Chapter 10
Three months later.
Christmas Eve.
Snow fell softly outside the big windows of the estate.
The house was warm.
Bright.
Decorated from top to bottom.
A 12-foot Christmas tree stood in the corner of the living room, covered in lights and ornaments.
Presents were stacked high underneath.
The boys were 10 months old now.
Sitting up.
Crawling.
Getting into everything.
Liam was the daredevil.
Always climbing. Always moving. Always laughing too loud.
Noah was the thinker.
Quiet. Curious. Always watching. Always studying everything around him.
They were perfect.
Mom was in the kitchen, baking cookies.
Maria was helping her.
Christmas music played softly on the stereo.
Claire and I were sitting on the floor in front of the tree, playing with the boys.
Liam was trying to eat a plastic reindeer.
Noah was stacking blocks.
Life was good.
Better than good.
It was everything I’d ever dreamed of.
Claire and I hadn’t gotten remarried.
Not yet.
We were taking it slow.
But we shared the master bedroom now.
We shared everything.
We’d spent the last three months building something real.
Something honest.
No more secrets.
No more lies.
No more running.
We talked about everything.
Work.
The boys.
Our fears.
Our dreams.
And last week, Claire had said something that had made my heart soar.
She wanted to open that bookstore.
The one she’d dreamed of since she was 16.
The one we’d talked about a hundred times in our tiny apartment, lying in bed at night, planning a future that never seemed to come.
Now it was going to happen.
I’d found the perfect space.
A little storefront in downtown Cleveland.
Old brick. Big windows. A fireplace inside.
I’d bought it.
Hired contractors.
Renovated it exactly how she’d described it.
Hardwood floors.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
A little reading nook with a couch.
A coffee bar in the corner.
A play area for kids.
It was perfect.
And tomorrow.
Christmas morning.
I was going to give her the keys.
Along with the ring I’d hidden in my pocket for two weeks.
Not an engagement ring.
Not yet.
A promise ring.
A promise that I’d spend the rest of my life loving her.
Protecting her.
Making all her dreams come true.
“Ethan?”
Claire’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
She was looking at me.
Smiling.
“Where’d you go?”
“Nowhere,” I said, smiling back. “Just thinking about how lucky I am.”
She leaned over.
Kissed me.
Soft.
Sweet.
“Me too,” she whispered.
Liam chose that exact moment to crawl over.
Pull himself up on my leg.
And throw up all over my jeans.
Claire burst out laughing.
I sighed.
But I was smiling.
“Of course he did,” I said, picking him up. “Merry Christmas to me.”
Mom walked in just then.
Holding a tray of hot chocolate.
She saw the mess.
Laughed.
“Looks like someone needs a new pair of pants. And a bath. Both of you.”
She took Liam from me.
“Come on, little man. Grandma will get you cleaned up. And then we’ll open one present tonight. Just one. Because it’s Christmas Eve.”
She carried him out of the room.
Noah followed, crawling fast behind her, yelling a baby version of “wait for me!”
Claire and I were alone.
She stood up.
Held out her hand.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go get you cleaned up. Then we can open our one present. Together.”
I took her hand.
Stood up.
We walked upstairs to our bedroom.
She got me a clean pair of sweatpants.
I changed.
Then we sat on the bed.
She had a small, wrapped box in her hand.
“For you,” she said, shy. “I know we said no big presents this year. But… I saw this. And I had to get it.”
I took the box.
Opened it.
Inside was a watch.
Not expensive.
Not fancy.
But engraved on the back.
To Ethan.
My love.
My home.
Forever yours,
Claire.
My throat tightened.
“Claire… it’s perfect. Thank you.”
I put it on.
It fit perfectly.
Then I reached into my pocket.
Pulled out the two boxes.
The small one with the ring.
The big one with the keys to the store.
“For you,” I said. “Two presents. I know we said no big ones. But these are… different.”
She took them.
Opened the big one first.
The keys fell into her hand.
She stared at them.
Confused.
“Keys? To what?”
“Turn the paper over.”
She turned the folded paper over.
It was the deed to the store.
With the address.
And a picture of the finished space.
She read it.
Then she read it again.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
Tears spilled over.
“Ethan,” she whispered. “Is this… is this real?”
I nodded.
“123 Main Street. Downtown. It’s exactly what you wanted. The shelves. The nook. The coffee bar. Everything. It’s yours. Opens in March.”
She couldn’t speak.
She just threw her arms around me.
Cried into my shoulder.
“I love you. I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
I pulled back.
Picked up the small box.
Opened it.
The promise ring glinted in the light.
Simple.
Silver.
A small heart in the center.
Her birthstone.
“Claire Carter,” I said, my voice thick. “I know we’ve been through hell. I know we’ve made every mistake two people can make. But I also know this. I can’t live without you. I don’t want to. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Those boys are the best thing that ever happened to me. And I want to spend every single day for the rest of my life making it up to you. Making you happy. Making all your dreams come true.”
I took her hand.
Slipped the ring on her finger.
“This isn’t an engagement ring. Not yet. It’s a promise. A promise that I’m never going anywhere. That I’m never going to let you be alone again. That we’re a family. Forever. No matter what.”
She looked at the ring.
Then at me.
Smiling through her tears.
“I promise too,” she said. “I promise to love you. To trust you. To never run again. To build this life with you. One day at a time. Forever.”
She kissed me.
Deep.
Passionate.
Full of love.
Full of hope.
Downstairs, we heard Mom yell.
“Boys! Come see what Santa left!”
Liam squealed.
Noah laughed.
We pulled apart.
Foreheads touching.
“Ready?” I asked.
She nodded.
“More than ready.”
We stood up.
Held hands.
Walked downstairs together.
To our family.
To our future.
To the life we’d always wanted.
And as we walked into the living room, the boys saw us.
They both yelled.
“Dada! Mama!”
And crawled over as fast as they could.
I picked up Liam.
Claire picked up Noah.
We stood there.
Holding our sons.
Holding each other.
Snow fell outside.
The tree twinkled.
And for the first time in my life.
May you like
I knew.
Everything was exactly as it was supposed to be.
