Page 33 of Bound in Matrimony
And as our daughter nurses contentedly between us, I marvel at how completely my perspective has changed. The independence I once guarded so fiercely hasn't been taken from me—it's been transformed into something deeper, richer, more profound. A chosen surrender to being cherished by a man capable of loving with his entire being.
A gift I never knew I needed until Knox Vance showed me how beautiful it could be.
Chapter Nineteen
Knox
I signthe final transfer documents with one hand, the other cradling Claire against my chest as she sleeps. Three hundred million dollars for a private island in the Caribbean—an amount that would have seemed astronomical to the hungry kid I once was but registers as a reasonable investment to the man I've become. The man with everything to protect. Through the open door of my home office, I can see Seraphina curled on the living room sofa with a book, her honey-blonde hair caught in the late afternoon sunlight. My wife. My daughter. My entire world contained in this penthouse, vulnerable to threats I can't always control. But that's about to change. No more paparazzi stalking Seraphina when she takes Claire for walks. No more security concerns in a city that, despite my extensive precautions, contains too many variables. My family will have a sanctuary. A perfect, private world that belongs only to us.
Claire shifts against me, her tiny fist flexing open before curling closed again. Three months old, and she already has me wrapped around those miniature fingers. I adjust myhold, making sure her head is properly supported, and close my laptop. The details will be handled by my team—the construction of our residence, the installation of state-of-the-art security systems, the creation of amenities that will make the island entirely self-sufficient. My only requirement was absolute privacy and complete security.
The unease that's been growing in me since Claire's birth—since I held her in my arms and understood with crystal clarity what I stood to lose—eases slightly with the knowledge that soon I'll have a place where I can completely control their safety. Manhattan is too exposed, despite the security measures I've implemented. Too many people, too many unknowns, too many potential threats to the only two people who matter.
I rise carefully, moving with the measured caution I've developed since becoming Claire's primary carrier. Amazing how quickly protective instincts override decades of decisive movement. Now every step is calculated to maintain her comfort and security.
"Is she still asleep?" Seraphina asks as I join her in the living room, her voice hushed.
"Out completely." I settle beside her, shifting Claire to rest in the crook of my arm. "She gets that from you—the ability to sleep through anything."
Seraphina smiles, closing her book and leaning against my shoulder to gaze down at our daughter. "You look good with her."
"She makes me look good." I press a kiss to Claire's dark hair, so like my own. "Everything makes more sense when I'm holding her."
It's true in ways I'm still discovering. The relentless drive that built my empire, the obsessive attention to detail that others find exhausting, the need to control every variable—all of it has found its perfect application in fatherhood. In creating a world wheremy daughter and wife are safe, protected, secured against any possible threat.
"You've been busy today," Seraphina observes, her artist's eye missing nothing. "More acquisitions?"
"Just one." I meet her gaze, considering how to present this particular purchase. Seraphina has adapted to my possessive nature, even embraced it, but a private island might test the limits of her acceptance. "A significant one."
Her eyebrows rise slightly. "The tech company in Seattle? I thought that deal wasn't closing until next quarter."
"Not a business acquisition." I shift Claire slightly, buying myself time to find the right words. "A personal one."
Interest sharpens her expression. Seraphina knows my patterns well enough to recognize when something unusual is happening. "Should I be concerned or intrigued?"
"Hopefully intrigued." I reach for my phone, pulling up the satellite images I've been studying for weeks. "I bought an island."
She blinks, processing my words with admirable composure. "An…island. As in, surrounded by water, appears on maps, that kind of island?"
"Yes." I hand her the phone, watching her expression as she scrolls through the images. "Six hundred acres in the Caribbean. Completely private, accessible only by boat or helicopter. Natural freshwater springs, perfect climate year-round, deep water harbor on the leeward side."
Her eyes widen as she takes in the pristine beaches, the lush interior, the perfect natural cove that will house our dock. "Knox, this is…extraordinary."
"It's for us," I explain, feeling an unfamiliar need to justify my decision. "For you and Claire. A sanctuary where we can be completely private, completely secure."
She studies my face with that perceptive gaze that has always seen too much. "This isn't just a vacation home, is it?"
"No." I don't insult her intelligence by pretending this is a typical luxury purchase. "It's a refuge. A place where I can control every aspect of your safety and Claire's. Where we can live without constantly scanning for threats or worrying about exposure."
Instead of the resistance I half-expected, understanding softens her features. "You've been worried."
It's not a question, but I answer anyway. "Since the day she was born. Since before that, but more acutely now." My arms tighten slightly around Claire's sleeping form. "The world is full of threats I can't eliminate. People who would target you or her to get to me. Environmental hazards. Security breaches."
"So you bought us an island." There's no judgment in her voice, only a gentle understanding that loosens something tight in my chest.
"I bought us safety." I meet her eyes directly. "I know it seems extreme?—"
"It seems like you," she interrupts, her hand coming to rest on my arm. "Completely, authentically you. Protecting what you love the only way you know how—thoroughly, absolutely, with no half measures."
