Chapter 30 - The Legacy
Five years later.
The Vale mansion was louder, brighter, and entirely different than the day I first walked up those grand stairs.
Evan was sixteen now, driving his own car and fiercely protective of his siblings.
Caleb was a genius at math, Noah was the star of the middle school soccer team, and Luke was still my shadow.
But they weren't the only children running through the halls anymore.
I sat on the patio, bouncing a giggling, dark-haired one-year-old girl on my knee.
Her name was Mia.
Adrian walked out the back doors, holding a plate of fresh fruit and two cups of coffee.
He sat down next to me, kissing my cheek before leaning over to kiss Mia's forehead.
"Evan just pulled into the driveway," Adrian announced, handing me my coffee.
"He actually obeyed curfew for once."
I laughed, watching the sun set over the perfectly manicured gardens.
Adrian had legitimate businesses now.
He had transitioned the family out of the dangerous underworld, using his wealth to buy real estate and logistics companies.
He traded his guns for boardrooms, keeping his promise to give our children a safe future.
"You're smiling," Adrian noticed, wrapping his arm around my waist.
"Just thinking about the first day I met you," I admitted, resting my head on his shoulder.
"You were terrifying."
"And you were stubborn," Adrian chuckled, his fingers tracing the wedding band on my left hand.
"You survived seventy-two hours in a warzone and demanded pizza for dinner."
"It was chicken and asparagus," I corrected playfully.
"And it saved your family."
Adrian looked at me, the deep, profound love in his eyes never fading even after all these years.
He leaned in, his lips brushing softly against mine as the sounds of our children laughing echoed from the kitchen.
I wasn't just a nanny who survived a trial anymore.
May you like
I was Nia Vale.
And my forever was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.
