Chapter 198

Chapter 198
Ellie POV
The knock came just as I was finishing breakfast with the twins.
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 lan mid-giggle, August gnawing contentedly on his
spoon.
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.
“Morning,” he said smoothly, leaning in to kiss my cheek. The contact left me feeling cold.
“Morning,” I replied, stepping aside to let him in. “You didn’t have to bring flowers.”
“I wanted to,” he said simply, setting them on the table. “It felt too quiet here without them.”
I smiled faintly, my focus shifting back to the boys. “We’re just finishing up breakfast.”
“I can see that,” he said with a chuckle, crouching to ruffle lan’s soft hair. “Look at you, already breaking hearts.”
The boy giggled, his chubby hands reaching toward him. Kieran smiled, lifting him effortlessly.
The twins seemed to like him – they always had. His energy was steady, predictable. The boys never cried much around him, and that counted for something.
Then again, they hadn’t cried with Nolan either. The image of Nolan’s face flashed through my mind unbidden. The wonder in his eyes as he looked at the boy was burned into
my mind.
My conversation with Alaric was still fresh in my mind. He was right about Nolan. I needed to address things with him directly.
I didn’t want to pursue things with Kieran. I had to tell him that. But I didn’t know how to start that conversation.
“You look tired,” Kieran said.
I shook off the thoughts and forced a smile. “I am tired. Pretty much all the time.””
“I can imagine. Being the sole providor for twins must be an incredible amount of work.”
“It is, but it’s worth it.”
I knelt down and smiled at August, who was pulling at the tag on his play mat.
“Still, it’ll be easier for you when you make the move to Pine Ridge. I’ll assign staff at the pack house to look after them overnight so you can rest.”
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.
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’t want to give up another second with them if I didn’t have to.
“No,” I said simply. I tucked a curl behind August’s ears. “I want to be the one to take care of them. If they wake up upset and looking for me, I don’t want someone else to step in.”
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Kieran looked surprised by the rejection. His head tilted slightly, and his jaw tensed just a little bit.
“I would think you’d be grateful for the help. When’s the last time you slept through
the night?” he asked, his tone deceptively light.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “But that’s part of being a parent.”
Kieran looked thoughtful, but quickly turned his attention back to the boys.
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.
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.
Kieran leaned against the doorway, his voice low. “I’ve been thinking, Ellie. Maybe it’s time we made things official.”
I turned toward him, startled. My blood went cold. “Official?”
“Our engagement,” he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “You’ve been staying here for months. Everyone already assumes that things with Nolan are over. It’s only a matter of making the announcement.”
My chest tightened. “The divorce hasn’t been finalized yet.’
“It will be,” Kieran said smoothly. “And once it is, I’d like to make our partnership public. You deserve stability
and so do those boys. I can give you that.”
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’t need straightening. “Kieran
He stepped closer, voice softening. “I know you’re still adjusting. I’m not asking for much, Ellie. Just for us to move forward.”
Chapter rab