Chapter 415
jonaire cimpire
As the evening wound down, the crystal ping of a spoon against glass cut through the chatter. All eyes turned to find the triplets standing on a smalle platform, holding hands in a united front that immediately made Adam whisper to Irene, ‘Should we be worried?”
Alex, looking unnervingly like a miniature corporate executive in his suit, cleared his throat importantly. Ladies and gentlemen, Haven and Sterling families, distinguished guests,” he began, clearly having practiced this speech, we have an important announcement.
Lucas, barely containing his excitement, bounced on his toes. “We’re launching a new plan!*
“Operation: Family Forever!” Lily added with a dramatic flourish of her hands.
Adam made his way to their side, eyebrow raised in that expression that was half amusement, half trepidation. ‘Do I even want to know what this entails? The last operation involved shipping your mother and me off to a mountain retreat.”
The triplets shared a look–that telepathic communication that still mystified everyone around them. Their faces split into identical mischievous grins that dimpled their cheeks.
‘It’s classified information, Alex said primly.
“Top secret,” Lucas nodded sagely.
“But it’s gonna be amazing!” Lily stage–whispered, loud enough for half the room to hear.
“And,” Alex added with the serious expression he reserved for his most ambitious schemes, “it will make our family even more complete!”
The last guests departed well after midnight, leaving behind empty champagne glasses and flower petals strewn across the ballroom floor. Rather than heading straight to bed, the new family of five found themselves drawn to the garden, now illuminated by strings of fairy lights and a full moon that bathed everything in silver.
Adam sat on a stone bench, one arm around Irene, his other hand clasping Lily’s tiny fingers. He watched the boys chasing fireflies across the lawn, their formal jackets discarded, bow ties long gone.
“If someone had told me a year ago that this would be my life,” he murmured, shaking his head in wonder, ‘I’d have had them committed.”
Irene leaned against his shoulder, her wedding dress pooling around them both. “When I first came back to Silver City, all I wanted was to keep my distance from everyone, especially you.” She laughed softly. “The universe had other plans, apparently.”
“Not the universe,” Lucas called out, apparently having overheard. He flopped down dramatically on the grass in front of them, grass stains already decorating his once–pristine shirt. “It was our plan, and it worked perfectly!”
Alex jogged over, slightly out of breath. “Operation: Claim Daddy’s Billionaire Empire,” he confirmed with the satisfied air of a general who’d just won a crucial battle. “Mission status: complete.”
‘Mmm, but we didn’t really want the money part,” Lily clarified, swinging her legs from her perch beside Adam. She touched the Haven pendant at her throat thoughtfully. “We wanted this instead.”
“What’s ‘this,‘ sweetheart?” Irene asked.
Lily’s face scrunched up as she searched for the right words. “You know,” she said finally, gesturing to all of them together, “the love part. The family part. The home part.”
Adam and Irene exchanged a look over her head–equal parts amusement, wonder, and overwhelming gratitude for these three little masterminds who had orchestrated their happiness with such determination.
As the night deepened, stars multiplied across the velvet sky. The triplets had migrated to a patch of soft grass, lying on their backs and tracing constellations with their fingers. Their whispers and occasional giggles drifted through the quiet garden.
“We actually pulled it off,” Alex murmured, his voice carrying the satisfaction of a master chess player who’d executed a perfect endgame.
“Totally nailed it,” Lucas agreed, folding his arms behind his head. “From wheelchair to wedding in nine months. Not bad.”
And they’re not sat anymore, Lily added sleepily, nestling between her brothers. ‘Mom smiles with her eyes how, not fast her seu
Standing a few yards away, watching their children’s silhouettes against the moonlit grass, Adam slipped his arm around Irenes waist and sol
“Should we be concerned about whatever Operation: Family Forever‘ entails?” he murmured against her hair. “The last operation involved shipping DE CHA a mountain and redistributing our corporate responsibilities.”
Irene laughed softly. “Honestly? I’ve learned to trust their schemes. They’ve got better instincts” than most corporate strategists I know
They watched in comfortable silence as Lily’s eyes drifted closed, her small hand still clutching her pendant even as she fell asleep between her brothers. Lucas was next, his explanations of star patterns growing increasingly drowsy until he too succumbed. Alex held out longest, as always, but evenntally his voice quieted, and he curled protectively toward his siblings.
“I still can’t believe they’re ours,” Adam whispered, his voice thick with
Son. “That we made those three incredible little people.
“The best thing we ever did,” Irene agreed, “even if we didn’t know we
were
doing it together at the time.”
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