Page 182 of Undisputed Chaos
Isla Hills. The surname brought a satisfied smile to my lips.
Of all my sons' choices, perhaps her love shielded the most damaged.
Adrian had chosen a woman who could match him while tempering his darkness.
"And there she is," I said, setting down my glass and rising from my chair. "The artist herself."
Isla's eyes widened slightly as they found mine, and I caught the moment of recognition, not fear, but knowledge.
She knew exactly who I was and what I represented in Adrian's complicated world.
I took her paint-stained hand in mine, pressing a gentle kiss to herknuckles, and I felt something shift —the final piece of a puzzle I'd been building for twenty years.
"Wade Easton," I said, holding her gaze as I released her hand. "And you, my dear, are the miracle who made my most broken son believe in forever."
“So,” Adrian's voice carried that note of possessive warning I knew so well as he materialized at Isla's side, one tattooed arm sliding around her waist. "Playing nice with my angel?"
I chuckled, noting how Isla immediately relaxed into his touch, how her entire being seemed to align itself with his presence.
"Just getting acquainted with the woman who accomplished the impossible—taming you.”
"Adrian Hills," Isla said softly, her hand finding Adrian’s. "He took my name."
The warmth in her voice when she said it, the way Adrian's entire expression transformed at those simple words, it was everything I'd hoped for when I'd first found that feral boy in a jail cell.
"Adrian Hills," I repeated, letting the name settle on my tongue like fine wine. “It’s beautiful.”
As the greetings and conversations swirled around me, I studied the dynamics around me.
But more than that, I was watching my sons and seeing things that made my chest swell with rich pride.
Connor kept Sierra within touching distance at all times, his dark eyes constantly scanning for threats that would never come.
But when she would smile at him, when she absently reached up to straighten his collar, the granite facade cracked to reveal something tender.
He’d found someone who made him feel safe enough to be gentle.
Jax moved through the space like the golden prince he'd always been, but his attention never strayed far from Estelle and Leo.
The boy who'd once cared for nothing but his own pleasure now lived for his family's happiness.
When Estelle laughed at something Adrian said, Jax's entire being seemed to light up, as if her joy was his oxygen.
And Adrian, my broken, brilliantly dangerous Adrian, watched Isla with the intensity of a man who'd found salvation in an unexpected package.
When she absently touched the ribbon at her throat, his eyes darkened with possessive satisfaction that reminded me painfully of myself, if I’d ever found my one.
"Dinner's ready," Estelle announced, and I watched the careful choreography as they moved toward the dining room.
Connor guided Sierra with gentle touches, Jax swept Leo up to ride on his shoulders, and Adrian spun Isla in an impromptu spin that made her laugh.
But it was Estelle who captured my attention as she orchestrated the movement with quiet efficiency.
This was the woman who'd tamed my closest son, who'd given him purpose beyond pleasure and conquest.
This was the future of everything I'd built.
The dining table was set for eight with Estelle's characteristic attention to detail—fine china, crystal glasses, fresh flowers that spoke of care rather than mere expense.
