72 Chapter 72
72 Chapter 72
Seraphina’s POV 1
The elevator ride down from Damien’s office felt surreal, like I was moving through a dream that might shatter at any moment. My hand
was sped firmly in his, our fingers intertwined in a way that felt bothpletely natural and impossibly precious. Every few seconds, I
found myself stealing nces at his profile, searching for signs of the masked stranger from that magical night five years ago.
Now that I knew, I could see it everywhere. The strong line of his jaw, the way his hair caught the light, the confident set of his
shoulders. But most of all, it was his scent-that intoxicating blend of sandalwood and masculine power that had haunted my dreams for
years. How had I not recognized it immediately?
“Are you okay?” Damien asked softly as we stepped out into the parking garage, his thumb tracing gentle circles on the back of my hand.
I looked up at him, this man who was simultaneously a stranger and the most important person in my world, and felt tears threaten
again. “I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “This is all so overwhelming. Five years, Damien. We missed five years.”
“But we have now,” he said, stopping beside his car to face me fully. His free hand came up to cup my cheek, and I leaned into his touch
instinctively. “We have now, and we have Adrian, and we have the rest of our lives to make up for lost time.”
“What are we going to tell Adrian?” I asked suddenly, the practical concerns finally catching up with the emotional whirlwind. “How do
we exin this to a five-year-old?”
Damien’s smile was soft and wondering. “We tell him the truth. That his daddy has been looking for him and his mommy for a very long
time, and now we’re finally together.”
When we pulled up in front of my building, I could see Adrian’s face pressed against the third-floor window, his breath fogging the ss
as he waited for me toe home. The moment he spotted us, he disappeared from view, and I knew he’d be racing down the stairs to
meet us.
Sure enough, the building’s front door burst open before we even reached it, and Adrianunched himself into my arms with the kind of
fierce enthusiasm that only children possessed.
“Mommy!” he eximed, wrapping his small arms around my neck. “You’re home! And Mr. Damien came with you!”
“Hi, sweetheart,” I said, breathing in his familiar little-boy scent of soap and sunshine. Over his head, I caught Damien’s eyes, and the
expression on his face-wonder, love, and a fierce protectiveness-made my heart skip a beat.
“Mr. Damien, Adrian said, pulling back to look at both of us with those distinctive silver-blue eyes, “are you staying for dinner? Ophelia
made spaghetti, and there’s plenty.”
“Actually, buddy” I said, setting him down but keeping hold of his hand, “Mr. Damien and I need to talk to you about something very
important”
Adrian’s expression grew serious, the way it always did when he sensed something significant was happening. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, baby, you’re not in trouble” I assured him quickly. “It’s good news. The best news ever.”
<
72 Chapter 72
We made our way upstairs to the apartment, where Ophelia was waiting in the doorway with a knowing smile on her face.
“Well, well,” she said, taking in our joined hands and the emotional residue that probably still showed on both our faces. “Looks like
someone had an interesting morning at the office.”
“Ophelia,” I said, my voice thick with barely contained emotion, “you’re not going to believe what happened.”
But first, I needed to talk to Adrian. The three of us settled on the small couch in my living room, Adrian perched between Damien and
me, his attention focused entirely on our faces.
“Adrian,” I began, my voice gentle but serious, “do you remember how you’ve always asked me about your daddy?”
He nodded solemnly. “You said he didn’t know about me.”
“That’s right,” I said, ncing at Damien, who was watching our son with such intensity it took my breath away. “Well, sweetheart, it
turns out that your daddy has been looking for us this whole time. He just didn’t know where to find us.”
Adrian’s eyes widened. “Really? He was looking for me?”
I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. “Do you remember how you always said Mr. Damien had eyes like yours?”
Adrian looked back and forth between us, his quick mind already putting pieces together. “And Mommy, you said my daddy had special
eyes too…”
“That’s right, baby.” The tears wereing again, but these were tears of pure joy. “Adrian, Mr. Damien isn’t just Mr. Damien. He’s your
daddy. Your real daddy.”
For a moment, Adrian just stared at us both, his small face cycling through confusion, wonder, and finally, pure delight.
“Really?” he whispered, as if speaking too loudly might break the spell. “Really really?”
“Really really,” I confirmed, using our special phrase.
Adrianunched himself at Damien with such force that he nearly knocked him off the couch. Small arms wrapped around Damien’s
neck as tightly as they could manage, and I heard my son’s muffled voice say, “I knew it! I knew you felt like my daddy!”
Damien’s arms came up to wrap around Adrian, and the expression on his face-overwhelming love mixed with five years of grief finally
being healed-made me break downpletely, I buried my face in my hands and sobbed, releasing all the pain and longing and
desperate hope I’d carried for so long.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” Adrian asked, pulling back from Damien to look at me with concern.
“Happy tears, baby,” I managed through my sobs. “These are the happiest tears ever.”
“Are you happy too, Daddy?” Adrian asked, trying out the word with obvious delight.
Damien’s voice was so thick with emotion he could barely speak. “I’m the happiest man in the world, son.”
Ophelia, who had been watching from the kitchen doorway with tears in her own eyes, finally joined us on the couch.
“So,” she said with a watery smile, “I guess this means I need to upgrade my ‘World’s Best Godmother’ mug to include ‘and Family Friend
10.41
<
72 Chapter 72
to Royalty.””
“You’ll always be the best godmother,” I assured her, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “And Adrian will always need his Aunt Ophelia,
no matter what changes.”
“Does this mean we’re rich now?” Adrian asked with the blunt curiosity of a five-year-old, making all three adultsugh.
Around three o’clock, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Caleb standing in the hallway, a small duffle bag slung over his
shoulder and a slightly awkward expression on his face.
“Hi,” he said, his smile warm but hesitant. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I wanted to say goodbye before I headed back north.”
“Caleb!” Adrian’s voice called from the living room. “Come see! I found my daddy!”
Caleb’s eyebrows shot up, and he looked at me with surprise and growing understanding. “Found your daddy?”
“It’s a long story,” I said, stepping back to let him in. “But yes, everything makes sense now.”
We gathered again in the living room, where Adrian enthusiastically exined to Caleb how Mr. Damien was actually his real father and
how they’d been looking for each other for years and years.
“Well,” Caleb said when Adrian finished his exnation, “that’s the most amazing story I’ve ever heard. I’m so happy for all of you.”
There was a moment of awkward silence before Damien stood up, extending his hand toward Caleb.
“I owe you an apology,” Damien said, his voice formal but sincere. “I was… less than weingst night. I let jealousy cloud my
judgment.”
Caleb epted the handshake with a genuine smile. “No apology necessary. I would have reacted the same way if I were in your
position.” He paused, then added with a hint of humor, “Though I have to admit, it’s kind of ironic that my bringing Sera home is what led
to you all figuring out the truth.”
“More than ironic,” Damien replied, and there was real gratitude in his voice now. “If you hadn’t told me about seeing Anna with the
pendant… we might never have put the pieces together. I’m in your debt, Caleb.”
When it came time for Caleb to actually leave, the goodbye was harder than I’d expected. Ophelia’s goodbye with Caleb was even more
emotional, though she tried to hide it behind jokes and teasing. I believe they have changed phone number already.
“You bettere back to visit soon,” she told him, her voice artificially light. “Someone needs to keep me from getting too bored with all
this domestic bliss.”
Caleb’s smile was gentle and knowing. “I wouldn’t dream of staying away too long. Besides,” he added with a wink, “I need to make sure Damien is treating my girls properly.”
10 41
314