Page 44 of The Final Contract (The Black Ledger Billionaires #5)

T he wedding was beautiful. Simple and golden, the kind of day that feels like it should be bottled and kept forever.

Cassidy was radiant, her smile brighter than the lights strung between the beams of the barn.

And Jaxon—God, there has never been a groom prouder or more in love.

He barely looked away from her all night.

Now, as the music hums low in the background and the stars blink awake over the horse farm, we gather around a large, round table—the Ledger family, a band of misfits who never belonged anywhere, yet somehow belong perfectly together here.

I tilt my fork toward Elena, unable to hide my grin. “This cheesecake, Elena … I’d kill for another slice.”

From the corner of my eye I see Killian’s faint smirk at my comment, and I elbow him.

Eve nods vigorously. “Forget ‘kill’—I’d maim. This is dangerous.”

Across the table, Sienna would probably agree if she weren’t too busy lifting a bite to Lucian’s mouth. He takes it, lips brushing her fingers before his gaze softens. That steel-cut man of ice and shadow—smiling, but only for her.

On the other end, Damien, Grant, and Dante are knee-deep in a discussion about the new Ledger high-rise, gesturing with their glasses as if sketching blueprints in the air. Since the old tower’s top was blown apart, the rebuilding has become the obsession of the men who thrive on empire.

“So,” Damien finally leans back, his sharp gaze sliding to Lucian. “What’s next for the Ledger?”

Lucian’s mouth curves, the corner of it tugging upward as his attention drifts to Sienna. “We’ve got a few things in mind.”

Sienna, ever the quiet thunder at his side, adds, “Seraphina has inspired a new venture at our U.K. office.”

Killian’s brows lift, surprise flickering across his face as he angles toward me. “Oh yeah?” His tone is warm, teasing. “And what’s that, then?”

Lucian cuts in smoothly. “The Black Ledger Matchmakers.”

I laugh under my breath, shaking my head. “What? Brides for sale. A billion each.”

Grant leans forward, smirk lazy. “Or grooms. We’re equal opportunity here.”

The laughter swells just as Jaxon and Cassidy approach. She doesn’t even bother with her own chair, simply folding into his lap like she belongs there—which, clearly, she does.

Eve leans in with a wicked grin. “God help us all when those two start having children. That Kane gene pool doesn’t need reinforcements.”

Damien snorts, dry as bone. “Please. Knowing Jaxon, he’ll have an algorithm shitting out little replicas in no time.”

Cassidy flushes crimson while Jaxon only smirks, tightening his hold on her waist.

Horror flashes across Eve’s face like she’s just seen a head explode. “Oh my God, no.”

Jaxon’s smile turns feral. “Well, since you brought it up …”

Cassidy glances at him, eyes sparkling, and then back at us. “We’re pregnant.”

The table erupts—cheers, shouts, congratulations flying in every direction. Glasses clink, chairs scrape, hands reach across to touch, to hug, to celebrate.

Everyone except Eve, who looks positively green. “I can’t believe you’re spawning.”

Elena laughs, nudging her best friend. Children and relationships have never appealed to Eve.

Elena twines her fingers with Damien’s, her engagement ring flashing in the light. “Hey, children wouldn’t be so bad.”

Damien’s smile could power all of New York; his gaze is locked on her. “Trouble, if you gave me a little brunette baby girl, I’d give new meaning to the word spoiled.”

Her breath catches, lips parting just before he leans over to claim them in a quick, tender kiss.

Cassidy clears her throat, tugging a small velvet box from Jaxon’s tuxedo jacket. “I have a little surprise—a wedding-day gift for my husband.”

Jaxon takes it, suspicion written all over his face. He flips it open—and instantly goes pale. “Am I looking at what I think I’m looking at?”

Cassidy just nods, laughter bubbling from her chest.

“Twins?” His voice cracks.

“Yes,” she says, delighted, and that’s all it takes.

He surges up, scooping her into his arms by the bottom and spinning her in wild circles, both of them laughing breathlessly before he sets her back down for a kiss that has the whole table cheering louder.

Cassidy’s mother watches from where she’s sitting, happiness glazing her eyes.

The joy is contagious. Elena wipes at her eyes with a napkin; Eve gapes in disbelief, muttering, “This is worse.” Someone orders more champagne.

By the time Jaxon sits again, Cassidy perched happily in his lap, the ultrasound photo is already making its rounds. Eve stares at it like it might bite, then shoves it into Sienna’s hands, who gazes down at it with a smile before passing it on.

“Overachiever,” Jaxon announces, arms spread wide. “What can I say?”

“Actually, it’s the mother who’s the overachiever,” Eve shoots back with a smirk.

Lucian’s gaze flicks to Sienna, voice smooth as smoke. “She’d have to be, to put up with him.”

The laughter rises again, echoing through the rafters.

Jaxon lifts his glass, Cassidy’s hand tucked tight in his. “You guys better get your empires back in order. There are nieces and nephews on the way.”

“Oh, we’ll be ready.” Lucian raises his glass in answer. “With the Italians under the Ledger.”

Killian’s arm curls heavier around my shoulders; his own glass rises. “And the Irish under me.”

Lucian’s smile sharpens, final and sure. “We’ll rebuild, and come back stronger than ever.”

He looks around, taking in this odd assortment of people who have become a family, and pushes to his feet, lifting his glass higher, his voice rich with pride and power. “To the Ledger. To family. To our future.”

Everyone joins in, voices overlapping, glasses clinking, the sound rolling like thunder.

Killian leans over to kiss me, slow and certain, and I rub my nose against his when we part. My whisper is for him alone. “And here’s to my final contract, big man.”

His glass tips toward mine, eyes holding me captive. “You’re damn right—and I’ll prove it with every breath, angel.”