Chapter 71
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13 ST YOUCHAS
Marcus was pacing the house now, back and forth across the living room like a caged animal. His hands were running through his hair, messing up the curls he’d styled so carefully earlier.
“Twins,” he muttered under his breath. “Twins. Twins.”
He kept repeating the word like it was a foreign language he was trying to learn, his footsteps echoing against the hardwood floors.
Elara stood by the couch, watching him with growing concern. She’d expected anger, maybe. Or shock that would gradually fade into acceptance. But this? This frantic pacing and muttering? She didn’t know what to make of it.
Then, all of a sudden, Marcus stopped. He just froze in the middle of the room.
And then he started jumping.
Actually jumping. Up and down like a child who’d just been told they were going to Disneyland. His hands flew up in the air, and a sound escaped his throat that was somewhere between a laugh and a scream.
“Oh my God!” he shouted. “Twins! We’re having twins!”
Elara moved back instinctively, her eyes wide with surprise. What was happening? Who was this man and what had he done with Marcus Thorne?
“Marcus, are you okay?” she asked cautiously.
He was crying now, actual tears streaming down his face as he continued to jump around the living room like he’d lost his mind. His smile was so wide it looked like his face might split in half.
“Marcus!” Elara called out again, louder this time. “Are you alright?”/
He didn’t answer, just kept celebrating like he’d won the lottery.
“Are you sad or happy?” Elara asked, genuinely confused. “I’m confused here. You’re crying and jumping and I don’t know what’s happening.”
Marcus finally stopped jumping and looked at her. His face was wet with tears, his eyes red, but he was grinning like an absolute maniac.
Then he ran toward her.
Elara barely had time to brace herself before he dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands coming to rest gently on her stomach. He pressed his ear against the fabric of her dress, listening.
“I can’t hear anything,” he said after a moment, his voice muffled against her.
Elara laughed, the sound breaking through the tension that had been suffocating her all evening. “I doubt you can. They’re still very small, Marcus. Like the size of blueberries or something.”
He looked up at her from where he was kneeling, his hands still on her stomach, his expression so full of wonder and joy.
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Chapter 71
“Two of them,” he whispered. “Two babies. In there.”
“Yes,” Elara said softly, reaching down to run her fingers through his hair. “Two babies.”
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Marcus stood up abruptly and before Elara could process what was happening, he scooped her up into his arms. Literally swept her off her feet like she weighed nothing.
“Marcus!” she shrieked, grabbing onto his shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you upstairs,” he said simply, already moving toward the staircase.
He carried her with ease, his arms secure around her back and under her knees. When they reached the hallway, Elara noticed they were walking past her bedroom door.
“Marcus, you’ve passed my room,” she pointed out.
He didn’t slow down. “You won’t be sleeping alone in there again. We’re sharing a room from now on.”
“We are?”
“Yes.”
They reached his bedroom, and Marcus pushed the door open with his shoulder. He walked inside and set her down on the bed with so much care it was like he was handling the most fragile thing in the world. Like she was made of glass and might shatter if he moved too quickly.
Elara sat there on the edge of his massive bed, looking up at him with amusement dancing in her eyes.
“So will I be getting princess treatment now?” she teased.
Marcus laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “All day long. Anything you want, you just tell me.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
He knelt down in front of her again and reached for her feet. Carefully, gently, he unbuckled the strappy gold heels she’d been wearing all evening. He slipped them off one at a time, then started massaging her feet with his thumbs, working out the tension from hours of standing and walking in those beautiful but uncomfortable shoes.
Elara watched him in complete disbelief. This couldn’t be real. This had to be a dream.
“Is this Marcus?” she said out loud, not really expecting an answer. “Marcus Thorne? What a good day to be
alive.”
He smiled up at her, his hands still working magic on her sore feet. “Get used to it. This is your life now.”
“I think I can manage that.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, Marcus massaging her feet while Elara watched him with a mixture of affection and disbelief. Then she remembered something.
“By the way,” she started, “my precious car. I know you were angry earlier, but are we leaving it there?”
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Chapter 71
Marcus stopped massaging and looked up. “Oh, that’s true. Shit, I completely forgot about it.”
“Should I go get it?” Elara started to stand, but Marcus gently pushed her back down.
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“No, absolutely not. I don’t want to leave you here alone, and you’re not driving anywhere tonight.” He pulled out his phone. “Let me call my driver.”
He made a quick call, speaking in low tones to someone on the other end. When he hung up, he smiled at her. “They’ll bring it soon. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
That night felt magical in a way Elara just couldn’t quite explain. The love Marcus was showing her, the tenderness and care he was putting into every small gesture, it was all so surprising. This was the same man who’d made her life hell for three years at the office. The same man who’d looked at her with cold indifference for so long she’d thought he was incapable of warmth.
But here he was, treating her like she was the most precious thing in his world.
“Come on,” Marcus said, standing up and offering her his hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
They went to his bathroom, which was just as luxurious as the rest of his room. All marble and chrome and expensive fixtures.
Marcus started the shower, adjusting the temperature until it was perfect. Then he helped her out of her dress, unzipping it slowly and letting it pool at her feet. He was so careful with every movement, so gentle, like he was afraid he might hurt her.
When they stepped into the shower together, Marcus was practically the one bathing her. He lathered up the soap in his hands and ran them over her skin, washing her shoulders, her back, her arms. He even squeezed her breast in the process. He shampooed her hair, his fingers massaging her scalp in slow circles that made her want to melt right there under the warm water.
Elara just stood there and let him take care of her, too tired and too content to protest. This was nice. Really nice. She could get used to this level of attention.
When they finally got out, Marcus wrapped her in a fluffy towel and dried her off like she was a child who couldn’t do it herself. He found one of his t-shirts for her to sleep in.
They climbed into bed together, and Marcus pulled her close, positioning them so they were lying in a small spoon. His chest pressed against her back, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist, his hand resting gently on her stomach where their babies were growing.
“Goodnight, El,” he whispered against her hair.
“Goodnight, Marcus.”
Elara fell asleep that night with a smile on her face, feeling safer and more loved than she had in years. Maybe ever.
For the first time since this whole crazy journey started, everything felt like it might actually be okay.
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