Page 56 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 5-8

I can’t help but chuckle. “I didn’t want to have someone telling me what to do.”

He sobers. “I understand that now. Life on the streets for me wasn’t easy, but it was freeing. I answered to no one but myself.”

“And you found Aiden and Cassian.”

“I did. Out of all the kids I ran with, they stuck around.” His voice rings with pride and affection.

“They had your back.”

“More than once. They were the exception.”

Those last words are painful to hear. But it also gives me hope. Maybe, with enough time, something can form between us, too. “Thank you for telling me.”

He turns until he’s facing me, takes the champagne flute from me and sets it on a table next to the daybed before he takes my hands in his. “You are one of the bravest people I know. You’ve experienced heartache and abandonment. And you can still love so much.” He breathes in deeply. “I don’t know how to care. I do for Aiden and Cassian, but I held myself back with my army buddies, with John.”

I hear the pain in his voice when he says John’s name. But I don’t press. Not now, not after he’s given me so much of himself already. Pieces I never expected to receive but am infinitely grateful for.

“I want to try with you, Sophaya. I want to be a better man for you and for our baby.”

In that moment, my entire world shifts as I accept that I have fallen in love with my husband. I’m not ready to share. And I don’t think Dominic would be ready to hear it, either. But I have never been happier in my life than I am in this moment.

I rise up on my knees, frame his face between my hands and kiss him. It’s sweet, tender. But then his lips firm on mine as his hands press against my back.

I raise my head and smile down at him. “How far did you say that security perimeter extended?”

He grins up at me as he reaches back and tugs at the ties on my bathing suit. “Far enough.”

Chapter Nineteen

Dominic

I wake up with Sophaya in my arms. It’s our last morning in St. Lucia. The week went by way too quickly, but it’s been one of the best of my life.

After our night on the catamaran, most of my reserve fell away. Every moment has been brighter, more satisfying. Sharing my past also seemed to unleash Sophie, too. She’s been uninhibited, happy. She hugs me, kisses me, grabs my hand spontaneously.

I pull her in tighter to my chest. I’m determined for us not to lose whatever it is we’ve discovered here.

My phone rings. I scowl, drop a quick kiss on her shoulder, then roll over to silence it. I frown when I see Todd’s name on the screen. I answer.

“Hello?” I say quietly.

“Dom.”

I sit up. Something’s wrong. I can hear it in his voice.

“Talk to me.”

“A story went live today, published by Wilford Smythe.”

My grip on the phone tightens. “And?”

“He’s claiming the only reason you and Sophaya got married is because she’s pregnant.”

Furious, I ease out of bed, gently open the sliding glass door and step out onto the deck. The sun is slowly starting to come up, making the sea glow. But the view is lost on me.

“What did it say?”

“He claims that after that photo was published of you and Sophaya in Venice, there’s no evidence of any contact between the two of you until seven weeks later. Somehow, he got hold of the flight manifest that shows Sophaya traveled to New York, and that two days later you joined her in Siravelle. The engagement was announced shortly after, followed by a rushed wedding.”