“I felt unwanted. For over a year, I felt like something you tolerated rather than chose.”
“You’re the only thing I’ve ever truly wanted.” The words came out fierce and absolute. “The only person who’s ever made me want to be better than I am. I just didn’t know how to tell you that without risking everything.”
“So, you risked nothing instead.”
“Yes. And nearly lost what mattered most because of it.” He reached up to touch her face gently. His thumb brushed away tears she hadn’t realized were falling. “I love you, Iris. I love you both more than life itself. And I’ll spend the rest of my days proving that, if you’ll let me.”
The declaration hung between them, precious and fragile and absolutely true. Iris studied his face, seeing the man she’d fallen in love with despite all his walls and fears. This was the man who sang lullabies in the dark, worried when Evie fussed, and looked at both of them like they held his entire world in their hands.
“I’m tired of feeling unwanted,” she whispered.
“Then let me want you. Let me show you every day how precious you are, how grateful I am that you stayed when I gave you every reason to leave.” His voice broke. “Let me be the husband and father you both deserve, even if I’m still learning how.”
Iris felt the last of her resistance crumble. This was what she’d dreamed of during those long, lonely months. Not just his presence, but his heart offered freely rather than grudgingly.
“Yes,” she breathed.
He rose carefully, mindful of the sleeping baby, and gathered both in his arms. The embrace was gentle, reverent, and full of promises and new beginnings.
“I love you, too,” Iris whispered against his shoulder. “I’ve loved you for months, even when I thought you could never love me back.”
“Always,” he murmured while pressing soft kisses to her hair. “From now on, always.”
He drew back just enough to kiss her properly. It was just a soft brush of lips that spoke of tenderness rather than passion. Then, he bent to press an even gentler kiss to Evie’s forehead. The gesture was so natural that it might have been a daily ritual.
“Our daughter,” he said quietly.
The possessive warmth in his voice made Iris’s heart soar.
“Our family.”
“Our everything.”
As they stood together in the nursery where their love had quietly grown, Iris finally believed they’d found their way home. Not to a place, but to each other. To the family they’d chosen and fought for and would protect with everything they had.
Iris nestled Evie into her cradle and Owen looked down at their daughter sleeping peacefully, then met his wife’s eyes with an intensity that made her breath catch.
Without a word, he scooped Iris into his arms, careful not to disturb the baby, and carried her out of the nursery.
CHAPTER 34
“I’ve been thinking about this moment since the first night you let me hold you.”
Owen’s voice was low and intimate in the lamplight of his chambers as he turned to face Iris. She stood just inside the door. Her hair was still mussed from the day’s trials and her eyes were dark with something that made his pulse quicken.
“Have you?” She moved toward him slowly. Her fingers were already reaching for the pins in her hair. “What exactly have you been thinking?”
“That I was a fool to waste so much time on fear when I could have been loving you instead.” He watched, mesmerized, as her caramel waves tumbled free. “That every night I spent alone in this bed was a night stolen from us.”
She stepped closer, close enough that he could smell the faint scent of honey that always clung to her skin. “Turn around,” she said softly.
Owen obeyed. Her fingers undid his cravat with deliberate care. Each gentle tug sent warmth spiraling through him. Desire mixed with the profound relief of finally being touched without reservation.
“This cravat,” she murmured against his neck, her breath warm against his skin. “I’ve watched you wear it dozens of times and wanted to see you without all these layers.”
“You did?” His voice came out rougher than he had intended as the silk slipped free.
“Dreamed. Fantasized. Tortured myself with possibilities.” The admission was soft, honest. “Every time you held Evie, every time you sang to her, I wanted to touch you like this.”
