Page 144 of The Heart of a Villain

Although, in the last year, they decided to take a yearlong world tour vacation just the two for them, presumably because he’s—and I quote—“fucking tired of the endless high school drama in the family.”

And by that, he probably means all the issues arising whenever the dark protégés’ families and kids get together because there is always some fuck-up that needs to be fixed or heart that is broken.

Needless to say, it’s so entertaining to watch that I never miss any of the gatherings.

Our little boy is the reason guests will be arriving on our island for a weeklong stay. We are celebrating his birth, and the family hasn’t seen him yet.

They all gave us privacy to enjoy the first moments together, although they’ve been pushing to finally meet the latest addition so we threw a party which resulted in the butlers hectically refurnishing all the rooms.

Lachlan and Valencia decided to come earlier, while everyone else will arrive in two days.

That includes Pierre and Elena with their son, and Dante and Caroline with their twins. Needless to say, despite all the girls living in different parts of the world, their friendship is stronger than ever.

We haven’t all gotten together since Levi and Lavender’s thing—which was unexpected, to say the least.

“Stop thinking about it.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking about?”

“You and Rafael have a special kind of stare when my brother comes to your mind.”

“That’s because your brother is a cocky asshole who thinks the world revolves around him and his wishes.”

She winks at me innocently. “Funny. I think he could say the same about you two.”

I shake my head and bite her neck, her laughter muffled in my strong embrace. “Let’s drop this conversation until later, preferably tonight, so I can inflict a sweet torture on this body that loves my touch.” She shivers at my murmured words, and then I straighten up when Lachlan and Valencia start to move in our direction while Grace talks their ears off.

“And there are so many stories, Grandpa! I will show you all the books Mommy bought me.”

“Of course.”

She wiggles in his arms, and he places her back on the ground, and she races toward us, smacking against Aileen’s legs. “Hi, Mama.”

“Hi, my darling.” She hugs her, swaying a little with her, and then Grace rises on her tiptoes a little but is still too short. “Is our baby awake?” At Aileen’s nod, she yells, “Grandpa! We have a prince in the castle now!” She runs back to Lachlan and takes his hand, practically dragging him to us.

“Shouldn’t he be a pirate, since you’re the lady pirate?” Valencia wonders, her eyes softening when they land on the baby. “Oh, he’s so precious.” Although they’ve seen the baby through video call, I imagine seeing him in real life makes them emotional. “Hi, my sweet girl.” She kisses and hugs my wife, and Lachlan does the same shortly. His arms are tighter though, and his embrace is longer, and we share a look.

It took me years to mend my relationship with Lachlan. He has accepted me as her husband, but I had to earn the privilege to be truly considered part of his family.

And he hadn’t made it easy for me, but I withstood all the challenges as long as it made Aileen happy. Besides, I understood Lachlan the minute Grace was born. Just the idea of some fucking asshole coming in and kidnapping her… let’s just say I apologized to Lachlan right away, and that was when the ice finally broke.

“Hey, son-in-law,” he greets me, extending his hand to me, and we give each other a man-hug, slapping each other’s back as he leans back. “Congratulations. He’s beautiful.” He then turns to his daughter and asks, “May I?”

Tears fill her eyes, and she carefully places our son in his arms. Lachlan’s entire face softens. “Hi.” The baby blinks at him, studying him intently, and Lachlan traces his cheek with his finger. “What’s his name?”

“You’ve kept it a secret a long time.” Valencia touches the baby’s head, running her fingers through it as our son shifts his focus on her, and she smiles at him. “Yes, my darling. Your parents were so secretive that everyone started making bets if they gave you some weird name.” The baby coos as if engaging in a conversation with her. “Yes.”

Aileen steps into my arms while Grace dances off to the boat, probably to show off some of her toys, and I squeeze my wife’s hip, letting her know we can finally reveal the name.

She wanted to tell them in person.

“We thought about a name for a long time. We wanted something meaningful, that would represent bravery and honor.” A beat passes. “A name he’d wear proudly.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet.”

Lachlan rocks my son a little when he starts to whine, and the baby settles again. “What’s the name then?” he asks curiously, breathing in his scent deeply.

“We’d like for your to meet your grandson, Kaden Wright.”

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