Chapter 157 It's cute when you pout

Chapter 157 It's cute when you pout
Tegan

By midnight, the private island beach was completely swarmed by federal investigators, flashing sirens, and medical teams. The remaining tactical guards were hauled away in heavy zip-ties.

A weeping, heavily bandaged Mr. Garrison was lifted into a police truck, his academic career officially dead. The elite students were loaded onto the private ferries, their terrified whispers finally fading away as everyone went home.

The grand, old-money party had turned into a ghost town. The white silk tents were torn to shreds, flapping like broken wings against the midnight wind. Overturned tables lay half-buried in the wet sand, surrounded by crushed flowers, shattered champagne glasses, and the dirty soot of the black chemical trap. The day I had spent weeks planning was a total ruin.

"Let’s get you out of the cold, koala," Hayes rumbled softly. His deep, gravelly voice instantly calmed my racing heart.

We walked slowly down the shoreline, moving far away from the trashed pavilion toward the quiet, empty stretch of the private beach. I was completely numb, wrapped tightly inside his heavy, expensive suit jacket.

The thick wool swallowed my frame, smelling overwhelmingly of him, a mix of cedarwood, fresh ice, sharp gunpowder, and sea salt.

“It's all over now. All the threats…they're gone for good,” Hayes said suddenly, his arm wrapping securely around my shoulders to pull me closer.

“That's what we think every single time," I hissed, a bit of my usual bite returning as I leaned heavily into his side. "It's like we can't just have peace and live a normal, happy life.”

“Life's unfair like that,” Hayes continued, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against the top of my head.

He was doing a terrible job of comforting me, if that was his actual goal. I sighed, but burrowed deeper into his warmth anyway.

“But hey, at least I have you to protect me,” he smirked, his eyes flashing with that deep, melted chocolate warmth that was strictly reserved for me.

“What are you talking about?” I glared up at him, though my lips twitched.

“You were a total badass out there, princess. Seriously," he smiled, his arm tightening around me as we kept walking.

"You saved all our asses with your plan. I was down in the sand, and you're up there breaking bones and holding a microphone stand over a grown man's throat like a literal queen. My girl is terrifyingly tough.”

My face heated up, a surge of pride making my chest swell. I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to play it cool. “I didn't do much. Just used my head.”

“Are you kidding me?” He chuckled, stopping in his tracks. He pulled me to a stop, too, turning his massive frame to block the biting wind.

"You're right," he murmured, every trace of teasing melting from his voice. "Life's unfair. It doesn't ask permission before it tears everything apart. It doesn't care who deserves happiness and who doesn't."

His hand found my cheek, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear with impossible tenderness. His calloused knuckles brushed my skin so gently it felt like he was afraid I'd disappear beneath his touch.

"But there's one thing I know, koala."

His forehead rested against mine.

"As long as I wake up beside you... as long as I get to come home to you... as long as I have your hand in mine..." A small, impossibly soft smile tugged at his lips. "Life can throw every damn thing it's got at me."

He kissed my forehead, "And I'll still be the luckiest man alive.”

“Thank you,” I said softly, my voice melting. “For coming into my life. For loving me….”

“I should be the one thanking you” he chuckled “I don't know where I'd have been without you,”

He leaned in, crashing his lips to mine as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me. I opened my mouth, letting him kiss me deeply, his tongue exploring my lips with a slow, suffocating sweetness that made the rest of the world completely disappear.

“I love you, Hayes Ashford,” I breathed out against his lips.

“I love you more, princess,” he whispered, pulling away just enough to interlace his large fingers with mine as we continued walking along the shore toward the dark house.

I didn't even try to hide the wide grin on my face as I looked at him. But then my eyes fell back on the disaster down the beach. A heavy, suffocating sadness coiled tightly right behind my ribs again.

“We can host another party, with a much smaller crowd,” he said, instantly sensing my mood shift.

"I'm fine," I lied flatly, my voice a razor-thin whisper against the wind. To prove my point, I aggressively kicked a piece of driftwood into the waves.

I took another step, my heels sinking into the sand, and aggressively kicked a tangled cluster of dried seaweed into the water. A cold tear finally escaped my lashes. "I didn't even care about the white roses. Or the candle holders. The entire aesthetic was way too extra anyway."

Hayes stopped dead in his tracks. Turning toward me, his blue eyes dancing with a fierce, protective warmth. "You're a terrible liar, princess," he murmured, his deep voice rattling straight into my bones.

He reached out, his massive hands sliding under the wool jacket to securely wrap around my waist, pulling my body against his thighs.

"And it’s incredibly cute when you pout, koala. Your bottom lip is practically touching your nose."

"I am not pouting, Hayes," I snapped, trying to wiggle out of his hold, though my fingers instinctively bunched into his shirt. "It's a reflex reaction common among pregnant women, okay?"

“Uh-huh… common among pregnant women,” he repeated, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up," I whispered roughly, turning and walking away.

I heard him laugh behind me as I kept walking blindly down the dark shoreline. I wasn't even looking down, I was just staring up at the purple twilight sky, completely lost in my feelings.

Then, the sole of my heel violently struck something heavy and metal buried deep in the sand. With a sharp crunch, my foot completely split a black-painted canister.

A massive cloud of incredibly fine dust shot straight up into the freezing night air with a loud, sudden hiss. I violently flinched, a sharp gasp tearing from my throat as my hands flew instinctively over my pregnant stomach to shield my baby. My entire body went completely stiff. I closed my eyes tight, bracing for a chemical burn, an ambush, or a nightmare like before. My heart hammered into my throat.

"Look down, princess," Hayes’s rough voice cut through my rising panic. It wasn't tense at all. It sounded...awestruck. Slowly, hesitantly, I forced my eyes open.

The ocean breeze wasn't carrying a poisonous black mist like I thought. The air around us was swirling with a magnificent, vibrant, and utterly beautiful cloud of thick pink powder. The wind caught the airborne mist, sweeping the rose-colored wave over the dark water.

I stood there, completely stunned, my mind desperately trying to make sense of the color exploding around my feet. The helicopter had been a disaster. The main event was ruined…

Sophie.

The memories rushed back to me as a breathless chuckle caught in my throat. Yesterday, Sophie had been bouncing on her heels, gushing about the layout. “I added these hidden ground-burst cannon bombs along the shoreline, Tee!” she had squealed. “They’re timed to go off right as the chopper drops the mist, so the color explodes right beside the guests!”

I remembered chuckling at her, teasingly rolling my eyes and telling her she just wanted to bathe the poor girls on campus in color. This was the pure, untouched color we were supposed to see all along.

Reality hit my mind with a slow, dizzying speed. I looked down at myself. The fabric of my white dress was completely coated in the bright, beautiful color. I lifted my hands, my fingers covered in the fine pink powder. The white sand at our bare feet had turned into a swirling sea of magenta and rose.

It’s a girl.

A choked, breathless sob escaped my lips. My powder-covered hands flew to my mouth as fresh tears, happy ones this time, poured down my cheeks.

Hayes looked down at the vibrant pink dust coating his own bruised knuckles, then looked into my wide, tearful eyes with a rare, breathtakingly soft smile. He pulled me flush against his chest, his large hand wrapping protectively over my belly.