Page 93 of Forgotten Vows

"I'm doing this for all of us. For Adriana, for Matteo, for myself. I want to be a father and a husband. I want to be the man I was supposed to be before all of this."

He nods slowly. "Okay."

"Okay?" I raise an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"That's it." He stands up and extends his hand. "I'll do it. I'll take over the operations, and I'll bring my club with me. But you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"You have to promise me that you'll still be there," he says, and his voice is serious. "That you'll still advise, still help me when I need it. I can't do this alone, Lachlan. I need to know you've got my back."

"I've always got your back," I tell him, and I get up to shake his hand, pulling him into a brief hug. "You're my brother, Declan. That's never going to change."

He claps me on the shoulder, and when he pulls back, there's a grin on his face. "So when do we start?"

"Now," I say, and I can feel the weight lifting off my shoulders. "We start now."

—

After Declan leaves,I stand at the window, looking out over the city, and the promises I made this morning echo through my mind.

I will be the man Adriana needs. I will protect my family, no matter what it costs. I will build the life we were supposed to have.

The promises don't feel like a burden. They feel like the reason I've survived all of this, the reason I fought my way to the top of this brutal world.

Not for power or for revenge. For her. For them. For the life we're going to build together.

I hear a soft sound behind me and turn to find Adriana standing in the doorway, wrapped in one of my shirts, her hair still messy from sleep. She looks beautiful andmine, and I cross the room to her, pulling her into my arms.

"It's done," I tell her quietly. "I talked to Declan. He's taking over."

She looks up at me, and I can see the fragile hope in her eyes. "Really?"

"Really." I kiss her forehead, her cheeks, then her lips. "I meant what I said, Adriana. I'm stepping back. I'm going to be the man you need, the father our son needs. I'm going to give you the life we were supposed to have."

"I believe you," she whispers. "I really do, Lachlan. I believe you."

She believes me. After everything, after all the mistakes and the pain and the fear, she believes me.

I hold her tighter, burying my face in her hair, and I make one final promise.

I will never let you down again. I will be the man you deserve. I will love you until the day I die, and even then, I won't stop.

I will choose her. Always.

"Come on," I murmur against her hair. "Let's go wake up our son."

She smiles, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And I can see that she finally believes in the promise I made… thesomedayI swore to her, ten years ago.

Because someday is finally here.

EPILOGUE: ADRIANA

SIX MONTHS LATER

The house is perfect.

That's the first thing I think when Lachlan pulls the car into the driveway, and I see the red brick façade, the white trim around the windows, the maple tree in the front yard that will sprout leaves before long, when spring comes.