Chapter 198\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The knock came just as I was finishing breakfast with the twins.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced toward the door, the soft clink of the spoon in my hand against the tiny bowl filling the silence. The boys looked up from their oatmeal with wide, curious eyes Ian mid-giggle, August gnawing contentedly on his\u00a0<\/p>\n
spoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I opened the door, Kieran stood there with his usual easy smile, a bouquet of wildflowers in one hand and a familiar glint of calculation in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning,\u201d he said smoothly, leaning in to kiss my cheek. The contact left me feeling cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning,\u201d I replied, stepping aside to let him in. \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to bring flowers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to,\u201d he said simply, setting them on the table. \u201cIt felt too quiet here without them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly, my focus shifting back to the boys. \u201cWe\u2019re just finishing up breakfast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see that,\u201d he said with a chuckle, crouching to ruffle Ian\u2019s soft hair. \u201cLook at you, already breaking hearts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The boy giggled, his chubby hands reaching toward him. Kieran smiled, lifting him effortlessly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The twins seemed to like him \u2013 they always had. His energy was steady, predictable. The boys never cried much around him, and that counted for something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then again, they hadn\u2019t cried with Nolan either. The image of Nolan\u2019s face flashed through my mind unbidden. The wonder in his eyes as he looked at the boy was burned into\u00a0<\/p>\n
my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My conversation with Alaric was still fresh in my mind. He was right about Nolan. I needed to address things with him directly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t want to pursue things with Kieran. I had to tell him that. But I didn\u2019t know how to start that conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look tired,\u201d Kieran said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook off the thoughts and forced a smile. \u201cI am tired. Pretty much all the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can imagine. Being the sole providor for twins must be an incredible amount of work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is, but it\u2019s worth it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knelt down and smiled at August, who was pulling at the tag on his play mat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStill, it\u2019ll be easier for you when you make the move to Pine Ridge. I\u2019ll assign staff at the pack house to look after them overnight so you can rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran said it like it was a simple matter of business, and for some reason, that made my hackles rise. The idea of someone else holding the boys as they fussed in the night made my skin crawl.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had already missed so many nights with them while I was in Silver Fang, and Cassian was keeping them safe and hidden. I didn\u2019t want to give up another second with them if I didn\u2019t have to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said simply. I tucked a curl behind August\u2019s ears. \u201cI want to be the one to take care of them. If they wake up upset and looking for me, I don\u2019t want someone else to step in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chiptea\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran looked surprised by the rejection. His head tilted slightly, and his jaw tensed just a little bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would think you\u2019d be grateful for the help. When\u2019s the last time you slept through the night?\u201d he asked, his tone deceptively light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I said with a shrug. \u201cBut that\u2019s part of being a parent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran looked thoughtful, but quickly turned his attention back to the boys.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a while, the morning passed in peace. Kieran sat on the floor with the boys and played with wooden blocks, laughter mingling with the hum of sunlight through the windows. It was easy, in moments like this, to pretend things were simple.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the twins finally drifted to sleep, Kieran helped me carry them to their cribs. The moment the nursery door closed behind them, the air between us shifted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran leaned against the doorway, his voice low. \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking, Ellie. Maybe it\u2019s time we made things official.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned toward him, startled. My blood went cold. \u201cOfficial?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur engagement,\u201d he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. \u201cYou\u2019ve been staying here for months. Everyone already assumes that things with Nolan are over. It\u2019s only a matter of making the announcement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest tightened. \u201cThe divorce hasn\u2019t been finalized yet.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be,\u201d Kieran said smoothly. \u201cAnd once it is, I\u2019d like to make our partnership public. You deserve stability\u00a0<\/p>\n
and so do those boys. I can give you that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words were reasonable. Gentle, even. But something about them made my stomach twist. I turned away, busying myself by straightening a blanket that didn\u2019t need straightening. \u201cKieran\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stepped closer, voice softening. \u201cI know you\u2019re still adjusting. I\u2019m not asking for much, Ellie. Just for us to move forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter rab\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 198 Chapter 198\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 The knock came just as I was finishing breakfast […]<\/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-23767","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\/23767","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=23767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23767\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}