Contract Marriage: I’ve Always Loved You

Grace’s P. O. V.

A Few Days Later

“You know, if you don’t want to, we can go back home,” Steve whispers, entangling my pinky with his, sitting in the driver’s seat beside me. Twins settle in the car backseats, engrossed in each other.

We’re visiting Jace and Zara’s house for dinner. Zara had been urging us to meet her for more than a year because she wanted to apologise, but I wasn’t ready for it. Although she has been mentally stable and adopted a baby girl a year ago, I was still scared that she might try to take Giana away from me again. However, now I’m ready to give her a second chance because I can’t keep Steve away from his best friend forever.

I smile softly at Steve’s concern, squeezing his hand in reassurance. “No, I want to do this. It’s time for us to move forward, Steve. Zara deserves a chance to make amends, and Jace is your best friend. We can’t avoid them forever.”

“Thank you, Love. I’m glad that you’re ready to do this for me.” He lifts my hand and places a soft kiss on it.

“Anything for you, baby.” Leaning over, I place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

As we arrive at Jace and Zara’s house, I feel nervous. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the encounter, before stepping out.

Holding the hands of the twins, we approach the front door and ring the doorbell.

“Mama, what’s the name of your friend?” Giana, who stands holding my hand, asks, looking at me with her curious eyes.

“Aunt Zara,” I tell her, pulling her chubby cheeks and eliciting a giggle from her.

The door swings open, revealing Jace’s warm smile as he welcomes us inside. “Grace, Steve, it’s so good to see you both!” he greets us, stepping aside to let us enter.

Steve gives a warm hug to Jace before turning towards the twins. “Say hi to Uncle Jace, twins.”

“Hello, Uncle.” Giana and Evan politely greet Jace in unison, waving their hands at him.

“They both have grown so much!” Jace exclaims, his eyes lighting up with joy as he bends down to greet the twins. “Come on in. Zara’s been looking forward to seeing you both.”

As we step into the living room, Zara emerges from the kitchen, her face lighting up at the sight of us. “Grace, Steve, it… has been too long.” She stammers, her eyes lowering towards Giana, who stands between me and Steve.

I take a deep breath, mustering up all the courage I have. “Zara, we came here because we want to talk.”

She nods, her eyes brimming with tears. “I… I understand. Please, come in.” She gestures for us to follow her into the living room.

We settle down. Giana sits in my lap and Evan in Steve’s.

“It’s nice to meet you, Giana and Evan.” As Zara greets them, Giana beams at her, her eyes shining with excitement.

“We came to eat yummy food.” She licks her lips, earning a chuckle from everyone in the room.

“That’s right, princess,” I say, patting her head affectionately. “But first, let’s say hello to Aunt Zara properly.”

“Let me tell you all a secret,” Evan whispers, catching our attention. “Giana all the time talks about food, but she doesn’t eat much. Her tummy is tiny.” He giggles, placing his hand on his mouth, and Giana pouts at him.

“You naughty little Evan, stop teasing your sister,” Steve scolds him.

“You’re bad brother.” Giana climbs down from my lap and storms from there.

Evan hurries after her, shouting, “Sissy, wait. I was just kidding.”

Just as I’m about to stand up and go after them, Jace interrupts, “You guys talk, I’ll take care of them,” before walking away.

“Steve… Grace.” Zara bows her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. You know I never meant to hurt you. I was, I was lost, consumed by grief and desperation. I know that’s no excuse for what I did, but I hope you can forgive me.”

I glance at Steve, his expression softening as he looks at her. “Zara, what you did was unforgivable,” he says, his voice gentle but firm. “But I understand the pain you were going through. Losing a child… it’s something no parent should ever have to experience.”

She nods, her shoulders shaking with sobs. “I know, Steve. And I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make amends for what I’ve done.”

I place my hand on her trembling shoulder. “Zara, I can’t pretend that what you did, it didn’t hurt us deeply. But I believe in second chances, and I believe people can change. So I’m willing to forgive you.”

She looks up at me, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Grace. Thank you for giving me another chance. It means a lot.”

After the dinner, Jace and Zara make us meet their adopted daughter Mia. She is so adorable and has blue eyes like Giana. Twins look at her in amazement as she snuggles into Zara’s arms.

“How old is she?” I ask, gently stroking her cheeks.

“She’s almost one-year-old,” Zara replies, her voice filled with pride.

Jace adds, “We adopted her when she was just a few weeks old.”

I smile at them. “She is beautiful.”

Although Zara did wrong with us, I’m glad Jace and Zara found happiness again after all they’ve been through.

***

At night, after putting the twins to bed in their room, Steve and I enter our room. I’m brimming with excitement to share the good news with my husband.

“Now, tell me, what do you want to talk about?” Steve asks, turning towards me. During our return home after dinner, I had hinted that I had something to share.

Grinning at him, I gently clasp his hand and guide it to my belly. Steve’s brows furrow in confusion for a moment, but then his eyes widen in realisation.

“What the fuck! Are you pregnant?” As he asks in surprise, I shake my head.

“No, husband. We’re pregnant.” I announce, and he pulls me into a tight embrace.

“I can’t believe it. Finally, I’ll get to experience this phase with you, which I missed earlier,” he says, his voice filled with emotion as he breaks the hug and cups my face with trembling hands. “I’m so happy, Love.” Tears of joy trickle down his cheeks as he kneels. “I can’t wait to hold you in my arms, little one.” As he presses his lips on my belly, I ruffle his hair with a smile on my face.

During my first pregnancy, this is exactly what I yearned for: sharing these precious moments of the pregnancy phase with my husband.

He stands up and whispers, before kissing my forehead. “Thank you, my love.” As he presses his forehead against mine, placing his hand on my belly, our pendant entwines with a click, forming a full heart like always.

We’re already content with our life raising twins, but the desire to have another baby arises from wanting Steve to experience my pregnancy journey and for us to share it together. I’m certain that our new little one will bring even more joy to our family.