Chapter 190: Beau, I Brought You Good News

Lila’s POV

"In here!" Beau called out, pulling a perfectly golden loaf from the oven.

Ethan appeared in the doorway, his powerful frame filling the space. His amber eyes immediately found mine, a smile spreading across his face that made my knees weak. Then his gaze shifted to Violet, who had looked up at the sound of his voice.

"There's my princess!" he exclaimed, crossing the room in three long strides.

"Dada!" Violet squealed, abandoning her toys to toddle toward him with arms outstretched.

Ethan scooped her up, tossing her gently into the air before catching her securely against his chest. Violet's delighted giggles filled the room as he peppered her face with kisses.

"Stop torturing Lila, Beau," he said, though his eyes sparkled with humor. "I heard your impression from the hallway."

After thoroughly greeting Violet, Ethan approached me, leaning down to press a soft kiss to my cheek. "I'm home," he murmured, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.

"You need to shave," I replied, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.

He grinned, deliberately rubbing his stubbled cheek against Violet's, making her squeal and push at his face. "Violet likes it, don't you, princess?"

"Stop it," I protested, reaching out to rescue my daughter. "You're hurting her with that sandpaper on your face."

Ethan laughed, holding Violet just out of my reach. "She's not complaining."

As we playfully fought over our daughter, I caught Sophia watching us with a wistful smile. There was something in her eyes I couldn't quite read—nostalgia, maybe, or longing for the kind of easy relationship we seemed to have.

Ethan must have noticed too, because he suddenly paused, turning toward her. "How are you feeling, Sophia?"

Before she could answer, Beau materialized at her side, the ridiculous apron somehow not diminishing his protective stance. "My fiancée is doing great," he said, placing a warm loaf of bread on the coffee table. "And the baby is perfect too, according to the doctor."

I was struck by how naturally the word "fiancée" fell from his lips, how easily he'd slipped into the role of protective father-to-be. My twin brother—once so closed off and dangerous—had been completely transformed by love.

"What's this good news you mentioned when you came in?" Beau asked, settling beside Sophia again.

Ethan's expression shifted to something more serious as he adjusted Violet in his arms. "I went to see Juno Winters today."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Sophia went rigid, her hand automatically moving to her stomach in a protective gesture.

"Why would you do that?" Beau demanded, his arm tightening around Sophia's shoulders.

"To fix things," Ethan replied simply, meeting Beau's hostile gaze without flinching. "I convinced him to restore Sophia's standing in the family."

The silence that followed was deafening. Sophia's eyes widened, her lips parted in shock. "That's... that's impossible," she whispered. "Juno would never..."

"He will," Ethan stated confidently. "I made sure of it. By tomorrow, the Winters family will publicly announce that Kai is being reinstated as head of the family, with Marcus stepping down. They'll also formally acknowledge your engagement to Beau and express their full support."

Tears welled in Sophia's eyes, one escaping to track down her cheek. "How?" she asked, her voice barely audible. "Juno hates me. He called me—" She broke off, unable to repeat whatever cruel names her grandfather had used.

"I made him an offer he couldn't refuse," Ethan said, his tone making it clear he wouldn't elaborate further.

Beau stood slowly, his expression unreadable. "Why would you do this for us? After everything that happened with the Winters family... with Sophia..."

"I didn't do it for you," Ethan replied honestly, looking directly at me. "I did it for Lila. Because she cares about you, and your happiness matters to her."

My heart swelled at his words, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. This was the Ethan I'd fallen in love with—the man who would move mountains if it meant making me happy.

"How much?" Beau asked quietly. "How much did it cost you to change Juno's mind?"

Ethan shrugged, bouncing Violet gently as she began to fuss. "Money is just money. Family is what matters."

"Ethan," Beau pressed, his voice tense. "How much?"

"One hundred million," Ethan admitted without inflection, as if the amount meant nothing to him.

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. Even for the Pacheco fortune, that was an astronomical sum.

Beau seemed stunned into silence, his normally impassive face showing naked shock. Then, in a move that surprised everyone in the room, he crossed to Ethan and embraced him—careful not to crush Violet between them.

"Thank you," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea what this means to me—to us."

Sophia rose unsteadily from the sofa, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. "I don't deserve this kindness," she whispered. "After everything I've done..."

"That's in the past," Ethan said firmly, shifting Violet to one arm so he could take Sophia's hand. "We're family now. All of us."

The word "family" seemed to hang in the air, a promise and a covenant all at once. I found myself blinking back tears, overwhelmed by the simple beauty of this moment—my brother, his fiancée, my daughter, and the man I loved, all together, all healing.

\---

Later that evening, as we prepared to leave, I hugged Beau fiercely, whispering "I love you" against his shoulder. Sophia surprised me by embracing me as well, her slender frame feeling oddly fragile in my arms.

"Thank you," she murmured. "For accepting me. For giving me a chance."

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. As much as I'd once despised her, I couldn't deny the genuine change in her—or the way she looked at my brother with pure adoration.

Ethan loaded Violet into her car seat, our daughter already half-asleep after the excitement of the day. As he helped me into the passenger seat, his hand lingering on mine just a moment longer than necessary, I felt a sense of rightness settle over me.

The Bravo mansion grew smaller in the rearview mirror as we pulled away, Beau and Sophia still standing in the doorway, waving. I wiped at the tears that had finally spilled over, a mixture of joy and relief washing through me.

"You're amazing," I told Ethan softly, reaching across to place my hand on his thigh. "What you did today..."

He covered my hand with his, squeezing gently. "I'd do anything for you, Lila. Anything to make you happy."

As we drove toward home—our home—with our daughter sleeping peacefully in the back seat, I finally allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, we could have our happy ending after all.