Chapter 363
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When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathless, and I realized I was crying too, happy tears streaming down my face.
“Mrs. Hayes, Tristan whispered, testing out the name officially now.
“Mr. Hayes, I whispered back.
The clerk handed us back our certificate, now officially filed and recorded, along with several certified copies.
“Thank you,” I managed to say, my voice thick with emotion.
We walked out of the office in a daze, everyone congratulating us, Sarah still crying happy tears while Orion stood beside her. His
hand’s on her waist.
“Let’s get pictures,” Sarah insisted once we were outside. “We need to document this moment.”
So we took photos on the courthouse steps, all of us grinning like fools.
Sarah took what must have been a hundred pictures on her phone, insisting on every possible combination, just me and Tristan, us with everyone, us with Orion and Sarah, us with Derek.
“One more,” Sarah kept saying. “Just one more.”
Finally, Orion gently took the phone from her. “I think we’ve got enough, honey.”
Derek pulled out a bottle of champagne he’d apparently hidden in his car “For emergencies,” he said with a grin, and popped it right
there in the courthouse parking lot.
“To the happy couple!” Orion announced, and they all took swigs straight from the bottle, laughing and celebrating in the sunshine.
Me of course, took a table water.
“You did it,” Sarah said, hugging me tightly. “You’re officially married. Mrs. Athena Hayes.”
Hearing my new name out loud made it feel even more real, and I hugged her back, both of us crying happy tears again.
Before heading home, we went to pick up the kids.
Lily came running, her little feet thundering across the hardwood floors, and threw herself at Sarah and Orion.
‘Mummy! Daddy! I missed you!” she declared, wrapping her arms around them both.
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Chapter 363
Sarah scooped her up, kissing her all over her face. “We missed you too, sweetheart. Hope you had fun with auntie?”
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“So much fun!” Lily said. “We made cookies and watched movies and…” She spotted me and Tristan then, and her whole face lit up
even more.
“Aunt Athena! Uncle T!” She wiggled out of her mother’s arms and ran over to us.
I crouched down, and she immediately placed her small hands gently on my stomach, her face serious.
“How are my babies?” she asked solemnly. “Is the baby okay? Did you take good care of the babies?”
My heart melted at her sweetness, at how much she already loved this babies who wasn’t even born yet.
“They’re doing great,” I told her. “Growing bigger every day. The baby’s lucky to have such a caring cousin.”
“I’m going to be the best big cousin,” Lily said seriously. “I’ve been practicing with baby Liam. I’m very gentle.”
“I know you are,” I said, pulling her into a hug.
see?”
She hugged me back fiercely, then turned to Tristan with a huge smile. “Uncle T! Guess what? I can do a cartwheel now! Want to
“Absolutely,” Tristan said, and Lily proceeded to do what was technically more of a sideways roll than a cartwheel, but we all
applauded enthusiastically anyways.
I picked up Liam and held him in my hands, playing with him.
After spending a few minutes catching up, we loaded back into the cars, this time with Lily chattering excitedly about everything
she’d done at her grandparents‘ house.
“Where are we going now?” she asked from her car seat. “Are we going home?”
‘We’re going to see the houses,” Orion explained. “Want to see how much they’ve built?”
“Yes!” Lily bounced with excitement. “I want to see my room!”
We drove out to the property, and my breath caught when I saw how much progress had been made. It had only been about a week since my last visit, but the construction crews had clearly been working overtime.
Tristan’s house, our house, was almost finished.
“Tristan,” I breathed, staring at it in wonder. “It’s beautiful. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his hands protectively on my stomach where our baby was
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Chapter 363
growing.
“Our home,” he said softly, his voice full of emotion. “For us and our baby. For our family.”
I leaned back against him, tears already streaming down my face as I took it all in. This wasn’t just a house, it was our future, our life, everything we’d been working toward.
“When can we move in?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Another month, maybe six weeks at most,” he said. “They’re finishing up the interior now, the flooring, cabinets, all the fixtures.
Then we’ll need to paint and furnish it, but… soon, baby. Very soon.”
“I can’t wait,” I whispered, and I meant it with every fiber of my being. “I can’t wait to live here with you, to raise our family here, to
build our entire life in this house.”
“Soon,” he promised again, kissing my temple. “I promise.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
