Chapter 124 LET’S GO SEE OUR BOY

Chapter 126

REN

I freeze at her words. For a moment, I can only look at her.

She’s still sitting on my lap, her fingers resting against my collar, and there’s a small smile on her face as though she’s said something harmless. But the words don’t feel harmless.

"Lumi..." I say softly.

She shrugs, her smile widening a little. "I’m joking."

I don’t answer. Because I know her well enough to hear what she’s hiding behind that smile. She might be trying to make it sound like a joke, but she hasn’t said it without meaning it.

And I can’t blame her. We haven’t exactly had the chance to sit down and figure out what we are to each other. Everything has happened so quickly, one terrible thing after another, leaving us barely enough time to breathe.

From Neve finding out about us, to Lumi being kidnapped, to the moment I thought I was going to lose her again, then court case with her ex husband and dad, and now this court case with Sienna.

Every time I think we’re finally going to have a little peace, something else comes along to pull it away.

I look down at her hands. Her fingers have stopped moving against my collar.

"It’s not that I don’t want to marry you," I tell her. Her eyes lift to mine.

"I know," she says quickly. "I didn’t mean..."

"Let me finish." She closes her mouth, and I take one of her hands in mine.

"I’ve wanted to marry you for a long time. Having you as my wife has been a dream of mine." I pause, trying to find the words that will make her understand. "But I don’t want to make this about what I want." Her expression changes.

I brush my thumb over her knuckles. "We’ve barely had a moment to ourselves lately. You’ve been through so much, Lumi. I don’t want you to feel like you have to make another decision because I’m waiting for you to make it."

"I’m not feeling pressured."

"Maybe not. But I still need to be sure that when we do this, it’s because you want it too. Not because you think it’s what I need from you." She looks at me for a long moment.

"Ren, I..."

"I love you," I say, keeping my voice low. "And if I have to wait years until everything is okay, then I’ll wait."

Her lips part. I can see the emotion rising in her eyes, and I tighten my hold on her hand before she can pull away.

"I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to stop wanting you just because we haven’t stood in front of a judge or said vows. You’re already the person I want beside me. I just don’t want to be selfish and think about my own happiness when you’re still trying to find your feet." Lumi’s eyes glisten.

"You’re not being selfish," she whispers.

"Maybe not. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep up with me." I give her hand a gentle squeeze.

"We’ve had enough things happen that neither of us could control. I want this to be something we choose when we’re ready." She looks down at our joined hands and for a few seconds, neither of us speaks.

Then she leans forward and rests her forehead against mine.

"I wasn’t saying I don’t want to marry you."

"I know."

"I was just..." She lets out a quiet breath. "I was just thinking about everything."

"So was I." Her fingers curl around mine.

"I don’t want you to think I don’t see a future with you."

"I don’t."

"Because I do." Her voice grows softer. "I just don’t know how to get there yet." I close my eyes for a moment. That is all I need to hear.

I press a kiss to her forehead and draw her into my arms. She settles against me, her cheek returning to my chest.

"We’ll figure it out," I murmur.

She nods against me.

"And when you’re ready," I add, "I’ll ask you properly."

A small laugh escapes her. "You haven’t asked me yet?"

"Not the way I want to." She lifts her head, and I catch the smile that finally reaches her eyes.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to wait."

"Yes, you will."

She gives me a playful look. "You’re very sure of yourself."

"Only about you." Her smile softens. She rests her head against me again, and I hold her there, letting the quiet settle around us.

For once, I don’t need to promise her that everything will be fine. I don’t need to tell her that nothing else will happen, because I can’t make that promise.

All I can do is stay. And I will. As long as she needs me.

...

The next morning, I wake before Lumi.

She is curled up beside me, one hand tucked beneath her cheek, her breathing slow and even. I watch her for a moment before carefully moving away from her.

The court hearing is today. Sienna thinks she’s ahead but she doesn’t know that we set the pace, she follows.

Lumi have no idea about any of these, it’s all on me. I’d do anything if it means her having to hold her child again.

That was why we decided to sue. They know Lumi won’t sue because of the type of heart she has. But they forgot that she has me and as long as I’m alive, I’ll protect her with everything I have.

I have spent most of the night making sure everything is in place. I don’t want Lumi waking up to another morning filled with questions and uncertainty.

Her clothes are already laid out, along with the things she’ll need for the day. The car is waiting downstairs, and the jet is ready to take us to the court.

Darren has confirmed that the lawyers have everything they need.

I check my phone once more.

A message from him sits at the top of the screen.

Everything is ready. The documents are with the legal team. I’ll meet you there.

