Chapter167 Let’s start again

Chapter167 Let’s start again
Chloe

The doctor slid the ultrasound probe across my lower belly one last time and smiled at the screen. Everything looked good, she said. My body had healed well. Six weeks after Liora was born, I was cleared for normal activity again.

Julian sat beside the exam table, holding my hand a little too tightly, and when the doctor finished speaking he let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh. His eyes were bright in a way I hadn’t seen since the delivery room.

He thanked her twice, then three times, and the moment we were alone in the hallway he leaned down and kissed the top of my head like I had just won a prize.

On the drive home he kept glancing over at me, that same excited energy rolling off him. I watched the city slide past the window and waited for him to explain. He didn’t. Instead he said the words that immediately made my stomach flip with curiosity.

“Soon you’ll understand why I’m this happy.”

I turned to look at him. “You’re not going to tell me now?”

He shook his head, smiling at the road. “Nope. But it’s something good, Chloe. Really good.”

I studied his profile for a second longer, then settled back in my seat. Whatever it was, he had clearly been planning it for a while. I trusted him enough to wait.

Over the next couple of weeks Julian started leaving the house more often. He called them important projects, though he never gave details.

Every time he came back he brought something small: a bouquet of white peonies from the market, a tiny stuffed bear for Liora, a box of the chocolate croissants I used to crave during the third trimester.

When he was gone he texted me constantly. Did she eat? How’s your back feeling? Need me to pick up anything on the way home?

The neighbors caught us on one of our short walks and told me I had married the most thoughtful man on the block. I smiled and agreed because it felt true.

One afternoon I was in the kitchen warming a bottle when I heard his voice from the study. The door was only half closed. He was on the phone, speaking low and careful.

“The setup needs to be finished by the end of the week. She’ll love it. I want everything perfect for her.”

I froze, bottle in my hand. He said something else about timing and then laughed softly, the kind of laugh he used when he was already imagining my reaction.

I didn’t catch any more before he noticed the silence and lowered his voice even further. When he came out a minute later he found me still standing there and offered a quick explanation.

“It’s a surprise. Nothing for you to worry about.”

I nodded, but the curiosity stayed with me the rest of the day.

A few mornings later I was folding laundry in our bedroom and reached into the back of his dresser for a stack of T-shirts. My hand bumped something small and velvet. I pulled out a ring box I had never seen before.

Inside sat a delicate gold band set with a single emerald surrounded by smaller diamonds. It was far more elaborate than the plain wedding band I wore now. I stared at it for a long moment, heart beating faster, then closed the box and put it back exactly where I found it.

Julian walked in while I was still standing there. He saw the look on my face and smiled, slow and knowing.

“Not yet,” he said quietly.

I didn’t ask what he meant. I just nodded and went back to folding shirts, already turning over possibilities in my head.

The next evening he came home from another long day out and found me on the couch with Liora asleep against my chest. He sat down beside us and reached for my free hand.

“Tomorrow,” he said. “We have plans. I need you to wear the nicest dress you have.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How nice are we talking?”

He leaned in and kissed my temple. “The one you wore on our first real date. And pack an overnight bag for Liora. Matilda is taking her for the night.”

My pulse picked up. “Julian, what is going on?”

He shook his head again, but his eyes were shining. “Tomorrow you’re going to get the biggest surprise of your life. I promise.”

My phone buzzed a few minutes later with messages from Tiffany and Kim. They both said the same vague thing: Can’t wait for tomorrow. Wear something pretty.

I texted back asking what they knew, but they only sent winking emojis. Even Ethan sent a short message that just said “proud of you both.”

The mystery was starting to make my stomach flutter in the best way.

The following afternoon Julian stood in the doorway of our bedroom while I finished curling my hair. He was already dressed in a dark suit, and when he saw me in the silk dress he bought me months ago he stopped and just looked.

“You look beautiful,” he said, voice low. “Come on. We’re going somewhere special.”

As the plane descended over the rugged coastline, I realized exactly where Julian was taking me. My throat tightened at the memory of that night.

Big Sur, the place where we had conceived Liora.

Julian parked, came around to open my door, and took my hand. We walked along the sand until we reached a stretch that had been cleared and set up with lanterns and a small white arch draped in flowers. A photographer stood quietly off to the side.

My steps slowed.

“Julian…”

He stopped and turned to face me, both of my hands in his now. The wind moved his hair across his forehead, and for a second he looked younger than he ever had.

“I wanted to do this right,” he said. “The first time we got married it was fast and messy and we both had too much fear hanging over us. You gave me a second chance anyway. You gave me Liora. You gave me a home I didn’t think I deserved. So today I want to start over with you, the way we should have started. No secrets, no contracts, just us.”

He glanced toward the arch and the small group of people waiting farther down the beach—our closest friends, his grandmother, my sister. Everyone was smiling. My eyes stung.

“Chloe,” he said, squeezing my hands, “the real beginning starts now. If you still want it.”

I looked at him for a long moment, at the man who had been quietly building something beautiful for months just to give it to me. Then I nodded, smiling through the sudden rush of tears.

“I want it,” I whispered. “Let’s start again.”

He leaned in and kissed me, soft and certain, while the ocean kept moving behind us and the lanterns began to glow against the fading light.