Chapter 10 – THE INVITATION

Thanksgiving arrived a month later, blanketing the estate in the first real snow of the year.

The foundation was thriving. We had cleared the medical debt of fifty families in the Boston area. My sister had been promoted to Head Nurse at the hospital, finally free from the shadow of blackmail.

The mansion was warm, filled with the smell of roasting turkey and cinnamon.

I was in the kitchen, helping the chef arrange the dessert trays, laughing as Leo tried to sneak a piece of pie.

“Out, you little thief,” I laughed, shooing him away.

Leo giggled and ran out the swinging doors, crashing directly into Dominic.

Dominic chuckled, catching the boy before he fell. “Whoa there, speed racer. The pie isn’t going anywhere.”

Leo grinned. “Lily said we can eat dessert first if you say yes.”

“Lily is a master negotiator,” Dominic smiled, ruffling Leo’s hair. “Go tell her the answer is maybe.”

Leo cheered and sprinted toward the dining room.

Dominic walked into the kitchen. He looked devastatingly handsome in a dark maroon sweater and slacks.

He stopped in front of me, his hands behind his back.

“You shouldn’t be in here working today, Bridget,” he said softly.

“I’m just helping plate the desserts,” I deflected, suddenly nervous.

“You’re a guest today. Not staff.”

He stepped closer, pulling his hands from behind his back.

He was holding a small, perfectly wrapped box.

“I have something for you.”

I wiped my hands on a towel, my heart fluttering. “Dominic, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Open it.”

I carefully peeled back the wrapping paper and lifted the lid of the velvet box.

Inside was a silver bracelet, delicate and beautiful. Engraved on the inside was a simple date.

October 12th.

Leo’s birthday.

I looked up, completely stunned. “Dominic… this is…”

“You saved my family, Bridget,” he said, stepping into my space, his dark eyes intensely focused on mine. “You gave Lily back her grandfather. You gave me back my brother’s memory. And you brought a light into this house that I didn’t know I was missing.”

He reached out, his fingers gently brushing the side of my neck.

“I want you to stay. Not just as the director of the foundation. I want you to stay with me.”

My breath hitched. The air between us was electric, pulling us together.

“Are you sure?” I whispered. “I’m a single mother. I come with a lot of chaos.”

Dominic smiled, a real, breathtaking smile.

“I love your chaos,” he murmured. “And I love you.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. He leaned down and kissed me.

It wasn’t hesitant. It was deep, sure, and filled with the promise of a future I had never dared to dream of.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back, feeling the last pieces of my broken past melt away.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathless, smiling like teenagers.

“Come on,” Dominic whispered, taking my hand. “Let’s go eat.”

The dining room was magnificent, the long table covered in candles, food, and laughter.

Walter sat at the head of the table on the left, pouring cider for Lily. My sister sat across from him, laughing at a joke Leo had just told.

Dominic pulled out a chair for me right beside his own.

I sat down, looking around the table at the people I loved most in the world.

We weren’t a perfect family. We were scarred, complicated, and stitched together by grief and truth.

But as Dominic took his seat and reached for my hand under the table, I knew one thing for certain.

We were exactly where we belonged.

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