Chapter 10 - THE SUNSHINE WE BUILT
He walked up the stone steps, his hand sliding naturally around my waist as he pulled me close against his side.
"How are you holding up?" he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head.
"I should be asking you that," I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. "You just lost a badminton game to a four-year-old in front of your entire executive board."
"She cheated," Kai whispered dryly. "She redefined the boundaries of the court three times during the first set."
I laughed softly, turning in his arms to face him.
I looked up at his face—at the clean skin, the bright, clear gray eyes, the relaxed jaw that no longer carried the terrible weight of unexpressed grief.
"Thank you," I murmured.
Kai raised an eyebrow, his long fingers resting gently on my waist. "For what?"
"For fixing the world," I said softly, touching the collar of his shirt. "For the childcare center. For Mrs. Delgado's contract. For making sure no other mother has to stand in a doorway terrified for her rent."
Kai's expression softened into something profound, gentle, and overflowing with deep love.
"I didn't fix the world, Clara," he whispered, framing my face with his large, warm hands. "You did. You walked into a house made of stone and glass and turned it into a home."
He leaned down and kissed me—a slow, deep, sunlit kiss that smelled of morning air, sweet roses, and endless promise.
"Daddy! Mama!"
Lily came running up the stone steps, holding her pink racquet in one hand and a shiny piece of aluminum foil in the other.
"Look what I found in the kitchen!" she yelled, holding up the foil ball with absolute triumph. "Can we play badminton with this one?"
Kai pulled back from our kiss, looked down at our daughter, and let out a rich, clear, unbroken laugh that echoed across the sunlit lawn, floating out over the green garden toward the open ocean beyond.
"Only if you don't hit the Rembrandt, sweetie," Kai said, kneeling down to pick her up.
May you like
"The Rembrandt is safe," Lily promised solemnly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "The monster king said so."
I took Kai's hand, he held our daughter close, and together, we walked down into the sunlit garden to play.
