Chapter 273

ARIA'S POV

The warm morning sunlight came through the thin, sheer curtains of the big bedroom, painting long golden stripes across the heavy duvet.

I shifted slowly under the soft covers, feeling the strong, protective weight of Brandon's arm wrapped firmly around my waist.

He held me close against his chest, keeping me anchored against his warm body before my eyes were even fully open.

I turned around slowly in his arms, looking up at his sharp face in the gentle morning light. I reached up with my hand and gently traced the clean line of his jaw with my index finger, enjoying the quiet stillness between us.

Brandon’s dark eyes slowly fluttered open. As soon as he saw me looking at him, a soft, rare smile spread across his face, softening every sharp edge of his features.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered in a quiet, sleepy voice. He pulled me a little closer, burying his face in my hair and pressing a long, warm kiss to my forehead.

"Good morning," I whispered back, resting my cheek against his chest and listening to the steady, comforting rhythm of his heartbeat.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I hadn't woken up from a nightmare. There was no lingering dread, no panicked scanning of the room, and no cold knot in my stomach. Just the peaceful sound of Brandon breathing softly beside me.

Before we could settle back into the quiet comfort of the bed, I heard the sound of quick, tiny feet pitter-pattering down the wooden floor of the hallway outside.

A second later, the bedroom door creaked open, and Amelia’s sweet little face poked around the corner. "Mommy? Daddy?" she called out softly, her big, clear eyes wide as she looked into the room.

"Come here, my little princess," Brandon called out right away, tossing the big blanket back to make room for her.

Amelia’s face lit up with a huge, radiant smile. She ran across the soft carpet as fast as her small legs could carry her, diving right onto the middle of the big bed.

Brandon caught her mid-air in his strong arms before she could tumble, spinning her around gently while she giggled uncontrollably before setting her down right between the two of us.

She snuggled close into Brandon's side, wrapping her tiny hands around his grey shirt as if she belonged there—and she did.

"Guess what, sweetie?" Brandon said, gently tapping the tip of her little nose with his finger. "Since I took the whole day off from the office today, I was thinking... how about we all go visit the big horse farm outside the city?"

Amelia gasped loudly, her eyes opening wide with pure, unfiltered joy. "The horses? Real, big horses?"

"Real horses," Brandon promised, smiling warmly at how happy she was. "We can feed the small white ponies, walk around the big barn, and have a nice picnic right next to the lake. How does that sound?"

"Yes Yes! Thank you, Daddy!" she squealed, throwing her tiny arms tightly around Brandon’s neck and giving him a big, affectionate hug.

My heart felt so full that tears almost came to my eyes. Ever since Brandon and I met and Amelia was born, he had stepped in to be the loving, devoted father figure Amelia always deserved.

He didn't just protect us from threats—he showed up for her in every small, everyday moment, proving through every little action that he was our steady, safe anchor.

"You are very welcome, princess," Brandon said softly, holding her tight against his chest for a quiet moment before kissing the top of her head. "Now go run downstairs and ask Anthony to help you put your little riding boots on, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Amelia shouted happily. She scrambled off the bed and ran out of the room like a tiny tornado, her laughter echoing down the stairs.

Once her little footsteps faded down the hallway, I reached over and placed my hand over Brandon's chest, right over his beating heart. "She loves you so much."

Brandon looked into my eyes, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips to kiss my knuckles gently. "I love her just as much, Aria. I will always protect both of you, no matter what."

After a warm, relaxed breakfast downstairs, we spent the entire morning at the peaceful horse farm outside the city.

The sun was warm, the countryside air was clean and fresh, and watching Brandon patiently hold the leather reins while Amelia rode a gentle white pony around the ring brought a deep, restorative peace to my soul.

Brandon guided the pony with total patience, laughing at Amelia's animated stories and making sure she felt completely safe every step of the way.

For those few glorious hours, all the bad memories, the aggressive media press, and the lingering shadow of Leonie Vance simply ceased to exist.

By late afternoon, we spread a big picnic blanket on the soft grass near the quiet lake, eating fruit and sandwiches while Amelia ran around happily in her little boots, picking yellow wildflowers and bringing them back to us one by one.

My phone, resting on the corner of the blanket, suddenly began to buzz. I picked it up and saw Chloe’s name flashing on the screen. I slid my finger across the glass to answer. "Hello, Chloe. Is everything okay?"

"Miss Aria," Chloe’s voice came through the speaker, sounding very careful and serious. "I am sorry to disturb your day with the family, but I thought you needed to know this right away. Julian's lawyers just reached out to our legal team."

I felt Brandon’s mood shift instantly beside me. He turned to look at me, his dark eyes narrowing as he picked up on the sudden change in my posture. He rested a hand on my knee, giving me a supportive squeeze.

"What does Julian want, Chloe?" I asked, keeping my voice calm and steady so Amelia wouldn't notice anything wrong.

"He is not trying to take you back to court, Miss Aria," Chloe explained clearly. "After losing that long, exhausting custody fight in court when Amelia told the judge herself that she wanted to live with you, he knows he has no legal ground left to force anything. He knows the judge's decision was final and that he cannot win through the legal system."

"So what is he doing?" I asked, watching Amelia laugh as she dropped a handful of dandelion flowers into Brandon's lap.

"Julian is personally asking for a private, sit-down meeting with you," Chloe said. "His lawyers emphasized that he wants one quiet conversation to talk to you directly about Amelia and figure out where things stand now that Leonie is out of the picture. They made it very clear that he is not using force, threats, or legal action. He just wants a chance to talk."

"Did his team mention anything else?" I inquired softly.

"Well... security from the hockey arena mentioned that Julian was acting very strange, angry, and erratic after his game yesterday," Chloe added in a lowered tone. "He seems extremely desperate right now, Miss Aria."

"Thank you for telling me, Chloe," I said gently, taking a slow breath. "Do not give them an answer yet. Just tell his legal team that we will think about it."

"I will handle it, Miss Aria. Enjoy the rest of your day with Amelia."

I hung up the phone and set it back down on the blanket. Brandon moved closer to me, his warm, strong hand sliding over mine, his thumb rubbing slow, comforting circles against my skin.

"Was that about Julian?" Brandon asked, his voice dropping into a low, quiet, and dangerous tone.

"Yes," I answered, turning to look into his intense dark eyes. "He wants to meet with me. He knows he cannot win in court after Amelia chose to stay with us, and he isn't trying to use legal force. He just wants a private sit-down to talk about Amelia and clear the air."

Brandon’s jaw tightened, a hard, sharp look of pure protection coming over his face.

"He is desperate, Aria," Brandon said softly, his voice full of firm, unyielding strength. "He feels like he is losing control over every single part of his life. If you decide you want to grant him this meeting, it will only happen strictly on your terms, in a controlled, neutral location, and with my private security team watching every single corner. You do not owe him a single thing."

I looked out at the peaceful lake, watching our daughter run back toward us with another big smile, then looked back at Brandon's strong, loving face.

"I know," I said softly, intertwining my fingers with his and holding his hand tightly. "I will decide if and when I am ready.”