Chapter 15 - THE MORNING NOBODY HAD TO HIDE
Three years later, Gideon stood in a garden holding a small velvet box.
Tessa stared at him.
“Gideon.”
He smiled.
“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
He laughed nervously.
“Something I should have practiced.”
She covered her mouth.
He lowered himself onto one knee.
“Tessa Brooks.”
Her eyes filled.
“You came into my life when I thought power was the only thing worth having.”
He swallowed.
“You taught me that trust matters more.”
“That kindness isn't weakness.”
“And that love isn't something you can demand.”
Tessa began crying.
Gideon smiled.
“I love you.”
“I love Lily.”
“And I want to spend the rest of my life proving that both of you are safe with me.”
He opened the box.
Inside was a simple diamond ring.
“Will you marry me?”
Tessa laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
Gideon's eyes widened.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“Yes, Gideon.”
He stood.
She threw her arms around him.
And kissed him.
From behind a rosebush, Lily shouted.
“FINALLY!”
They burst out laughing.
Lily ran toward them.
Gideon lifted her into his arms.
She looked at the ring.
“Does this mean you're officially my Mister Giant forever?”
Gideon's eyes filled.
He kissed her forehead.
“If that's what you want.”
Lily nodded solemnly.
“Good.”
### FIVE YEARS LATER
The house was quiet.
Not the dangerous kind of quiet Gideon once feared.
The peaceful kind.
Morning sunlight spilled across the kitchen floor.
Tessa stood at the counter making pancakes.
Lily, now thirteen, sat at the table doing homework.
Their four-year-old son, Noah, was attempting to feed strawberries to the family dog.
Gideon entered carrying coffee.
He kissed Tessa's cheek.
“Morning.”
She smiled.
“Morning.”
He looked toward Lily.
“Homework?”
She nodded.
“History.”
He grinned.
“Need help?”
Lily laughed.
“Dad, you barely passed history.”
Gideon placed a hand over his heart.
“Cruel.”
Tessa burst out laughing.
Noah looked up.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, buddy?”
“Why is Mommy laughing?”
Gideon smiled.
“Because your sister enjoys insulting me.”
Lily grinned.
“It's a family tradition.”
The kitchen filled with laughter.
Gideon looked around.
His wife.
His children.
The home they'd built.
He remembered the alley.
The rain.
The frightened woman sitting alone in the cold.
The bruises.
The secret.
And the night his entire life changed.
Tessa noticed his expression.
“What are you thinking?”
He smiled.
“About how much I used to hate the quiet.”
She laughed softly.
“And now?”
Gideon looked at his family.
Then kissed her forehead.
“Now it's my favorite sound.”
Outside, the sun rose over the garden.
Inside, Lily argued about homework.
Noah spilled strawberries.
May you like
Tessa laughed.
And Gideon Shaw, once one of the most feared men in New York, finally understood what peace felt like.
