The sun was still low in the sky when Clair woke to the sound of birds chirping just outside the open balcony. The breeze carried the scent of lavender from the gardens below, and the silk sheets rustled lightly as she turned over and reached for Austin. But he wasn't there.
She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Her body ached pleasantly from the night before. Her cheeks warmed just thinking about it. The way Austin had held her, like the whole world could fall apart and he'd still hold on to her. That night hadn't been about danger or passion alone. It had been about choosing each other. Again.
A knock came at the door.
"Come in," she called, smoothing her robe around her.
Austin stepped in with a tray of breakfast and a mischievous smile.
"I made pancakes."
"You? Cooked?"
"With Elias's help," he admitted, setting the tray on her lap. "You've been taking care of everyone. Let me take care of you."
She looked at him, eyes soft. "You already do."
They ate together on the bed, laughing and feeding each other bites between stolen kisses. For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no looming threats. No FBI calls. No shadows in the hallways.
Just them.
After breakfast, Clair dressed in a simple white maxi dress, her hair in curls falling over her shoulders. Austin insisted they take a walk through the estate's gardens.
Hand in hand, they wandered beneath trellises of blooming roses and ivy. Austin kept sneaking glances at her, his thumb brushing the back of her hand as if to remind himself she was real.
"You're glowing," he said.
"I'm pregnant."
"No," he stopped walking, pulling her gently to face him. "You're glowing because you're happy. That's all I've ever wanted."
Clair looked up into his eyes. "I didn't know what love looked like before you. Not really. It's not just passion or protection. It's this. Showing up. Trying. Choosing."
He leaned down and kissed her, soft and slow. "You make me want to be more than a king. You make me want to be a man worthy of you."
They sat on a bench near the koi pond, the water shimmering gold in the morning light. Clair rested her head on his shoulder. He placed a hand over her belly.
"I want to build a legacy with you," he whispered. "Not just the empire. A real one. A life. Traditions. Holidays. Maybe even a treehouse."
She laughed. "You in a treehouse?"
"I'd do anything for you."
Their peace was interrupted only by the sound of music drifting from the estate. Elias had arranged a surprise—musicians in the courtyard playing Clair's favorite classical pieces.
"You're not serious," she said, eyes wide.
"Dead serious. Come on."
He led her down to the courtyard, where candles were already being lit despite the daylight. A string quartet began to play Clair de Lune.
Austin pulled her close, one hand on her waist, the other cradling her hand.
"Dance with me."
"Here? Now?"
"Always."
They danced slowly, the world melting around them. Clair felt weightless in his arms. Austin's hand slid up her back, fingers splaying against her spine as he leaned down to kiss her neck.
"I love you," he murmured into her skin. "More every day."
"Even when I yell at you?"
"Especially then."
She giggled.
Later that evening, Clair took a bath in their oversized tub, surrounded by candles and rose petals Austin had scattered himself. When she stepped out, he was waiting, shirtless in sweatpants, holding her favorite cocoa butter lotion.
"Sit," he said.
She did, heart fluttering as he knelt behind her and began rubbing lotion into her shoulders and arms.
"You're worshipping me," she whispered.
"No," he corrected. "I'm honoring you."
She turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. The kiss deepened quickly, and before long he had lifted her effortlessly into his arms and carried her to bed again.
That night was different. Tender. Exploratory. Their bodies moved like poetry, slow and reverent. Clair traced the scars on his back with her fingertips, and he kissed the stretch marks blooming across her belly.
When he finally lay beside her, heart pounding, he whispered, "You make me feel like I'm not alone anymore."
She touched his cheek. "Because you aren't."
They fell asleep that way, tangled together, surrounded by silence, moonlight spilling across their sheets.
The next morning, as they stood in front of the mirror brushing their teeth together, Clair turned to him.
"Let's make a vow."
"Toothpaste vow?" he teased.
She swatted him. "A real one. Every day, no matter what madness comes next, we take ten minutes just for us."
He nodded. "Deal."
She offered her pinky.
He curled his around hers. "Deal sealed."
And though the world outside their estate still pulsed with danger, for now, the Montgomerys were anchored in something deeper than war or wealth.
They had love.
A love that burned quietly but fiercely. Like firelight.