I knew for a fact that he drove off to the Twins this morning.
“Katy?” The shadow stood, approaching me. Finally, his frame was illuminated by the low kitchen light, and his distraught face came into view.
“I’m sorry, angel,” he whispered. A whisper that held so much sadness and pain, and regret. “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know what happened that night, and I don’t care. In my heart,the twins are already mine. They are mine, and I’m their father. Nothing else matters, Katy. I’m sorry.”
I inhaled, my heart softening. “I’m sorry too,” I muttered, lips trembling. “For getting mad. For accusing you—”
Lan held a finger to my lips. “Don’t. It’s me who should be sorry. What I said was unacceptable, and I didn’t really mean it. You believe me, right? Please tell me you believe me.” His hands cupped my cheeks as his frantic eyes searched mine.
“I do,” I said softly. “But I remember—what happened. I remember it now.”
“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.” Lan offered a gentle smile. “I don’t want to know.”
“But Lan.” I sighed. “It’s not what you think…” Despite his protests, I started to tell him, and Lan listened quietly while he softly rubbed my back.
“I don’t know if an episode like that is normal,” I confessed. “Do you think I should see a doctor or something?”
His eyes softened. “But it’s behind you, Katy and you were drunk and in a bad state. Whatever happened, happened, and here we are. We’ll get help if it bothers you, so don’t overthink it, okay?”
“Okay,” I mumbled, nuzzling my nose on his chest.
I was so happy that he was here and that he came back for us even though I asked him to leave.
“I won’t let anything happen to you or Luka or our boys.”
“Hmm.” I smiled widely. “I also forgot, I got an email from Naomi,” I told him. “It said the adoption is approved.”
Luka, Lan, and I had a little meeting with his social worker and two other people a week ago to finalize the adoption and we’d been anxiously waiting on the news since.
Lan gave me the widest smile that made his eyes gleam. “Thank fuck. I love you both so fucking much. I knew I was only gone for hours, but all I could think about was you two.”
I chuckled. We had him wrapped around our little fingers.
Soon, Lan dragged me to the bedroom and apologized to me once again, only this time with his talented tongue and his marvelous body. And I never felt so light and free.
“Let’s get married,” I whispered, my hot breath fanning on the crook of his neck. “I can’t wait any longer.”
We were cuddling naked under the sheets later that night, his protective palm on my belly.
“Woman, I wanted to marry you for a long fucking time,” Lan huffed, tucking my hair back. “I even gave you that big-ass fucking ring you wanted, remember?”
“I want to confess something, though,” I said shyly, looking at him over my lashes. “I might have, kind of lost it.”
His jaw fell, but it only lasted a second before he threw his head back laughing.
“That’s not the reaction one would expect when you tell them you lost an expensive ring,” I mumbled.
“Thought you fucking loved that monstrosity.” He chuckled. “But don’t worry, I’ll buy you a bigger one. Maybe the third time’s a charm.”
“But what if I said it worked the first time?” My eyes met his confused ones. I inhaled a breath before rolling over to my side of the nightstand and pulling out the tiny blue box I kept there like it was a sacred treasure.
Lan frowned. “What’s that?”
“Open it,” I whispered.
Shock flashed in his eyes when he took out the exact ring he proposed with. “But this... this—”
“Shush.” I pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. “I lied when I said I didn’t like it. I lied when I said I didn’t want it. I wanted it more than anything in the world. Ask me again, Lan.” We were nose to nose. “Please.”