chapter 151
ALEXANDER
For the first time in years, life felt. settled. A little over three weeks had passed since Raina told me we didn’t need to go ahead with the case. Her words still echoed in my mind, replaying over and over like a melody I couldn’t get out of my head. Each passing day chipped away at the wall she’d built between us, a wall I was determined to tear down brick by brick.
If I could just keep it together, keep showing her that I’d changed, maybe just maybe she might start ding me again.
“Alex, are you even listening?” Her voice cut through my thoughts, sharp but not unkind.
I blinked, turning to look at her. She was sitting across from me, her head tilted slightly, a soft smick playing on her lips. “Sorry, what?”
“I said,” she repeated, rolling her eyes, “you’ve been staring at your coffee for the past two minutes like it’s about to tell you the meaning of life. Everything okay?”
I chuckled, nmning a hand through my hair. “Yeah, just thinking.”
“About?” She raised an eyebrow, her curiosity evident.
| “You,” I admitted before I could stop myself. When her expression faltered slightly, I quickly added, “And the kids. The way things are starting to feel…
normal again.”
Π
Her lips pressed into a line, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she looked down at her plate, pushing her salad around with her fork
Our days had fallen into an easy rhythm–something I hadn’t realized I missed so much. Every morning, I showed up to drive her to work. She had her own car, Dominic, or even a driver to rely on, but she never complained when I insisted. Never told me to stop. And I wasn’t going to. It was my way of being there for her, even in the small, mundane moments.
“And you don’t think it’s too much?” she asked suddenly, her voice soft
1 frowned. “What’s too much?”
“Everything you’ve been doing.” She gestured vaguely with her fork. “Driving me to work, getting me coffee, showing up for lunch… I just–I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”
“I don’t feel like I have to,” I said firmly, leaning forward slightly. “I want to. There’s a difference”
Her eyes met mine, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something flicker there–something hopeful. But she quickly looked away, focusing back on her plate
Every evening, I brought her back home, and in between, I tried to create moments that mattered. Like grabbing her coffee during her break, knowing exactly how she liked it now one sugar, no cream. Or surprising her with lunch when I noticed she was too busy to think about eating
They were small gestures, but they didn’t feel so small
anymore.
“You’re thinking again,” she teased, breaking the silence. “You’ve got that look”
“What look?” I aslood, feigning innocence.
“The one that says you’re about to do something I won’t be able to argue with.”
I grinned, leaning back in my chair. “Maybe I am.”
The Vince project had also taken shape, its completion just weeks away. It felt like everything was finally falling into place–not just at work, but in my
I glanced down at the plane tickets in my hand, the smile tugging at the comers of my mouth growing wider. “She’s going to love this,” I nummured under my breathi
The phone calls to the lids weren’t enough anymore. I missed them terribly, and I knew she did too. These tickets—they
ey were more than just a trip.
They were a step forward, a chance to reconnect as a family,
Today, after lunch, I’d tell her. And I couldn’t wait to see the way her eyes would light up when I handed them to her,
When I got to Raina’s office, I found her waiting by the lobby doors, her bag slung over one shoulder and her phone in hand. She glanced up at me and smiled—a small, brief smile that made my heart race.
