Chapter One Hundred-Nineteen

Chapter One Hundred-Twenty
Grace's POV
I blinked, trying to process this. "Guilty? But I thought she was going to fight it."
Quinn nodded. "So did I. Her lawyer says she wants to avoid a trial. The DA's offering a deal, four years, possibility of parole after two."
"What about the clinic doctors?" I asked.
"They're all cutting deals too. Your mother's testimony is sealing their fate." Quinn touched my arm gently. "You won't have to testify now."
Relief washed through me, so intense I felt light-headed. No trial. No having to relive everything in a courtroom full of strangers. No media circus dissecting every detail of our lives.
"That's... good," I managed.
"Are you okay?" Quinn asked, studying my face.
I nodded, surprised to find it was true. "I am. It's over, isn't it? Really over."
"It is." She squeezed my hand. "You can look forward now. Those three babies and that husband who can't take his eyes off you. I'm so happy for you, Grace, if anyone in this life deserves happiness it's you."
I looked across the room at Hunter, who was indeed watching me, even while nodding along to whatever Chris was saying. When our eyes met, he smiled, and my heart swelled.
"Thank you," I told Quinn. "For everything. For being my friend through all of this. I couldn't have done it without the ones that stood with me."
She shrugged, embarrassed by my gratitude. "That's what friends do."
Hunter must have picked up on my mood because I saw him break away and head our way.
Hunter's voice was gentle as he approached. "Everything okay?" His eyes moved between Quinn and me, sensing the shift in energy.
I looked at Quinn. She nodded and moved off to give us some privacy.
"Yes," I said, and meant it. "Quinn just told me my mother changed her plea to guilty. She's taking a deal."
His expression softened with understanding. "How do you feel about that?"
I considered the question carefully. Two years ago, I would have been devastated at the thought of my mother in prison. Three months ago, I would have been torn between guilt and relief. But now?
"Free," I said simply. "I feel free."
Hunter wrapped his arm around me, pressing a kiss to my temple. "You are free, sweetheart."
"No trial means no more media circus," I murmured, leaning into his strength. "No more rehashing everything in public."
"No more looking over your shoulder," Hunter added. "No more waiting for the other shoe to drop."
I rested my hand on my growing belly, feeling the gentle flutters that had recently started, our three little miracles making their presence known. "We can focus on our family."
"Our family," he echoed, his hand covering mine. "The one we built together."
I looked around the room at the people gathered there—Hunter's parents laughing with my father, Maya teasing Max while Quinn pretended not to be jealous, all of them here for us, supporting us through everything.
"I never thought I'd have this," I admitted softly. "People who truly love me for me. Not for what I could do for them or how I could serve their interests."
Hunter's eyes were tender as he turned me to face him. "You deserve all of it and more, Grace. Everything I am, everything I have, it's yours. Always has been, even when I was too blind to see it. You and the babies are more important to me than my own life."
"I love you," I whispered, the words simple but carrying the weight of everything we'd been through.
"I love you too," he murmured against my lips. "All four of you."
"We should tell everyone our latest news," I said, looking towards the people we loved most.
I moved toward the rest of our family and friends, Hunter's arm secure around my waist. Everyone looked at us expectantly, seeing we had more to share.
"Quinn just gave us some news," I said, my voice steady and clear. "My mother has changed her plea to guilty. She's taking a deal."
Dad's expression shifted from shock to relief. "That means no trial."
"Exactly," Hunter affirmed. "The DA is offering four years with possibility of parole after two."
Maya raised her glass. "To justice finally being served. Although I wish it was longer."
Everyone lifted their glasses in a toast that felt like closing a chapter.
"And to new beginnings," my father added, his eyes softening as they met mine.
As we settled back into our seats, I found myself thinking about how far I'd come. A year ago, I was trapped in Helena's shadow, manipulated by my mother, silently loving a man I thought I'd never have. Now I sat surrounded by true family, carrying the three most precious gifts I could imagine.
"You know what I just realized?" I said, looking around the table. "Our babies will never know what it's like to be unloved or manipulated. They'll grow up knowing exactly how wanted they are."
My mother-in-law dabbed at her eyes. "And how spoiled they'll be by their grandparents."
"Three babies," Chris mused, shaking his head in wonder. "I still can't believe it."
"Believe it," Hunter said, reaching for my hand.
Max leaned forward. "So, when do we get to hear these names you're considering?"
Hunter and I exchanged glances. We'd been debating names since the first scan when we thought there were only two but hadn't settled on all three.
"We're still deciding," I admitted. "But we've narrowed it down for our daughter."
"Well?" Maya prompted, practically bouncing in her seat.
"Lily," I said softly. "Lily Sinclair."
Elizabeth's hand flew to her mouth, tears immediately filling her eyes. "Oh, Grace..." Lily had been Elizabeth's mother's name.
"If that's okay with you," I added, suddenly nervous.
"It's perfect," she whispered, reaching across to squeeze my hand.
"And the boys?" Quinn asked.
Hunter smiled. "We're thinking James for one. After Grace's grandfather."
My father's eyes widened. "Dad would have been so proud."
"And the other little guy?" Max inquired.
Hunter laughed. "We have thought of naming him after my grandfather, dad's father. Benson."
The evening continued, filled with laughter and plans. As I watched these people… my people, I realized I'd finally found what I'd been searching for my entire life: a sense of belonging. Real love. A true family.
Later, as the last guests were leaving, my father pulled me aside.
"I want you to know," he said quietly, "how proud I am of you. The strength you've shown through all of this... I should have protected you better."
"Dad," I cut him off gently. "We can't change the past. We can only move forward. It means the world to me that you are here for me now."
He nodded, his eyes suspiciously bright. "You're going to be an amazing mother, Grace. Those three little ones are so lucky to have you."
After everyone had gone, Hunter and I stood in our kitchen, his arms wrapped around me from behind, hands resting on my growing belly.
"Happy?" he asked, his breath warm against my ear.
I leaned back against him, feeling completely at peace. "More than I ever thought possible."
"Our family," he murmured. "Our future."
"I feel like the luckiest woman alive," I promised, turning in his arms to face him. "I'm just sorry Helena had to die, and Margo has to go to jail for me to be happy."
Hunter pulled me tighter against him, his hands splaying protectively over our babies. "Don't carry that weight, Grace. Helena made her choices. Your mother made hers. Their consequences aren't your burden."
I nodded against his chest, knowing he was right but still feeling the lingering shadow of guilt. "I just wish..."
"What?" His voice was gentle, coaxing.
"That it didn't take all this pain to get here." I pulled back enough to meet his eyes. "That we'd found each other before Helena, before the lies, before everything. But then we wouldn't have our babies."
Hunter cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing across my cheekbones. "Maybe we needed the darkness to appreciate the light," he said softly. "Maybe we had to go through hell to understand how good this is."
I rose on my tiptoes, kissing him with everything I felt. When I pulled back, his eyes had darkened with familiar heat.
"The babies need rest," I murmured.
"The babies need their father to take care of their mother," he countered, already backing me toward the stairs.
I laughed, the sound pure joy. "Is that your excuse now?"
"Do I need one?"
"No."
As Hunter swept me into his arms, carrying me upstairs to our bedroom, I took one last look at the dining room, the remains of our celebration, the evidence of family and love and hope.
Everything I'd endured had led me here. To this man. This moment. This future.
And I wouldn't change a single thing.