrison," he said softly, his voice steady despite the emotions in his eyes, "you have been my peace in every storm and my courage in every moment I wanted to give up. Loving you has been the easiest thing I have ever done."
Beth covered her mouth immediately.
Jacob smiled softly.
"I do not promise a perfect life because I know life can get ugly sometimes. But I promise you this. You will never face it alone again. Not while I am breathing."
A tear escaped Beth's eye.
Across the pavilion, Amelia smiled quietly while Xavier stood beside her with one hand resting protectively against her waist.
Jacob pulled out the ring.
A soft gasp spread through the guests.
"Beth," he whispered, "will you marry me?"
"Yes."
The answer came instantly.
No hesitation.
No pause.
Just love.
"Yes, Jacob. Yes."
The entire garden erupted into cheers as Jacob slid the ring onto her finger before pulling her into his arms. Beth laughed breathlessly against his shoulder while everyone clapped around them.
Cole pushed through the crowd dramatically.
"Move. Move. Protective younger brother coming through."
Beth burst into laughter as her little brother pointed accusingly at Jacob.
"You better treat my sister right," Cole warned. "Because if she cries even once, I am showing up at your house."
Jacob raised a brow playfully. "And what exactly are you going to do?"
Cole folded his arms proudly. "I do not know yet. But it will involve violence and possibly poison."
The entire family exploded into laughter.
Jacob pulled Beth closer. "Your brother is terrifying."
"He gets it from me," Beth replied sweetly.
"Liar," Cole muttered.
Amelia laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink while Xavier shook his head beside her.
"This family is insane," Xavier murmured.
"And you love it," Amelia replied.
His eyes moved toward her slowly.
Dangerously slowly.
The teasing smile on Amelia's face weakened instantly under the intensity of his stare.
God.
That man looked at her like he knew every thought inside her head.
Like he knew how confused she had become lately.
Because things between them were not simple anymore.
Not after the archives.
Not after the truth.
The evidence had finally proven Xavier's parents were not the ones who murdered Amelia's parents. They had been involved with the mafia, yes, but they had not ordered the killings. The mafia had wiped everyone out when things spiraled out of control.
Even so, Amelia's lawsuit against Xavier continued.
Mostly because her lawyers refused to back down.
Mostly because Amelia herself did not know how to let go yet.
Years of anger did not disappear overnight.
But somewhere between court hearings and late night arguments, Xavier had quietly become the one person she depended on most.
And that terrified her.
Later that night, Xavier leaned down near her ear while music drifted softly through the garden.
"Come away with me for a few days."
Amelia blinked. "What?"
"A mini vacation."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You hate vacations."
"I hate people. There is a difference."
She laughed despite herself.
Xavier's lips curved faintly.
"Come with me, Amelia."
And somehow, she did.
The cruise yacht drifted across the dark water while city lights glittered far behind them like fallen stars.
The ocean breeze danced through Amelia's hair as she stood near the railing wrapped in one of Xavier's oversized sweaters.
The silence between them was strangely peaceful.
Not tense.
Not painful.
Just quiet.
Xavier walked toward her carrying two glasses of wine.
"You have been thinking too loudly for the past twenty minutes," he said.
Amelia accepted the glass. "Maybe because my life is a disaster."
"It has always been a disaster."
She looked at him flatly.
"Comforting."
"I try."
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
Xavier leaned beside her against the railing, his shoulder brushing hers lightly.
"Do you regret coming?"
Amelia stared at the ocean.
"No."
And she did not.
That was the dangerous part.
Because somewhere along the line, Xavier had stopped feeling like the enemy.
She remembered every moment clearly now.
The way he shielded her during the press scandals.
The way he stayed outside her apartment all night when she had panic attacks after the trial hearings.
The way he remembered small things about her nobody else noticed.
The way he looked at her like she mattered.
Even when she screamed at him.
Even when she blamed him for things that were never truly his fault.
Xavier took a slow sip of wine before speaking quietly.
"You are staring again."
Amelia turned immediately. "I was not staring."
"You were absolutely staring."
"I was thinking."
"About me?"
"Do not flatter yourself."
His low laugh wrapped around her like warm smoke.
God.
That laugh alone should be illegal.
The wind became colder and Xavier quietly removed his coat before placing it around her shoulders.
"You will get sick."
"You always do that," Amelia murmured softly.
His gaze settled on her. "Do what?"
"Take care of me before I even ask."
For once, Xavier did not answer with sarcasm.
Instead, he reached up slowly and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
His fingers lingered against her skin.
Amelia's breath caught.
The tension between them shifted instantly.
Heavy.
Burning.
The kind that made the air feel too thin.
Xavier's voice lowered. "Amelia."
Just hearing him say her name like that nearly destroyed her.
She stepped closer without thinking.
And then his mouth was on hers.
Warm.
Hungry.
Months of restraint shattered in seconds.
Amelia grabbed the front of his shirt as Xavier deepened the kiss, one hand sliding against her waist possessively.
The wine glasses were abandoned somewhere behind them.
Neither cared.
He kissed her like a man starving.
Like a man who had spent too long pretending he did not need her.
By the time they stumbled into the bedroom suite, Amelia's heart was racing wildly.
Xavier shut the door before pulling her against him again.
His forehead rested against hers briefly as both of them breathed hard.
"We should stop," he muttered hoarsely.
Amelia looked up at him. "Do you want to?"
His jaw tightened.
"No."
"Then stop talking."
That nearly snapped the last thread of his control.
The kiss turned deeper.
Slower.
More intimate.
Xavier treated her carefully at first, like he was afraid she would disappear if he held her too tightly, but Amelia pulled him closer until all the distance between them vanished completely.
Every touch carried unspoken emotion.
Every kiss felt dangerously honest.
The ocean moved gently outside while the city lights disappeared farther into darkness.
And for the first time in years, Amelia stopped fighting what she felt.
Later, she lay against Xavier's chest while his fingers traced lazy circles against her bare shoulder.
The room glowed softly from the moonlight spilling through the curtains.
Neither of them spoke for a long time.
Amelia listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear.
Safe.
Somehow, heartbreakingly safe.
Xavier pressed a kiss against her hair.
"What are you thinking about?"
Amelia smiled faintly against his chest.
"You."
"That sounds serious."
"It is."
He tilted his head slightly to look at her.
Amelia swallowed softly before lifting her eyes to his.
"When we get back to New York," she whispered, "I want to tell you something."
Xavier studied her carefully.
For once, there was no arrogance in his expression.
Only quiet emotion.
"What is it?"
Amelia smiled faintly.
"If I tell you now, you will become unbearable."
A rare genuine smile appeared on Xavier's face before he pulled her closer into his arms.
Outside, the ocean carried them forward into the night while somewhere between grief, love, and chaos, Amelia finally realized her heart had already chosen him long ago.