I read it twice, then set the phone aside.

There is still a tightness in my chest that I can’t quite shake.

I know the case is strong. I know the truth is on our side. But I also know that this is not just a court hearing for Lumi.

It’s Theo.

It’s the little boy she has loved and raised, the child she worries about even when she’s trying not to. It’s the fear that someone might take him away from her, and the thought that he might be confused or hurt by everything happening around him.

I glance at her again.

She shifts in her sleep, her brows drawing together for a second before smoothing out.

I move closer and brush a strand of hair away from her face.

"Lumi," I murmur.

She doesn’t wake.

I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Baby, it’s time to get up."

Her eyes open slowly. She blinks at me, still half asleep, then looks around the room.

"What time is it?"

"Early." She makes a small sound and closes her eyes again.

I can’t help the faint smile that touches my mouth. "You need to get up."

"Why?"

"Because we have somewhere to be." Her eyes open again.

For a moment, she looks confused. Then the memory returns, and I see her expression change.

"Where?" she asks again, confusion clouding her face.

I sit beside her and take her hand. "We’re going to court." Her eyes widen.

"Today?".I nod.

"But I thought..." She looks from me to the clothes laid out on the chair. "I thought we were still waiting for Darren to tell us when everything would happen."

"Darren has told us."

"When?"

"Last night."

She stares at me. "You knew last night?"

"I did."

"And you didn’t tell me?"

I give her a small smile. "I wanted to make sure everything was ready first."

Her gaze drops to the clothes again. She touches the sleeve of the dress, then looks back at me.

"The car is downstairs?"

"Yes."

"And the jet?"

"Ready." She takes a slow breath, but I can see her trying to understand everything at once.

"Ren, what exactly have you done?" I brush my thumb over her hand.

"Everything I can to make sure we don’t have to spend another day waiting." She looks at me for a long moment. Then her lips part, and her voice comes out so softly that I almost don’t hear her.

"Will I be able to see Theo today?" I nod slowly.

Her face crumples. She tries to hold it in, but a sob catches in her throat. Her hand flies to her mouth, and tears spill down her cheeks before she can stop them.

I move closer, reaching for her. "Lumi..."

She quickly wipes her face with the back of her hand, then turns away from me as though she can hide the tears by doing that.

"No." She takes a shaky breath. "I shouldn’t cry."

I pause, my hand hovering near her shoulder.

She wipes her cheeks again, more hurriedly this time. "I shouldn’t cry. Theo shouldn’t see me this way."

My chest tightens. "Baby, it’s okay."

"No, it’s not." Her voice breaks, and she presses her lips together, trying to steady it. "He’s only three. I don’t want him to see me crying and think something is wrong. I don’t want him to be scared."

I gently touch her shoulder. She looks at me, her eyes red and wet, and I see how hard she’s trying to keep herself together.

The thought of seeing Theo has brought every feeling she’s been holding back to the surface.

I pull her into my arms. "You don’t have to hide your tears from me."

She presses her face against my chest, and I feel her shoulders shake.

"I miss him so much," she whispers.

"I know."

"What if he doesn’t want to come to me?" I draw back enough to look at her.

"He loves you, Lumi."

"But what if he’s confused? What if he doesn’t understand why I keep disappearing?"

"Then we’ll take our time. We won’t rush him, and we won’t make him feel like he has to do anything." She swallows, then nods.

I wipe the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. "And if you cry when you see him, that’s okay too. You’re his mother. He knows you."

She lets out a trembling breath. "I just want to hold him."

"You will." Her eyes search mine, and I can see how much she needs to believe me.

I kiss her forehead. "Today, we’re going to do everything we can to bring you back to him and he’ll be with you for a long time.

She closes her eyes, then leans into me again.

I hold her until her breathing begins to settle. When she finally pulls away, she wipes her cheeks one more time and looks toward the clothes.

"I need to get dressed."

I nod. "Take your time."

She reaches for the dress, but before she can stand, she looks back at me.

"Thank you."

I shake my head. "You don’t have to thank me."

"I do." Her voice is quiet. "You did all of this without telling me."

I take her hand again. "Because I wanted to give you something to wake up to besides fear."

Her lips tremble into a small smile. I press a kiss to her knuckles and let her go.

As she gets dressed, I move around the room, checking that everything is ready one last time. The documents, the travel arrangements, the lawyers, the car. Everything is in place.

But the most important thing is standing in front of me, trying to wipe the last traces of tears from her face.

I watch her take one more steadying breath. Then she turns to me.

"I’m ready." I hold out my hand.

"Then let’s go see our boy." She takes it, and I lead her toward the door.