Chapter 60 Chapter 60
Chapter 60 Chapter 60
After the party ended, I helped Chloe with Ayla while the staff took down the tables and gathered the scattered flower petals around the garden. The distant sound of clinking glasses and tired laughter still lingered in the air. I sat beside her, watching Ayla sleep in her arms, and took a deep breath before speaking.
"I was thinking..." I began, running a hand through my hair nervously. "Why don’t we get married?"
Chloe looked up at me, surprised. "Married?"
I gave a half-smile. "Yeah. We already have a daughter, we live together... I guess that’s the only thing missing, right?"
She blinked a few times, as if trying to figure out if I was serious. "You want to get married?"
"Why wouldn’t I?" I said, leaning a little closer. "I love you, Chloe. I want to make what we have official. We already have the rings... we could do something small, here, just with family. Or, if you prefer, something a bit bigger, in a hall. What do you think?"
Chloe lowered her gaze, a shy smile escaping as she stroked Ayla’s hair. "Of course... I mean, I never thought my life would turn out like this. But..." she laughed softly, a spark in her eyes. "I want to marry you."
My chest tightened in a strange way, and I couldn’t hide the smile spreading across my face. "Great. So how do you want it?"
"Something simple," she replied, looking back at me. "Just family. Like you said."
I took her hand, brought it to my lips, and kissed it gently. "Then it’ll be simple. But it’ll be ours."
"Great," he said with a satisfied smile. "And how do you want it?"
"Something simple, like you said. More intimate, just family." Chloe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice soft.
"And when do you want it?" I asked, tilting my head, curious.
"I..." she hesitated for a moment, her eyes falling to Ayla sleeping in her lap. "We could get married in a month. What do you think?"
"A month sounds perfect." I smiled slightly, excited. "And I’ve already thought about our honeymoon. Paris, Switzerland... maybe Ireland."
Chloe let out a short laugh, adjusting the blanket over Ayla. "Honeymoon?"
"Of course." I leaned my shoulder against hers, my voice dropping lower. "We need some time just for the two of us, don’t you think?"
"And what about Ayla?" she asked, frowning a little, though the smile was still there.
"Don’t worry about that. My mom or my sister can stay with her. They love Ayla," I assured her, sliding my fingers lightly along her arm. "You need a break. It’ll just be a week. We’ll travel, relax, no worries... how about that?"
Chloe glanced at me sideways, thoughtful. "A week? Isn’t that too much?"
"Not at all." I chuckled, brushing her chin gently with my thumb. "A week will fly by. Trust me."
She shook her head, laughing softly, but her eyes said it all — for the first time in a long while, she looked genuinely happy.
— Sabe, sempre tive vontade de conhecer Paris — disse Chloe, olhando para mim com um sorriso sonhador.
— Paris, é? — arqueei uma sobrancelha, divertido. — Então está decidido. Nossa lua de mel será em Paris. Faremos tudo o que você quiser. E quando voltarmos, você vai estar descansada… e eu também. — Sorri de canto, tocando de leve a mão dela. — Quero tirar um tempo só pra vocês. Focar na nossa família, te ajudar com a Ayla. Não quero perder nenhum segundo dessa nova fase.
Chloe desviou o olhar, os lábios se curvando num sorriso tímido.
— E pro nosso casamento, mesmo sendo algo íntimo, quero que você use um vestido lindo. Quero ver você deslumbrante, ok? — falei, a voz mais baixa, quase num sussurro.
Ela riu, balançando a cabeça. — Está bem, verei alguns vestidos.
— Ótimo. — Me levantei, espreguiçando os ombros. — Eu vou colocar ela no berço, e depois podemos aproveitar o resto da tarde só nós dois… abrimos um vinho, o que acha?
— Acho uma boa ideia.
— Perfeito. — Inclinei-me para frente e beijei o topo da cabeça dela antes de pegar Ayla nos braços.
O corpinho pequeno se mexeu um pouco, mas continuou dormindo. Subi as escadas devagar, até chegar ao quarto dela. Abri a porta com cuidado e caminhei até o berço.
Coloquei Ayla com delicadeza, ajeitando a mantinha sobre o corpo dela. Fiquei ali por um instante, só observando. Um sorriso escapou sem que eu percebesse — era uma sensação quase nova, quase estranha… mas boa. Ter isso. Ter ela.
Passei o polegar pelos finos fios loiros do cabelo dela, sentindo a pele macia sob meu toque.
Podia me acostumar com isso — ser pai.
Antes, o silêncio da casa me confortava. Agora, quero ouvir seus choros, suas risadas, quero o som da vida enchendo cada canto. Quero assistir mil vezes aos mesmos desenhos, ver seus primeiros passos, ouvir suas primeiras palavras. Quero protegê-la. Não importa o que aconteça.
Beijei sua testa com carinho, o coração apertando.
Fechei a porta devagar e desci os degraus em silêncio, o som suave dos meus passos se misturando ao farfalhar distante das folhas lá fora. Voltei para a sala — e para Chloe, o meu lar.