221. THE NIGHT BEFORE

221. THE NIGHT BEFORE
SELINE | FIVE MONTHS LATER
Morning has always been my favourite time of the day.
Not because of the sunrise.
Not because of the birds.
Not even because it is peaceful.
Because of him. My husband.
The curtains were still half drawn, allowing thin ribbons of golden sunlight to spill into our bedroom, stretching lazily across the wooden floor before climbing the edge of our bed. The twins were still asleep in the nursery next door. Storm had claimed his usual place at the foot of the bed. Even the house seemed reluctant to wake.
I watched my husband instead.
He hadn't noticed I was awake.
He had quietly slipped out of bed a minute ago, careful not to disturb me, wearing nothing except a pair of black lounge pants that sat low on his hips. Five months had passed since I gave birth, yet he still moved around me as though I were made of glass, pausing every few seconds to glance over his shoulder just to make sure I was still sleeping peacefully.
Ridiculous man.
He stood before the window, one hand absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck while the other pushed his unruly hair away from his forehead.
The sunlight reached him then.
Golden.
It wrapped itself around every scar that crossed his back and shoulders instead of hiding them, settling inside the grooves of old wounds. His broad back looked less like something that had survived countless battles and more like something carved out of light itself.
Golden.
It had always been him.
Not his eyes.
Not his hair.
Not the morning.
Just...
Him.
Now every sunrise reminds me of my husband.
Perhaps that was why I never closed the curtains anymore.
He reached for his shirt lying over the chair.
"No."
He paused.
Turned around.
One eyebrow lifted.
"No?"
I smiled into my pillow. "Don't wear it."
A corner of his mouth lifted.
"I have a meeting."
"I know."
"I should probably wear a shirt."
"I disagree."
He chuckled softly before walking back toward the bed instead, stopping beside me.
"Good morning, Wildling."
"Good morning."
He leaned down to kiss my forehead. Then my nose. Then the corner of my mouth.
"You're unusually awake."
"I've been watching you."
"Oh?"
"Mmm."
His fingers absentmindedly brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Was I doing something interesting?"
"You were glowing."
He actually looked behind himself.
Toward the window.
As though trying to figure out what I was talking about.
I laughed.
"You are hopeless."
"I know."
"No."
I reached for his hand.
"You genuinely don't know."
His gaze softened.
"What?"
I intertwined my fingers with his.
"The sun likes you."
He blinked.
"What?"
"It always finds you."
Another blink.
"I think that's how mornings should look."
He stared at me for several long seconds before quietly saying, "You're still half asleep."
"I am."
"You make very little sense before breakfast. Up, I will get some food."
"I rarely make sense after breakfast either."
Kade chuckled, "I know."
Silence settled between us.
Comfortable and easy.
The kind of silence we had spent years earning.
My eyes wandered over his face.
The scar running along his cheek.
The tiny line above his eyebrow.
The sleep still lingered in his golden eyes.
This man had once terrified me.
Now...
He couldn't even leave the bedroom without kissing me goodbye.
My heart suddenly felt too full for my chest. "Kade."
"Hm?"
"Let's get married."
The smile slowly disappeared from his face. He has always wanted to get married before the twins are born. But now, the idea of it makes him uneasy. He believes that marriage will be another source of pressure on me.
His brows drew together, as though he wasn't entirely sure he had heard me correctly.
"I want the dress."
"The vows."
"The flowers."
"I want Hana crying before I even walk down the aisle."
"I want Lilly asking inappropriate questions."
"I want Luna refusing to give away flowers because she thinks they're prettier in her hands."
"I want Layla stressing over everything."
"I want Dante pretending he doesn't care."
"I want Cillian, Kai, and everyone there."
I looked into his eyes.
"And this time..."
I smiled.
"I want to remember every second."
For the longest time...
He simply stared at me.
His voice almost cracked.
A tear escaped before I even realised I was crying.
"I don't want to survive this part."
"I want to live it."
Another tear rolled down.
"I want photographs."
"I want to dance."
"I want our children laughing through the ceremony."
"I want Storm stealing someone's food."
"I want..."
I laughed through the tears.
"...a wedding that looks like us."
Kade closed his eyes.
Just for a second.
When he opened them again...
They were suspiciously bright.
He rested his forehead against mine.
"So..."
He whispered.
"...is this your proposal?"
I nodded.
"It is."
A slow smile spread across his face.
Not the one everyone feared.
Not the smug one.
Not the dangerous one.
The smile that belonged only to me.
"I accept."
Then he kissed me.
Slowly.
Tenderly.
As though we had all the mornings in the world.
And for the first time, I realised we probably did.
Or not. Because our babies woke up.

“I don’t wanna get dressed,” Kade whispered, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “When are they going to become eighteen and move out of our house?”
My body was still shaking after the three incredible orgasms.
And it was the night before the wedding.
The night Kade became needier for me than my twins.
He is still inside me, growing hard with every passing second.
“This is bliss,” he murmured. “I am in heaven.”
I laughed loudly, holding myself closer.
“We need to sleep. I don’t want dark circles for tomorrow. I wanna look good in the photos.”
“You can be in rags and still look good, Wildling.”
“For you, yes. But I need my beauty sleep now.”
I poked his cheek, “Sirius will wake up soon for milk.”
We got lucky when it comes to the twins. They sleep through the night and only wake up when they become hungry. As soon as I feed them, they will be out like a light.
“So…your wedding dres…Layla wouldn’t stop talking about it. What colour is that? White or yellow, like Lilly suggested,” he started.
“You are not gonna get any details out of me. You will see that for yourself.”
“Off white?” He guessed. “Dove white?”
I shook my head. “Not happening, Kade. You will have to see it for yourself.”
He moved out of me and thrust back just as fast.
“You are not gonna get any sleep, Mrs Marcellous.”
“Then, I am not marrying you.”
Suddenly, the air between us changed. Every thrust became deep, hard, and punishing even, just how I liked it.
“You can’t deny me what’s mine.” He whispered against my neck before sucking the skin.
It will leave a mark. I can’t care less.
Okay. Maybe I will panic about it tomorrow while Layla tries her best to hide it.
Now, it’s just him and me. And this feeling of floating in the air.