Chapter 912

As amazing as the kiss had felt, Leonie couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't being taken seriously. She felt incredibly disrespected, and the memory of it still made her blood boil.

Hearing that Leonie was ready for bed, Gwyneth finally hung up the phone.

Hawthorne walked into the bedroom, his brows furrowing slightly when he saw she was still awake.

"Who are you talking to this late?"

Gwyneth waved her phone with a soft smile.

"Who else? It was Leonie. She got into a little spat with Connor and was agonizing over it, so I just talked her through it."

Hawthorne looked at Gwyneth with an amused, lingering gaze.

"You have the energy to play therapist for your niece, but what about your husband?

I'm the one who needs comforting. I'm leaving for The High Sierras in a couple of days, and you haven't even tried to console me."

He had just stepped out of the shower. His thick, dark hair was still damp, tiny droplets of water clinging to the strands. Gwyneth couldn't help but laugh at his playful complaining.

She opened her arms and pulled her husband directly into her embrace. Hawthorne pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. Lately, he had been exceedingly careful with every interaction, terrified of doing anything that might distress the babies.

No matter what they were doing whether it was a simple hug or an intimate touch —he meticulously controlled his strength. He avoided any sudden movements, determined to keep her completely safe.

"What did you do today?"

Hawthorne gently eased Gwyneth back onto the pillows, carefully tucking the covers around her. Her belly was strikingly large now, and every night, the two little ones inside seemed determined to put on a gymnastics routine.

Hawthorne could clearly see the distinct movements against her skin. Sometimes he wondered if they were in there wrestling each other. Whenever the kicking started, he would lean down, alternating between soothing murmurs and playful threats directed at her stomach.

He would tell them to go easy on their mother, or else he'd have to discipline them the moment they were bom Gwyneth was alway half-amused and half-exasperated by his stern warnings to the unborn twins.

"Be careful, or they won't want anything to do with you when they're born."

"I don't care if they want anything to do with me. If they dare cause their mother

grief, I won't hold back. Those two punks better learn to behave."

After chatting for a while, Gwyneth's eyelids grew impossibly heavy. Hawthorne lay

beside her, gently tracing the smooth, luminous skin of her cheek.

In just two days, he would be

heading into the mountains. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving his beautiful wife behind, but to ensure his father. in taw woke up Sooner-and to guarantee Gwyneth lived a life free of regrets this was a journey he had to take.

Gwyneth fell into a deep, peaceful sleep wrapped in Hawthorne's arms. When she finally opened her eyes the next morning, the first thing she saw was his face.

He was holding her close, looking completely wide awake.

Gwyneth stared at the faint shadows beneath his eyes in surprise.

"Did you even sleep last night?"

He had been in bed with her the entire time.

"I couldn't bear to miss a second of you. I just watched you all night.'

Gwyneth's face flushed crimson. They had been married for months, yet he still looked at her like they had just fallen in love. Watched her all night? How could he say something like that so easily?

Blushing furiously, she buried her face into his chest, refusing to look up.

Two days later, Hawthorne led the convoy toward The High Sierras. Leonie was still asleep when he left He didn't wake her simply tucking. the covers around her and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead just as he

always did.

Normally, Gwyneth would sleep right through his quiet departures. But this time, her

eyes fluttered open.