*Two months later. Christmas Eve.*
Snow fell softly outside Xander's penthouse, fat white flakes drifting past the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city glittering below like a sea of stars. The world outside was hushed, peaceful, blanketed in the kind of winter magic that made everything feel possible.
Inside, the apartment had transformed.
A massive tree dominated the living room, reaching nearly to the ceiling, decorated with ornaments the twins had picked out themselves. A chaotic mix of glittering balls, handmade paper snowflakes, and at least a dozen unicorns.
Tinsel draped over every surface. Half-eaten cookies scattered across the kitchen counter. Wrapping paper remnants from our earlier gift-prep session still littered the floor.
I watched from the kitchen doorway, a mug of hot cocoa warming my hands, as Xander helped Nina hang one last ornament while Lisa directed them both with bossy precision.
"Higher, Daddy. No, not that high. A little to the left. Your other left."
"Lisa, sweetheart, I only have one left."
"Then use it correctly!"
He was wearing a ridiculous reindeer sweater the girls had insisted on—bright red, with an actual blinking nose on Rudolph's face and bells that jingled when he moved. A far cry from his tailored suits and executive presence.
And he'd never looked more handsome. More at home.
We'd been living together almost since the gala. I'd given up my cramped apartment without hesitation—there was nothing to miss about water-stained ceilings and neighbors who played music at 3 AM.
The twins had their own room here now, painted lavender at their request, filled with books and toys and more dolls than any children could possibly need.
"Perfect!" Lisa announced, stepping back to admire the tree. "Now it's ready for Santa."
"Are you sure?" Xander asked solemnly. "Because I think there's room for at least three more unicorns."
"Daddy, there's no such thing as too many unicorns," Nina informed him. "But the tree is done. Lisa said so, and Lisa's in charge of tree decorations."
"My apologies. I forgot the chain of command."
I laughed, and Xander looked up, his eyes finding mine across the room. Something soft and warm passed between us—a whole conversation in a single glance.
"Girls," he said, "why don't you arrange the cookies for Santa? Make sure they're positioned for optimal reindeer viewing."
"What's optimal?" Nina asked.
"It means perfect," Lisa explained. "Come on, I'll show you."
The twins scampered toward the kitchen, already debating the proper cookie arrangement. Xander crossed the room to me, taking the mug from my hands and setting it aside.
"Come here." He took my hand and led me to the window, away from the girls' chatter. "I want to show you something."
"The snow? I've seen snow before, Xander."
"Not this snow. This is special Christmas Eve snow." He positioned me in front of the window, his chest warm against my back, his arms wrapping around me. "Look."
I looked. The city spread out below us, lights twinkling through the falling snow, everything soft and quiet and beautiful.
"It's lovely," I admitted.
"It is." He was quiet for a moment. "I've been thinking."
"Dangerous habit."
He laughed softly. "That's my line." His arms tightened around me. "I've been thinking that we should make everything official."
My heart stuttered. "What do you mean?"
He turned me to face him, reaching into his pocket. When he opened the small velvet box, my breath caught.
Inside was a ring—simple, elegant, perfect. A single big diamond that caught the light like captured starfire, set in a delicate band that looked like it had been made for my hand.
"Xander..."
"I wasted five years not being with you." His voice was rough, breaking slightly on the words. "Five years not being with our girls. I can never get that time back, and I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
"You didn't know…"
"Let me finish."
He took my hand, his thumb tracing circles on my palm.
"You deserve a much better proposal. Somewhere romantic, with flowers and music and probably some kind of elaborate plan. But I don't want to waste another day. Another hour. Another minute."
His eyes met mine, dark and intense and shimmering with emotion. "Marry me, Daphne. Let me spend the rest of my life making up for lost time."
I kissed him before I could answer—deep, tender, full of everything I'd felt since that night in the bar years ago.
All the loneliness. All the longing. All the love I'd been afraid to name.
When I pulled back, I was laughing and crying at the same time, tears streaming down my cheeks even as joy bubbled up from somewhere deep in my chest.
"Yes," I whispered. "Yes. A thousand times yes."
Xander's face transformed—relief and happiness and love all tangled together. He slid the ring onto my finger with trembling hands, and it fit perfectly. Like it had always been meant to be there.
We stood there for a moment, foreheads pressed together, breathing each other in. Complete.
"Xander," I said softly, pulling back just enough to look at him. "Now that we're... now that this is real..." I hesitated, unsure how to phrase the question that had been lingering in my mind for weeks. "Will the girls ever meet their grandmother?"
The change was immediate. Subtle, but unmistakable. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and I felt his arms stiffen around me.
"My mother and I aren't in contact," he said flatly. "Haven't been for years."
"But she's their grandmother. I also thought about telling my parents. Maybe now that things are different—"
"She's not someone I want near our children," his voice carried a finality that brooked no argument. "Trust me on this, Daphne."
I searched his face, seeing something there I hadn't noticed before. Pain. Old wounds that hadn't healed, carefully walled off behind that controlled exterior.
"Okay," I said quietly. "I trust you."
He nodded once, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders. But I noticed and filed it away. Whatever history existed between Xander and his mother, it was deep and clearly not something he was ready to discuss.
Not tonight, not on Christmas Eve, with our daughters arranging cookies in the kitchen and snow falling softly outside and a ring sparkling on my finger. But someday, I would need to know.
"Mommy! Daddy! Present time!" Nina's impatient voice shattered the moment. "You're taking forever!"
We both laughed, pulling apart. "Duty calls," Xander murmured.
"Always."
We gathered around the tree, the twins tearing through wrapping paper with gleeful abandon. Dolls and books and art supplies emerged from beneath layers of tissue paper, each gift met with shrieks of delight.
Xander watched them with quiet wonder, still marveling at this life he'd stumbled into. His hand found mine, thumb brushing over the new ring on my finger.
"This one's for you, Daddy," Lisa said shyly. "We made it ourselves."
Inside was a letter, written in crayon and wobbly handwriting, decorated with hearts and stars and what appeared to be several unicorns in Santa hats.
Xander began to read aloud, his voice steady at first, then growing thick with emotion.
"Dear Daddy. We love you very much. Thank you for pancakes and piggyback rides and reading us stories. Thank you for making Mommy smile. We want you to be our real daddy forever. Please adopt us. Love, Nina and Lisa."
Xander set the letter down carefully, reverently, like it was the most precious thing he'd ever held. Then he pulled the girls into his arms, holding them tight, pressing kisses to the tops of their heads.
"Yes," he whispered fiercely, his voice breaking. "Yes. I'll be your real daddy. Forever. I promise."
Nina squirmed in his embrace. "Daddy, you're squishing me."
"Get used to it," he said, laughing through his tears. "I'm going to squish you every single day."