Chapter 172 #172

Chapter 172 #172
Chapter 172
~Shailyn~
Epilogue

The house in the valley was no longer the silent, just with baby steps it had been when we first walked through its halls twelve years ago. 

Now, it was a living, breathing entity, filled with the echoes of piano practice, the scent of fresh baking, and the constant, high energy of three children who were growing up much faster than my heart was ready for.

I sat at the kitchen island, a tablet open in front of me, though I wasn’t looking at spreadsheets or market projections. I was looking at a photo from the project launch twelve years ago.

The front door slammed open, followed by the familiar chaotic sound of my kids arguing. 

"I’m telling you, Lucy, it’s obvious!" a cracking, adolescent voice yelled.

"Randell, if you don't shut up right now, I will delete your entire save-file on the console!" 

I looked up just as my children swarmed into the kitchen. Lucy and Lily, now nearly fourteen, were a matched set of elegance and fire. They had my height but Dwayne’s intense, dark eyes. 

Following closely behind them was Randell. At nearly twelve, he was already catching up to his sisters in height, his shoulders broadening just like his father’s. He was the image of Dwayne, right down to the protective, slightly arrogant tilt of his head.

"Mom!" Randell shouted, ignoring his sisters’ glares as he skidded to a halt by the island. "Tell Lucy she’s not allowed to have a boyfriend. Dad says the limit is thirty-five, right?"

I suppressed a smile. "Thirty-five might be a bit extreme, honey. What’s going on?"

Lily dropped into the chair next to me, rolling her eyes. "Randell is being a spy. Again. He spent the whole lunch break hovering near our table because he saw Lucy talking to someone."

"I wasn't hovering! I was... monitoring the olace," Randell defended himself, puffing out his chest. 

Dwayne walked in then, still dressed in his charcoal-grey suit from a morning meeting at the Institute. He looked exactly the same, save for a few distinguished silver hairs at his temples that I found incredibly attractive. He caught the tail end of the conversation, his brow instantly furrowing.

"Monitoring what?" Dwayne asked, his voice dropping into that low, 'Dad-mode' register.

"Lucy likes a boy!" Randell blurted out, pointing a finger at his sister. 

The kitchen went dead silent. He turned his gaze slowly toward Lucy, who had turned a bright, furious shade of pink.

"Lucy?" Dwayne asked, his voice dangerously calm. "Is there something we need to discuss? A security threat I should be aware of?"

"Dad! It’s nothing!" Lucy groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "It was just a conversation. Randell is making it weird because he thinks he's my bodyguard."

"I am your bodyguard," Randell muttered, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. "Dad told me to keep an eye on things."

I caught Dwayne’s eye and shook my head. He was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, looking ready to pull up the school's CCTV footage.

He loved his son’s protectiveness; he viewed it as a successful way to keep boys away when he is not there. To Dwayne, keeping boys away from his daughters was a full-time work.

"Dwayne, leave her alone," I said softly, standing up and walking over to him. "She’s thirteen. She’s allowed to have a conversation without it being a big crisis."

"A conversation leads to a 'hangout,' Shailyn. A hangout leads to... things," Dwayne grumbled, though he uncrossed his arms as I reached him.

"It leads to a youthful life," I countered, resting my hands on his chest. 

Lucy and Lily shared a look of pure relief as I drew their father’s fire. They took the opportunity to grab their snacks and retreat upstairs, Randell trailing after them while still muttering about "background checks."

Once the kids were out of earshot, I pulled out my phone and dialed Hannah. She picked up on the second ring.

"Tell me everything," Hannah said, her voice full of laughter. "I already heard from my son that the middle-school hallway was a 'zone of high tension' today."

"So it's true?" I asked, leaning against Dwayne, who was now unashamedly eavesdropping. "Lucy has a crush?"

"Oh, it's more than a crush," Hannah giggled. "I have it, from my own sources, that it’s the new transfer student, Marco. He’s a soccer player, very polite, very smart. And apparently, he’s been following Lucy around like a lost puppy."

I looked at Dwayne. His jaw was literally hanging open. "A soccer player?" he mouthed. "I hate soccer."

"He sounds charming, Hannah," I said into the phone, grinning. "Father and son are being overprotective."

"Tell him to relax," Hannah laughed. "Luke already tried to give Marco a 'stern look' in the parking lot, and the kid just offered to help him. He’s a good kid, Shailyn."

"We'll talk later," I said, hanging up.

I turned back to my husband. He looked genuinely disturbed. For a man who could navigate a multi-billion dollar hostile takeover without breaking a sweat, the idea of a boy named Marco was clearly his breaking point.

"Dwayne, look at me," I said, taking his face in my hands. 

"I’m going to need to see his school transcripts," he muttered. "And a character reference."

"No, you are going to take a deep breath. Our daughter is growing up. She’s beautiful, she’s smart, and she’s happy. Isn’t that what we fought for? For them to have a life that isn't defined by fear or control?"

Dwayne sighed, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. "I just don't want anyone to hurt her, Shai. I know how people can be. I know how I was at that age."

"You were a menace," I teased. "But you turned out okay."

"Because I met you." He leaned down, resting his forehead against mine. "Everything good in my life started because of you."

I heard a collective "Ewwwww!" from the top of the stairs. 

I looked up to see three heads peeking. Lucy, Lily, and Randell were all wearing various expressions of disgust and amusement.

"Get a room!" Randell shouted.

"We are in a room! It’s our kitchen!" Dwayne shouted back, though he didn't let go of me. Instead, he leaned in and gave me a long, dramatic kiss right in front of them.

"Gross!" Lily yelled, laughing as they all scurried away toward their rooms.

I laughed against Dwayne’s lips, feeling the warmth of the house, the safety of the valley, and the love of the man who had stayed by my side through every storm. 

We had come so far from those cold rooms at the Belmar estate. We had survived Dante’s cruelty, Tyler and Devian’s evil scheme, and the crushing weight of all that tried to break us. But standing here, in this kitchen, surrounded by the beautiful chaos of the family we had built, I realized that the greatest victory wasn't the company or the awards.

It was this. This simple, loud, imperfect life.

I looked at Dwayne, my partner, my friend, the father of my children. He was the man who had stepped out of his brother’s shadow to stand in the light with me. He was the one who had protected me when I was weak and cheered for me when I was strong.

As we stood there, wrapped in each other's arms while our children's laughter echoed from upstairs, a single, quiet thought drifted through my mind. It was a thought that made me squeeze him just a little bit tighter.

I was so glad I married the right brother.