Til Debt Do Us Part (Married At Midnight #4)

Chapter 13

Thirteen

Dare

A s we're led to the private dining room in the back of Herbsaint, my hand rests on the small of Talia's back, guiding her inside.I come here fairly often, but this is the first time I’ve rented a private room for two.

It’s nice that we have some firsts together.

Talia’s wearing a simple but elegant black dress and her hands rest peacefully on her stomach, as is their wont these days. When we enter the restaurant’s decadent dining room, Talia gasps. Everything is polished dark wood, beautiful black silk, and glittering crystal.

"It's beautiful," she whispers, gazing at the glittering chandeliers and velvet drapes.The aroma of truffles and champagne envelops us.

I pull out her chair and help her sit. "Not as beautiful as you."

She blushes, smoothing her dress over the swell of her belly. "You say the sweetest things."

"Only because you deserve them." I take my seat across from her. "How is the baby today?"

"Wonderful. The doctor says everything looks perfect." Her smile lights up the room. "Have you thought more about names?"

"A few. What do you think of Elizabeth or Hope?" I ask, studying the menu. Foie gras and lobster call to me.

"Lovely, classic names." She tilts her head, eyes gleaming with mischief. "But I was thinking of something unique, like Aurora or Luna."

"Like the princess and the moon," I chuckle. "You do have a flair for the dramatic."

"You love it." She reaches across the table, her soft fingers curling around mine.

I turn her hand over, pressing a kiss to her wrist. Her pulse flutters under my lips, as rapid as the fierce love pounding through my veins. "Guilty as charged. I do love you."

The admission tumbles out before I can stop it. But I don't regret speaking the truth. She's claimed my heart, and together we've created a new life. A family of our own.

"Dare." Her eyes shimmer with tears as a radiant smile transforms her face into a vision of pure joy. "I love you, too.”

In this moment, holding her gaze, I know that we can face any challenge. Our daughter will be the living embodiment of the life we’ve created together.

"To our daughter," I say, raising my glass. "And to the amazing woman who's giving me the gift of fatherhood."

"To our family." She clinks her glass against mine.

I purse my lips.

"How about Emily or Chloé?" I suggest, leaning back in my chair. "Something timeless and elegant."

She wrinkles her nose, fingers playing with the stem of her wine glass. "My counter is Phoebe or Rosalind. Names from Shakespeare."

"Those are lovely, too." I reach across the table, covering her hand with mine. "As long as our daughter has your eyes, I don't much care what we choose."

A blush stains her cheeks as she smiles up at me. "Flatterer."

"Guilty." I lift her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

Pride and purpose swell within my chest, as profound as the love that has reshaped my entire world. Together, we will guide our daughter's first steps. Share in her triumphs and heartaches. Watch her grow into a woman as strong, caring and independent as her mother.

The future unfurls before us, filled with promise and possibility. And I can't wait to embark on this grand adventure with the woman who holds my heart.

"Then we'll keep discussing," I say, smiling into Talia's eyes. "Until we find the perfect name. For our perfect daughter."

She rises on graceful legs, leaning down to brush a soft kiss over my lips. "I'll be right back."

I watch as she makes her way out of the room, a vision of maternal radiance in a dress of midnight blue. And I know, with sudden certainty, that our daughter already has the perfect name. One that embodies the light Talia has brought to my world of shadows.

Hope . Our daughter's name will be Hope.

Talia is gone for several minutes, giving me too much time to think. I’m still bothered by the things that Remy said yesterday. They burrow under my skin and keep pricking at me.

Remy's words echo in my mind, insidious as a black widow spider. You're losing your edge, boy. Getting soft. What's the world coming to when a Morgan man lets a woman lead him around by the nose?

I clench my jaw, staring into the amber depths of my brandy. He's wrong. Talia hasn't made me weak or ineffectual. If anything, her love has made me stronger, more determined to be the man she deserves. A man who rules with wisdom and compassion instead of fear and intimidation.

"Is everything all right?"

I glance up to find Talia regarding me with a furrowed brow, her hand resting on the swollen curve of her belly. She's so attuned to my moods; she sensed my tension even before sitting down.

Smiling, I cover her hand with my own. "Everything's perfect."

Her answering smile lights me up inside, chasing away the last lingering shadows of doubt. How could I ever doubt what we have? My anchor. My compass star.

My hope.

"Shall we have dessert?" she asks. "I've been thinking about that chocolate soufflé all through dinner."

"Your wish is my command, Mrs. Morgan."

She laughs, the sound rippling through me like sun-warmed honey. And I know that Remy is wrong. Talia hasn't made me weak or ineffectual.

She's made me whole.

After dinner, I step away for a moment to take a call about a penthouse listing, instructing Rob to handle the details. When I return to the table, Talia is no longer alone.

