Page 28 of Beloved Beauty

The guys around him crack up, and Kye claps a hand on his shoulder, looking as if he’s mentally picturing it. I laugh along with them, but something sticks deeper than the punchline. That image—tiny sneakers kicking, juice boxes leaking, a life built from the inside out—it plants itself in my chest and settles there.

I want that.

My version of the chaos. The tired eyes and full heart. A future with Magnolia where our mornings start with baby giggles and end with her falling asleep on my shoulder to the sound of cartoons. It doesn’t scare me. It calls to me.

I spot Theo—press pass clipped to his shirt, camera slung at his side. He lingers just past the row of flickering lanterns, not intruding but waiting.

He’s not just another paparazzi. We’ve known each other for years. He’s one of the few I trust to tell the truth without twisting it. And with rumors already spreading about my return to rugby, I’d rather control the narrative than let someone else write it for me.

I nod once, giving him the go-ahead. “You ready?”

“Always,” he says with a grin, then flicks his gaze past me. “She’s stunning, by the way. Mind if I get a few shots before the interview, including some candids?”

I look in Magnolia’s direction, who’s laughing with Violet and Chloe near the fountain. “She’s the real headline, Theo. I’m just lucky to be the one standing next to her.”

He lifts the camera, quick and efficient, capturing her mid laugh, champagne in hand.

Once he’s satisfied, Theo lowers the lens and nods toward the garden terrace where fairy lights drape through the jasmine-covered arbor. “Grab your girl—we’ll get a few over by the trellis. Light’s perfect there.”

I make my way toward her, cutting through clusters of guests, smiling at the people who pat my shoulder or offer a quick congrats. When I reach her, I slide a hand to the small of her back and lean in close enough that only she can hear me. “It’s time. Theo’s going to get a few photos.”

She tilts her head toward mine, that spark already dancing in her eyes. “Lead the way, big guy.”

Fingers laced, we move through the garden. Past the fountain, toward the terrace. Theo’s already there, adjusting his lens as he studies the surrounding space.

“Stand right there,” he says. “Perfect.”

The clicks start—quick, effortless. Magnolia’s body angles toward mine, one soft movement at a time. My hand settles at her waist. None of it feels staged. Nothing forced. Just us, caught in the middle of a moment.

Satisfied with the photos, Theo lowers the camera and pulls his phone from his pocket, tapping to start a voice recording.

“All right. Let’s keep it simple. Just a few basics—starting with the obvious: how did you two meet?”

Magnolia’s head tilts toward me, a quiet cue. We’ve talked about this. She can’t say it, not without breaking her NDA or brushing up against Soul Sync’s privacy policy. But I’m not bound by the same rules.

The memory warms my chest and brings a smile to my face. “I’d signed up for a matchmaking service. I was looking for someone who wanted the same thing I did––marriage, a family, a life built together.”

Magnolia’s fingers brush mine, and I glance down to see that quiet smile she wears when she’s remembering it, too. The beginning. The shift. The first spark that lit everything.

Theo lifts his brows. “What is the name of the service?”

I meet her gaze for half a second, long enough to catch the flicker of reassurance in her expression. “Soul Sync.”

Theo nods. “Matchmaking. Not the answer I was expecting, mate. Tell me more about that.”

I glance at Magnolia, then back at Theo. “We didn’t meet the usual way—it was no faces, no names. Just voices with a wall between us. But there was a catch––Magnolia wasn’t the match Soul Sync picked for me. She worked there and was helping me prep for my date with someone else.”

The memory still hits with surprising force. “It was inevitable. I started falling before I knew her name. Before I saw her face.”

My eyes find Magnolia’s. “I fell in love with her soul and somehow it loved mine back.”

A quiet smile tugs at my mouth. “So yeah, even though we didn’t follow the exact formula, Soul Sync gave me what it promised. Our souls synced, and I found my wife.”

I glance over at Magnolia. She’s silent, but the way she looks at me says everything.

“Let me tell you what… when I saw her for the first time…” I shake my head, smiling, still wrecked by what I saw. “She walked into that room, and my heart knew. I didn’t need a name. Didn’t need to ask. I knew it was her, and she took my breath away.”

Theo absorbs every word—not as though he’s chasing a headline or gossip. He listens with the intention of telling it right.

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