Page 5 of Bound in Matrimony

He studies me for a moment longer before returning to his task, though I can tell part of his attention remains fixed on me, monitoring for any sign of distress.

I watch him work, this man who has reorganized his entire existence around the protection of our unborn child. The security systems he's implemented for the nursery alone would put most government facilities to shame. The research he's done, the experts he's consulted, the lengths he's gone to ensure our daughter will have not just the best of everything, but the safest of everything.

"The baby monitoring system arrives tomorrow," he says, seemingly reading my thoughts. "It tracks breathing patterns, sleep cycles, and room conditions. The data syncs to both our phones."

"Of course it does," I murmur, a smile tugging at my lips.

"I've also contracted with a security firm that specializes in infant protection. They'll train our regular team on proper protocols."

"Infant protection?" I repeat. "Knox, she's not a head of state."

He looks up at me, completely serious. "She's more valuable than any president or king, Seraphina. She's ours."

The simple declaration hits me square in the chest. This is the same man who intimidates corporate rivals, who commands boardrooms with a raised eyebrow, who bought a hospital floor on a whim. And he's directing all that intensity, all that protective energy, all that uncompromising devotion toward our child.

Toward me.

"Come here," I say softly.

Knox sets down his tools immediately, rising with fluid grace to stand before me. I take his hand, placing it over the spot where our daughter is currently performing what feels like Olympic gymnastics.

"Feel that?" I ask. "She knows."

"Knows what?"

"That her daddy would tear apart the world with his bare hands to keep her safe." I look up into his dark eyes, seeing the vulnerability he shows to no one else. "And so do I."

Something shifts in his expression—a softening that transforms his entire face. His hand splays wider over my belly, cradling the curve with reverent possession.

"I'll never let anything happen to either of you," he vows, and I believe him with every fiber of my being.

"I know." I reach up to touch his face, my fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw. "And I love you for it."

The words slip out before I can catch them, hanging in the air between us. I've never said them before, not even when he's whispered them against my skin in the darkness of our bedroom.

For a moment, Knox goes utterly still, his eyes widening fractionally—the closest thing to shock I've ever seen on his composed features. Then he pulls me against him, one hand still on my belly, the other threading through my hair.

"Say it again," he demands, his voice rough with emotion.

"I love you," I repeat, stronger this time. "I love how much you love her already. I love watching you become a father before she's even here."

Knox's kiss is possessive, claiming, as if he's sealing my words inside both of us, making them as permanent and inviolable as his promises. When he finally breaks away, he keeps me close, his forehead pressed to mine.

"She'll never doubt it," he says fiercely. "Neither of you will ever doubt what you mean to me."

And as I stand in the middle of the meticulously planned nursery, wrapped in the arms of a man whose obsessive devotion once terrified me, I realize I've never felt safer, never felt more cherished.

I love every second of Knox Vance in daddy mode. Heaven help me, I love every demanding, controlling, protective inch of him.

Chapter Three

Knox

I signthe last document with a practiced flourish, pushing it across the polished conference table to Richards, my head counsel. He's been with me since the early days, one of the few people who's seen me crawl my way from nothing to everything. "Is that all?" I ask, though we both know there's one matter we haven't addressed. The most important one. Seraphina. My child. My future secured in flesh and blood rather than digital assets and market shares.

Richards clears his throat, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. "There's the matter of your updated will and the trust for your child, sir."

"And?" I lean back in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin. The Manhattan skyline stretches behind me, a concrete kingdom I've conquered. But lately, it seems trivial compared to the territory I've claimed in Seraphina's heart.

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