Page 72 of When Love And Destiny Collide

"Lily," he begins, his brown gaze locking on mine, "I can read you like a book, Sweetheart. You never have to pretend with me."

"It hurts," I admit softly. "The thought of not being able to give Davey a brother or sister hurts."

"When the time comes for us to think about more children, we'll consult the best specialists to make it happen."

"Make it happen," I laugh lightly. "You make it sound like we'd be negotiating a book deal."

"Creating a life with you would be a dream come true," he whispers. "But what we have together is already a family—a story worth writing about. You, me, and Davey. I'll never be disappointed by what we have."

I nod, my gaze dropping to the floor.

"Do you believe me?" he asks, gently lifting my chin with his thumb until our eyes meet.

"I believe you," I whisper. His sincerity is reflected in his eyes, convincing me that what we share is more than enough to make us both happy.

***

After Davey is tucked into bed, his eyes heavy with sleep, I linger by the door, watching as Noah leans in to kiss him goodnight. We turn off the light, and just as the door begins to close, Davey's small voice reaches us. "I love you, Daddy. I love you, Lily."

"We love you too," we both say in unison, our voices filled with all our love for him.

We head downstairs and curl up on the couch. I rest my head on Noah’s shoulder and take a slow, deep breath, letting his presence fill me. His nearness grounds me, relaxes me, and fills me with quiet happiness. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here, wrapped in his arms.

“We're invited to dinner at Loren and Aaron's tomorrow," he says, reaching for my hand. He lifts it to his lips, kissing my knuckles softly. Of all the romantic things this man does, this gentle, intimate gesture is by far the most meaningful—it never fails to touch my heart.

"Loren mentioned it the last time we spoke," I say, glancing up at him. "How was Aaron?"

"I told him I asked you to marry me," he says, smiling. "He shook my hand and said, 'Congratulations.'"

"Good," I smile back. "See? Everything's falling into place. We have everyone's blessing now."

"Well, not quite," he says, his tone softening. "Marian might never come around, but she'll always be Davey's mom. Are you sure you're ready to deal with her moving forward?"

"I am," I say, though he immediately senses the shift in my mood.

"What is it?" he asks. I take a deep breath, steadying myself, and tell him about Marian's visit.

As I recount every word of our confrontation, I feel his body tense beside me, his jaw tightening with each detail.

"I'll talk to her," he offers, pulling me closer to his solid body.

"No," I say firmly, pulling away to look at him. "She's probably expecting that. The last thing I want is for her to think I can't stand up for myself and need my big, strong, annoyingly handsome fiancé to swoop in and save me."

"Annoyingly?" he protests, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s annoying because it distracts me," I tease. "Your rugged good looks take my breath away. Sometimes, I lose my train of thought... especially when you look at me. Like you’re doing right now."

"You should talk," he says, his gaze tracing every feature of my face.

"What do you mean?" I ask, giving him my best pout.

"You have no idea what your beautiful face does to me," he says softly, his hand gliding up my arm until it reaches my neck, resting there, its warmth sending a radiant heat through me. "Your eyes." He says, pressing a tender kiss to my closed eyelids. "Your nose," he murmurs, kissing the tip of my nose. "Your dimple," he whispers, brushing his lips against my cheek. "And those pouty lips," he breathes before his mouth captures mine. I feel myself slipping into a deep abyss, every sense awakening. The sight of this beautiful man as he slowly teases my mouth with his. The touch of his hand—gentle and seductive all at once. The scent of his cologne surrounds me, pulling me deeper into a world where it’s just us, and everything else fades away. His words of love drift to my ears with each whisper. And then there's his lips. I've never tasted anything so sweet. They drive me to the brink of delicious insanity.Did I miss anything?I ask myself before surrendering completely and losing myself in his arms.

"Don't stop," I beg him when he ends the kiss and pulls away. I open my eyes and find him devouring me with his gaze.

"I don't want to stop, Sweetheart, but it's getting late. Let me walk you home." And with that, he lets me know he won't touch me again until we're married.

"That must’ve been some talk you had with Jon and Aaron," I murmur.

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