Chapter 204: One Month Later

A month had passed, and life had begun to settle into something that almost resembled normalcy—at least, their version of it. The chaos of Elias Carter’s downfall had finally started to fade, and in its place, a strange kind of peace had taken root.

The houseboat had been transformed into a home, a real one. Not just a place to crash between battles, but a place where they could breathe, where laughter filled the air instead of tension. The first thing they had done—aside from finally getting that damn California king-sized bed—was organize their new reality.

Roman, for all intents and purposes, was still legally dead. He couldn't be seen in public too often, and when he did venture out, he had to be careful. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t part of their world. He had slipped into fatherhood effortlessly, taking over most of the care for Alejandro while Ginger kept up his work at the FBI and Nat slowly started figuring out where she fit between it all.

Ginger had been the one keeping tabs on the fallout from Carter’s death. The power vacuum left in his absence had created some ripples, but thanks to Roman’s meticulous dismantling of his empire before the final strike, there was no one left to claim the throne. The criminal underworld had moved on, splintering into smaller factions, none of which seemed to have the means or the desire to come after them.

Nat, on the other hand, was still adjusting. She had spent so long fighting, so long running, that stillness felt foreign. She had picked up old habits—running along the docks in the early mornings, sitting outside late at night staring at the waves, waiting for a threat that no longer existed. But she was trying. She was learning how to let herself have this. Have them.

The nights were theirs, tangled together in sheets and whispers, in soft moments and raw, unspoken emotions. The love between the three of them had only grown stronger, the dynamic settling into something that felt natural, unforced. They had their rhythm now—Ginger and Roman bickering over who made the better coffee, Nat rolling her eyes at their antics while stealing sips from both cups, Grace curling up with Roman during storytime while Alejandro had taken to using Ginger as his personal climbing structure.

But there was one thing they hadn’t figured out yet.

Sex.

So far, they hadn’t attempted it—not because the attraction wasn’t there, not because the need wasn’t curling between them in quiet moments, in long glances and barely restrained tension. But none of them were sure how it would work, how it would fit. They were still learning the edges of what they had become, still finding the boundaries of what felt right. None of them wanted to rush it, afraid of tipping the balance of something so new, so fragile.

Some nights, the tension was palpable. When Nat curled against Roman’s side, when Ginger’s fingers brushed against her skin a little too long, when Roman caught Ginger looking at him like he was considering something he wasn’t quite ready to say. It was there, waiting. But they were waiting too—until the moment was right.

Ginger’s mom had come around again, this time with fewer questions and more unsolicited parenting advice, which Roman took in stride, much to Ginger’s frustration.

“She already likes you more than me, and you’re not even her kid,” Ginger had grumbled one afternoon as Roman had listened attentively to a lecture about baby food ingredients.

“What can I say?” Roman smirked. “I’m charming.”

Nat had watched them, warmth blooming in her chest.

For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t waiting for something to go wrong.

But there were still questions left unanswered.

What came next for them? What was Roman’s future when he couldn’t exist in the world as himself? Could Ginger keep working at the FBI while sharing a home with a man who, as far as the government was concerned, didn’t exist? And what about Nat? What did she want? Who was she now, without a war to fight?

The questions were there, but for now, they were just whispers at the back of her mind.

For now, they were home.

And for once, that was enough.

Late That Night

Ginger sat on the deck, staring out at the dark water, the rhythmic sounds of the waves lapping against the hull filling the silence. Roman leaned against the railing beside him, a beer in one hand, his other drumming idly against the wood.

“We need more space,” Ginger muttered, breaking the silence.

Roman glanced at him, smirking. “I thought you liked being crammed into a boat with your entire family.”

Ginger snorted, shaking his head. “I like my family, but between the kids, Nat, and your giant ass, we’ve outgrown this place.”

Roman took a sip of his beer, considering. “You thinking about moving?”

“I don’t know,” Ginger admitted. “But I know we can’t live like this forever. The kids need space. We need space.” He shot Roman a look. “Especially if we ever figure out… how this works.”

Roman chuckled lowly. “You mean if we ever stop dancing around each other and actually sleep together?”

Ginger rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Roman nodded, turning serious. “Yeah. I do.” He exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I don’t want to take Nat away from the water. She loves it here.”

“Me neither,” Ginger agreed. “But maybe a bigger boat. Or a house by the marina. Something where we aren’t tripping over each other every morning.”

Roman was quiet for a moment before he nodded. “Alright. We’ll figure something out.”

Ginger smirked. “What, no argument?”

Roman shrugged. “I like a little chaos, Fitz. But even I have limits.”

They both laughed quietly, the weight of the conversation lingering between them. Ginger turned back to the water, his mind already working on possibilities.

Roman leaned closer, his voice low. “She deserves something stable. So do the kids. And maybe… so do we.”

Ginger’s chest tightened at that, but he nodded. “Yeah. Maybe we do.”

They sat in comfortable silence, both lost in thought.