Chapter 175\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t speak for a moment. Then, quietly: \u201cI know. I just don\u2019t know how to let go. I just got her back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae smiled softly. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to let go. You just have to trust her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian studied her. There was something about Rae that disarmed him-she spoke truths others tiptoed around, but she never wielded them like weapons. Her honesty came with gentleness. It made listening easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust doesn\u2019t come easy to me,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell,\u201d she said with a teasing glint. \u201cYou have the face of a man who checks the locks twice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He snorted. \u201cOnly twice?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed, the sound soft and bright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The baby in her arms sighed in his sleep, and she instinctively began to sway, her movements rhythmic and soothing. Cassian found himself watching her without meaning to-the way her eyes softened when she looked at the child, the faint smile that tugged at her lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d always admired strength in its obvious forms-discipline, power, command-but Rae\u2019s kind of strength was quieter. The kind that made rooms feel safer just by being in them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you been helping her?\u201d he asked after a while.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae looked down at the baby. \u201cSince she came back to Moonstone. At first, I was just keeping her company when she was still adjusting, but it turned into\u2026 this.\u201d She smiled. \u201cI like it. I like helping.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian nodded slowly. \u201cYou\u2019ve been good for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been good for me,\u201d Rae said softly. \u201cI\u2019ve never had sisters before. I didn\u2019t realize how much I needed one until I met Ellie. Even when she lost her memory, things between us were still easy, instinctual.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something about that made him smile. \u201cYou fit here, you know. With us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She glanced up, eyes meeting his. \u201cYou think so?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know so.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air seemed to hum quietly between them, the way it sometimes did when words weren\u2019t enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae shifted the baby again, brushing a strand of hair from her face. \u201cYou\u2019re staring,\u201d she said, her voice barely above a whisper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian blinked, caught off guard. \u201cAm I?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMm-hmm.\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth to apologize, but the words tangled. \u201cSorry. I just-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The silence that followed wasn\u2019t awkward. It was slow, deliberate. He could hear the faint rhythm of the baby\u2019s breathing, the soft hum of the building\u2019s old heating system, his own pulse thudding in his ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t usually do this,\u201d he said after a long moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 175\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet people in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae smiled faintly. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s time you started.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He huffed a quiet laugh. \u201cMaybe it is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The baby stirred, whimpering softly. Rae rocked him gently, humming something under her breath until he settled again. When she looked up, her eyes were warm, luminous in the dim light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian cleared his throat. \u201cWould you-uh-want to get dinner sometime? Properly, I mean. No babysitting duties. Just us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across her face before softening into something more certain. \u201d Dinner?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDinner,\u201d he said, feeling suddenly awkward. \u201cI can even promise not to talk about pack politics.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She grinned. \u201cThat might be worth saying yes to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u2026 yes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d she said, smiling fully now. \u201cI\u2019d like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian smiled back, slow and genuine. \u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They both looked down at the baby then, still sleeping peacefully between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell Ellie,\u201d Rae said with a grin. \u201cShe\u2019ll never let me live it down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe already suspects,\u201d Cassian said, smirking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae groaned softly. \u201cOf course she does.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows us both well. She probably saw it before either of us did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae smiled again and sighed. \u201cYou\u2019re probably right. But we shouldn\u2019t tell her for a while. She\u2019ll just start making jokes about me becoming her sister in law.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian chuckled, glancing toward the door. \u201cShe\u2019ll be back soon. I should let you get some rest before that whirlwind returns.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He moved toward the door, then paused. \u201cRae?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up, curious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you. For being here. For her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
})\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smiled, gentle and sure. \u201cAlways.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded once and slipped out into the cooling dusk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air outside smelled of rain and pine, the first stars peeking through the clouds. For the first time in a long while, Cassian felt something that wasn\u2019t duty, stress, or fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He felt hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 175 Chapter 175\u00a0 He didn\u2019t speak for a moment. Then, quietly: \u201cI know. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23744\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}