Our dining room now holds a new figure, this one a shrew-faced young woman who points directly at Talia. She’s a waitress in a familiar all black uniform. I narrow my eyes, thinking that her face is familiar. Perhaps she served me once?

Then it clicks into place. I do know her.

The waitress used to work at that shitty restaurant that Talia worked at when I first met her. As I recall, she wasn’t especially friendly to Talia in my presence, either.

She hovers by our table and then drops down, giving Talia a sickly sweet smile that turns my stomach. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but her posture is aggressive. I look at Talia’s face. She has gone pale and clenches her hands into fists. My gaze flits to the waitress and I start to gear up.

The waitress is pretty clearly saying some nasty things to my wife.

When I approach, Talia's face is ashen, her lips pressed into a trembling line. The waitress leans forward, punctuating each insult with a jab of her finger.

"Look at you, tarted up like some two-bit floozy. We all know you're no better than you were, spreading your legs for any man with deep enough pockets." The waitress sneers, eyeing Talia's wedding ring. "Or did you finally find some poor sap gullible enough to put a ring on your finger? Like that'll make you respectable."

Talia shrinks into herself, and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to lunge across the table and wipe that smug smirk off the waitress's face. No one speaks to my wife this way.

No one.

"That's enough." My voice is steel, colder than the depths of space. They both startle, the waitress's bravado fading when she realizes just who I am.

"Mr. Morgan, I?—"

"You're fired. Get out of my sight before I have you removed."

She stammers an apology and hurries off. I pull Talia into my arms, feeling her tremble. "Don't listen to her poison. You're the light that brightens my world, darling girl. No one can make you small. Not when you're my everything."

Talia clings to me, her tears soaking into my shirt. But she's trying her damnedest to smile.

“How did I ever get so lucky?”

"I ask myself that every day." I kiss the top of her head, infusing the gesture with all the love and reverence in my soul. "No one will ever hurt you again. I promise."

The waitress that I just dismissed comes rushing over with a female manager, who has a vice-like grip on the waitress’s arm.

“Mr. Morgan, I wanted to assure you that Melanie made an error in judgment. She shouldn’t address customers in that manner. She was just?—"

I hold up a hand to stop her mid sentence and glare at the manager. Adjusting the cuffs on my suit, I pin both the waitress and the manager in place with my eyes.

"See that she leaves the premises immediately. And you'd better comp our meal, or your job is next."

The manager gulps and stammers an apology, then ushers the waitress out. I turn back to Talia, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I'm so sorry you had to endure that."

She shakes her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. You were amazing." A watery chuckle escapes her. "My big, strong protector."

"Always." I take her hands, bringing them to my lips. "No one hurts what's mine. And you, my love, are eternally mine."

Her smile is radiant as the sun. "As you are eternally mine."

"Damn straight." I stand and offer her my arm. "Shall we?"

She takes it, leaning into me. "Yes. Take me home."

Home. Our sanctuary from the world, the one place where nothing and no one can touch us. I signal for the bill, already planning how I'll spend the rest of the night reminding Talia just how cherished she is.

The manager approaches with a folder. "Your meal has been comped, Mr. Morgan. Please accept my deepest apologies for the inconvenience."

"See that it doesn't happen again. No one should be dressed down by service staff when they eat here."

The manager’s brows rise, but I’m not going to stick around to hear her comeback. I put my hand on the small of Talia’s back and steer her out of the restaurant.

The city streets are alive with noise and motion, but at this moment it's only Talia and me. Together, hand in hand in the glow of streetlights, walking our own private stretch of paradise.

Outside, Talia stops, turning to face me. Her eyes shine like twin stars. "Thank you, Dare. For everything."

She rises up on her toes, arms winding around my neck, and kisses me with a slow, deep passion that steals my breath. I clutch her to me, my heart too full for words.

When at last our lips part, I press my forehead to hers. "You're my heart, Talia."

A soft sound escapes her, half laugh, half sob. "I’m nothing but an orphan from the wrong side of town."

I tip her chin up with a finger. “You’re nothing short of a miracle. Don’t forget it.”

I take her hand again and lead her across the street to a sleek glass and steel high rise, unlocking the front entrance with a key card. We ride the private elevator up to the penthouse, and as the doors open, Talia gasps.

Candles flicker everywhere, casting a warm golden glow over the spacious room. Rose petals are strewn across the floor, leading to the bedroom. A bottle of Talia's favorite wine chills on ice beside a platter of chocolate-covered strawberries.

Talia turns to me, eyes shining. "You did all this?"

"For you." I brush a stray curl behind her ear. "Because you deserve the world, and I will move heaven and earth to give it to you."

"You already have." She kisses me again, slow and deep and passionate, her hands framing my face. I lift her into my arms and carry her across the threshold of our sanctuary, kicking the door closed behind us.

Tonight, the world beyond these walls ceases to exist. There is only Talia, only us, and a love that transcends all else.