Chapter 15 - The Story the World Wanted
The photograph went viral.
This time the headline was different.
SECOND CHANCE FOR HAWTHORNE AND MONROE?
Cassidy hated it.
Declan laughed.
“At least nobody called me a billionaire playboy.”
“They called you that in paragraph three.”
“I spoke too soon.”
The girls thought the attention was ridiculous.
“Why do people care if Daddy kisses Mommy?” Emma asked.
“Excellent question,” Cassidy said.
Instead of hiding, Cassidy and Declan established clear boundaries.
Their relationship belonged to them.
Their children were not content.
Their family was not a public performance.
The attention faded.
What remained was ordinary life.
And ordinary life turned out to be extraordinary.
Saturday pancakes.
Lost shoes.
Bedtime stories.
Arguments.
Apologies.
Trust.
One evening Declan found Cassidy sitting outside.
“Happy?”
She thought about it.
“Yes.”
“So am I.”
He did not propose.
Not yet.
Because Declan finally understood something.
Love was not a transaction requiring immediate ownership.
May you like
It could simply exist.
But three five-year-old conspirators had other ideas.
