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Natalie relaxes at my touch, leaning back to rest against the pillows. Her eyes shine with a swirl of emotion as she processes everything, catching up to the present. She glances around the room, and her eyes land on Jack, slumped over and sleeping in the chair opposite me.
“Jack,” she breathes. “He's okay?”
“Yes, he's okay. Everyone is okay. Aria, the crew—they're all fine.
With a nervous glance back at me, Natalie asks, “Does he know? About…?”
I smile lightly. “Sorry to say the doctor let the cat out of the bag on that one.”
Natalie blinks, processing. “And he let you live?” she finally answers.
I laugh, another wave of relief washing over me. Natalie must be okay if she's well enough to make jokes. “I'm not totally sure I'm out of the woods yet,” I answer playfully.
Natalie and I share a quiet moment, relief and peace wrapping around us in a blanket of security. This isn't where I would have preferred to reunite, but the quiet solidarity of the hospital room acts as a kind of cocoon, a private sanctuary shielded from the chaos that raged around us these past few months.
Taking both of her hands in mine, I kiss each of Natalie's fingertips, one at a time. “You know, I didn't get the chance to tell you how excited I am. For the baby,” I confess.
Natalie gasps quietly, her fingers wrapping tightly around mine. “Really? I mean, I know it's not great timing, but I hoped…” Her voice trails off, swallowed by uncertainty.
“I love you, Natalie,” I assure her, my voice firm with my conviction. “Sure, the timing is a little crazy, but this is amazing, Nat. You are amazing. And we're going to be a real family now.”
She smiles, genuine and free for the first time in too long. “I love you too, Julian.”
Her declaration fills me with pure joy, and I lean down, capturing her lips with mine. The kiss is soft, careful. I don't want to push her too far while she's recovering, but I can't contain my elation.
Resting my forehead against hers, I whisper, "I know it’s a lot, and it’s okay to feel scared. Buy hey, we've faced challenges before, and we'll face this one too. We’re strong, Nat. You and me, we can do anything."
Natalie's body relaxes beneath me as a single tear glides down her cheek. “It'll be a new chapter for us,” she whispers back. “A happy one.”
I catch her tear with my thumb, wiping it away. “Exactly. Imagine how excited Aria will be when we tell her.”
Natalie laughs, the sound a mix of joy and relief, her voice cracking amidst her tears. “She's going to be a big sister. You're going to be a dad again. I'm going to be a mom.”
“You're going to be the most amazing mother in the world, Nat. I don't know what the future will bring, but I am sure about that.” My heart swells as Natalie cries, and I can practically see the weight she's been carrying lift from her shoulders. “And we're going to do everything in our power to make this next chapter happy and peaceful. For you, for Aria, and for our little one on the way.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I dare to imagine such a happy ending to my story. For a long time, I believed I had missed my chance, and I would never see Natalie again. I struggled forward for the sake of my daughter, determined to make our own happiness despite feeling broken beyond repair. But then Natalie reappeared, and I slowly began to remember who I was, who I want to be.
In the quiet of the hospital room, Natalie and I hold each other close, both of us healing from the wounds of our tumultuous summer. Nothing happened the way I expected it would, but I'm indescribably happy to have found myself here; reunited with my first love, father to the child growing inside her.
“Natalie,” I begin, pulling back slightly, my heart full beyond capacity. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Natalie answers instantly, sealing her vow with a kiss. “Yes, Julian, of course I’ll marry you.”
The End.
Want another steamy single daddy from Bella Brandon? Check out Faking It with the Boss, an enemies to lovers, boss/nanny romance.
I just slept with my boss.
My grumpy, blue-eyed DILF of a boss.
Twice.
Let me backpedal…
When Nathaniel Nichols hired me as his live-in nanny, I was all too thrilled to escape the trailer park and pack up to NYC.
I didn’t expect to meet a stone faced Adonis looming over me.
