Here to stay

Here to stay
AMBROSE POV

Her words hit me like a freight train.

“I’m pregnant.”

The world slowed to a crawl. Snow swirled around us, muted by the weight pressing on my chest. My gaze instinctively dropped to her stomach, and my mind raced.

It wasn’t mine.

It had to be Nolan’s.

My son. My own flesh and blood. And yet… the thought of it made my chest twist in ways I couldn’t explain.

I should have been happy for her. I should have congratulated her. But all I could feel was a strange mix of shock, longing, and jealousy....jealousy at a life I had no claim to, at a son I barely knew, at a future I hadn’t imagined.

I forced a tight swallow and said, “Congratulations.”

Ben froze. Her body stiffened, her arms wrapping tightly around herself. Her gaze bore into me, sharp and accusing.

“Congratulations?” she repeated, disbelief and pain in her voice. “That’s all you can say?”

I took a step back. “Ben… I—”

“No!” she snapped.

“Don’t. Don’t call me that. You disappeared eight years ago, Ambrose. You left me. You lied to me about losing your memory. And now… now you show up like nothing happened and act like you have a right to be here?”

Her words cut deeper than any blade.

I wanted to reach for her, to hold her, but I froze, paralyzed by the guilt of eight years lost. Eight years watching Alessia Marie, our daughter, from the shadows. Eight years of not being able to guide her, protect her, or simply be her father. And now… I was facing the reality that Ben had moved on, had built a life however flawed without me.

“I know,” I said quietly.

“I know I don’t deserve anything from you. I know I don’t get to ask for forgiveness. But I… I left to protect you and Alessia. I thought staying away would make things easier. Easier for you to live. Easier for her to grow up safely.”

Ben’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of our daughter, a flicker of emotion crossing her face surprise, perhaps pain but it vanished almost instantly, replaced by steel.

“You think that makes it okay?” she asked. Her voice was hard, trembling with restrained emotion. “You abandoned her. You abandoned me. Every day of her life, I carried the burden of your absence. I raised Alessia alone, while you… played a ghost in the background, watching but never participating.”

I flinched. Her words were deserved. Every single one of them.

“I… I thought—” I began, but she cut me off.

“You thought what?” Her tone was sharp, almost bitter. “That pretending to lose your memory would make me happy? That it would make Alessia’s life better? That it would make you feel less guilty?”

Her eyes narrowed, fiery and fierce.

I swallowed hard.

“I thought… I thought if I stayed away, I could protect you from me. From my mistakes.”

Ben shook her head slowly, disbelief and anger etched on her features. “Mistakes? Ambrose… you don’t get to call it that. You missed her birthdays. You missed every milestone. And now you walk back into my life while I’m carrying Nolan’s child, expecting what? That I’ll welcome you with open arms?”

My chest tightened, the weight of reality pressing down. Nolan’s child. My son’s child. My grandson. My family, built without me.

“Yes,” I admitted quietly. “I know it’s… complicated. But I need you to know that I’m here now. I won’t run. I won’t hide. Whatever happens with the Rebels, with Asher, with New Way Group… I will protect you, and I will protect Alessia. And I will do everything I can to ensure the baby is safe.”

Her gaze softened, just for a flicker, but then hardened again.

“Ambrose… you can’t fix the past. You can’t change what’s been done. You can’t undo eight years of absence, eight years of pain.”

“I know,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“But I can do better now. I can make sure nothing happens to you, nothing happens to Alessia, and nothing threatens this child.”

The snow continued to fall around us, coating the streets and steps of New Way Group in white. I noticed the faint shadow of a figure watching from across the street a reminder that danger was never far. Asher. The Rebels. My mind tightened around each name like a vise.

Ben’s hand instinctively rested on her stomach. I noticed the small, protective gesture and my chest ached. This child my grandson was a symbol of a life that could have been mine, but wasn’t. And yet… it was also a chance to make things right.

I took a step closer, careful not to overwhelm her.

“Tell me what happened, Ben. Who tried to hurt you?”

She hesitated, then her expression hardened.

“Asher. He’s been scheming behind the scenes for months. He wants to destroy New Way Group, and he won’t stop until he ruins me completely.”

My blood ran cold. Asher. Ambition and greed had always been his, but this… this was personal. My family, my daughter, my love everything I held dear was under threat.

“I’ll deal with him,” I said, my voice low and deadly.

“No one hurts my family and gets away with it.”

Ben’s frown deepened. “This isn’t just about you anymore, Ambrose. Alessia, the baby… it’s bigger than us. You need to tread carefully.”

“I know,” I murmured, determination hardening in my chest.

“I’m not leaving. Not again.”

She looked at me, her eyes wide, and for a moment I glimpsed the woman I had loved eight years ago the one who had captured my heart and refused to let go.

“I need your word,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “No more running. No more secrets.”

“I promise,” I said firmly. “I’ll stay. I’ll protect you and our family. And I won’t let anyone, not Asher, not anyone, destroy what’s ours.”

Her gaze dropped to my hands, then back to my face. For a brief moment, the tension softened, but I could see the storm looming behind her eyes. She trusted me enough to stand here, but the scars of the past, the threats of the present, and the uncertainty of the future all hung between us like a storm cloud.

I swallowed, feeling the weight of every moment lost and every moment to come.

“Ben… I’m done running. And I’m not afraid anymore. Whatever it takes, I’ll make this right for you, for Alessia, and for the baby.”

A faint, almost imperceptible nod from her confirmed she understood. Not fully. Not yet. But enough to know that I was back. And that I was willing to fight for them.

For the first time in eight years, I felt… alive.

And I knew one thing for certain:

I would not let my daughter, my love, or my grandson be harmed again.

Not by Asher. Not by anyone.

I was back.