Chapter 9
Liam’s first birthday was fast approaching.
I couldn’t believe it.
A whole year.
From the wine on my dress to the detectives at the door to the trial to this.
A happy, healthy baby boy.
A company that was thriving.
A man who loved me more than anything.
Eleanor appealed her sentence three times.
Every time, she lost.
The courts upheld every verdict. Every penny of restitution.
She was going to serve every day of those twelve years.
Justice was served.
Two weeks before Liam’s birthday, James asked me to meet him at the Hale Tech offices.
“Just for a minute,” he said. “I have something to show you.”
I met him in the lobby.
He led me up to the top floor.
The floor where my dad’s old office was.
The office I’d turned into a conference room.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
I laughed.
“James, what is this?”
“Just close them.”
I did.
He led me inside.
“Open.”
I opened my eyes.
The room had been transformed.
On the far wall, there was a giant plaque.
It had my dad’s photo on it. And mine. And Liam’s tiny handprint in the corner.
It read:
HALE TECH
FOUNDED BY WILLIAM HALE, 1998
LED BY CLARA HALE, 2025–
DEDICATED TO THE NEXT GENERATION
Below it, there was a second plaque.
A smaller one.
It read:
IN HONOR OF JAMES VOSS
FOR HIS UNWAVERING INTEGRITY AND COMMITMENT TO DOING THE RIGHT THING
I turned to James.
Tears were running down my face.
“You did this?” I said.
“The board approved it,” he said. “But it was my idea. Your dad built this place. You saved it. And I wanted everyone to know that. I wanted Liam to know that, when he’s older.”
He took my hands.
“Clara,” he said. “The last year has been the hardest of my life. But it’s also been the best. Because I got to find out who I really am. And I got to fall in love with you all over again.”
He reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small box.
My breath caught.
He opened it.
Inside wasn’t a diamond ring.
It was a silver band.
Simple. Plain.
Engraved on the inside:
NO SECRETS. EVER.
“This isn’t a proposal,” he said quickly. “Not yet. Not until you’re ready. This is a promise. A promise that I will always stand by you. That I will never let anyone hurt you or Liam again. That I will earn your trust every single day for the rest of my life. That whatever comes next, we face it together.”
He slipped the band onto my right ring finger.
It fit perfectly.
“I love you,” he said.
I threw my arms around his neck.
I kissed him.
Hard.
“I love you too,” I said. “And yes. Whatever comes next. We face it together.”
Liam’s birthday party was perfect.
We had it in the backyard of our new house.
Yellow streamers. A cake shaped like a truck. All our friends.
Arthur came. He brought Liam a tiny toy laptop.
Lila came. She brought enough presents to fill a small room.
The whole Hale Tech team came.
James grilled burgers. He chased Liam around the yard. He laughed so loud the neighbors probably heard him.
After the cake, after the guests left, the three of us sat on the porch swing.
Liam was asleep in my arms.
Full of cake. Happy. Warm.
James put his arm around me.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
“Anything.”
“Will you marry me?” he said. “For real this time. No secrets. No Eleanor. No drama. Just us. Just our family.”
I looked at him.
I looked at the silver band on my finger.
I looked at Liam, sleeping peacefully.
I thought about everything we’d been through.
The wine. The lies. The trial. The fear.
And I thought about everything we’d built.
The trust. The love. The family.
“Yes,” I said. “A thousand times yes.”
He kissed me.
Somewhere in the distance, a firework went off.
Liam stirred.
He opened his eyes.
He looked at us.
He smiled.
He clapped his little hands.
May you like
Like he knew.
Like he approved.
