Page 51 of The Dark Elf's Found Family

"We'll need to make some changes," I say, trying to sound practical even as my voice wavers with emotion. "Figure out sleeping arrangements, storage?—"

"We'll make it work," Ciaran says, squeezing my hand. "We have time to figure it all out."

The girls have moved on to planning their shared room, chattering about where to put books and which side of the room each will claim. Their excitement is infectious, filling the small space with joy and possibility.

I feel Ciaran's arm slip around my waist, pulling me closer to his side. When I look up at him, there's such tenderness in his expression that it takes my breath away.

"Thank you," he says quietly, meant just for me. "For giving us this. For giving me everything I never thought I could have."

Before I can respond, small arms wrap around both of us as Rhea launches herself into our embrace. A moment later, Nya joins her, and suddenly we're all tangled together in a pile of limbs and laughter.

I close my eyes and breathe in this moment—the scent of Ciaran's skin, the weight of the girls in our arms, the sound of their giggles echoing off the walls. This is what home feels like. Not the apartment above my shop, not even Eryndral itself, but this collection of people who've chosen to love each other.

When we finally untangle ourselves, Rhea stays pressed against my side while Nya settles against her father. But there's something different in Rhea's expression now, a curiosity that makes me hold my breath.

"Ciaran," she says, her voice taking on that serious tone she uses when she's working through something important. "Do you love Mum?"

My heart stops. Beside me, I feel Ciaran go very still.

Then he smiles—not the careful, measured expression he wears when he's being diplomatic, but something open and unguarded and real.

"I do," he says simply. "I love all three of you."

He says it so plainly to her, and I hold my breath to see her reaction. He's said it before, to me, but hearing him say it now—to Rhea, with Nya listening, claiming all of us as his—makes it feel permanent in a way that nothing else has.

I nearly melt right there on the spot, my body going soft with relief and joy and love so overwhelming I don't know how to contain it. This man, this incredible man who walked into my shop and turned my entire world upside down, loves us. All of us. Not despite our complications and messy history, but because of who we are together.

Rhea beams at his words, clearly pleased with this development. "Good," she says with the satisfaction of someone who's just had their suspicions confirmed. "Because we love you too. Don't we, Mum?"

I manage to nod, not trusting my voice to work properly. Ciaran's arm tightens around me, and I can feel him pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head.

For the first time in my adult life, my world feels complete. Not just the pragmatic contentment I've built for myself and Rhea, but something deeper. Something that encompasses hope and dreams and the kind of love I thought only existed in stories.

We're going to be a family. Really, truly, officially. And for once in my life, I'm not afraid of what comes next.