CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER EIGHTY: A PEACEFUL LIFE

Christy’s POV

The days had started blending together in the best possible way.

It had been a few quiet weeks since I moved in with Kendrick, and for the first time in my entire life, peace didn’t feel like a luxury.

Every morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains and brushed over the soft sheets we shared. Kendrick always woke up before me, but somehow, he never left without kissing my forehead. I could always tell when he was gone as the bed got cold too quickly.

Now, at three months pregnant, I had started getting used to the strange rhythm of my body. The morning nausea was still there sometimes, but my energy was slowly coming back. I had even found something that made me feel like me again.

It started out as a small thing, just notes in my journal whenever Kendrick went to work. But somehow, my stories started gaining attention online.

Romance stories, mostly, the kind of love I had always dreamed of but never believed could be real. I wrote about stubborn men who softened only for one woman, about quiet women who found the courage to fight for themselves and unknowingly, I realized that every story I wrote had a piece of Kendrick in it.

I have gotten nearly ten thousand followers in just a few weeks and it was insane.

People loved my stories, they said my writing felt raw and emotional, like they could feel every heartbeat between my characters. I smiled every time I read the comments, it was the first time I felt seen for something I did, not just who I was connected to.

This evening, I was at my desk by the window, finishing another Chapter when I heard the front door open. My fingers froze on the keyboard. My heart reacted before my head did, it fluttered sweetly, a soft flutter that always came whenever he was near.

"Kendrick?" I called softly, smiling to myself.

A deep voice replied from the hallway, "Yeah, it’s me, baby."

He sounded tired, but there was warmth in his tone that instantly calmed me. When he stepped into the room, my chest tightened a little.

No matter how many times I saw him, he still made my stomach flip. The shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his tie loose, and his hair slightly messy.

He smiled when our eyes met. "You have been writing again, huh?"

I nodded. "Trying to consistently update, my readers are addicted to the new story."

He chuckled, walking toward me. "Your readers, huh? So you are famous now?"

I turned slightly in my chair to face him. "Not yet.... But I will get there."

He leaned down, brushing his lips over my cheek. " To me, you already are."

I could see the exhaustion in between his brows, but also something else.

That unspoken connection that never seemed to fade, no matter how many days passed.

"Dinner is ready," I said softly. "I made your favorite."

His eyes lit up instantly. "Please tell me it’s fried rice and sauced chicken."

"It is," I said proudly. "And I didn’t burn it this time."

He laughed, his voice was low and gentle. "Then let’s eat before I fall in love with you all over again."

We sat together at the small dining table and I watched him eat with that quiet intensity he always had. He was always focused and deliberate, like every bite was grounding him.

There was something so domestic about the whole scene that it almost made me emotional.

After we finished eating, he leaned back, his eyes still on me. "You’re glowing," he said suddenly.

I blinked. "Glowing?"

He smiled faintly. "Yea, peace looks good on you."

His words sank deep. For a moment, I didn’t know how to reply. I looked down at my belly instead, my hand instinctively brushing over it. "Maybe it’s the baby."

"Or maybe," he said softly, "it’s because you finally stopped running."

That made my chest ache a little and he was right. For the first time, I wasn’t fighting anyone or anything. I was just... living.

When he stood, I thought he was about to leave the table, but instead, he came around behind me. His hands rested lightly on my shoulders. "You work too hard," he murmured, kneading the tension from my neck.

A soft sigh escaped me. "I’m not overworking, I just don’t want to be idle."

He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. "I know, but still... let me take care of you, yeah?"

Before I could respond, he turned my chair slightly and knelt down, resting one hand gently on my belly. "How is my little one doing today?"

The tenderness in his eyes made my throat tighten. "He is fine," I whispered. "We both are."

He smiled and kissed the spot just above my hand. "Good."

Then, slowly, he looked up at me with that same look that always seemed to melt my resolve. "You have no idea what you do to me, Christy."

My breath caught in my throat.

He stood, helping me up and guiding me toward the couch. The room was dim now, the fading light slipping through the curtains. He sat down first and pulled me gently onto his lap.

I laughed softly. "Kendrick, you just ate."

"I know," he murmured. "But I was starving for something else."

I swatted his chest playfully, but my heart was racing. His hand slid to my waist, his fingers tracing lazy circles through the fabric of my dress. He looked at me the way he always did, like he was trying to memorize every inch of me.

When his lips found mine, it was slow but deep, deliberate but tender. My whole body responded before my mind could even think. His kiss was patient but hungry, restrained but full of emotion.

I could feel him trying to hold back, his breathing uneven against my lips. But I knew what he was doing. He had been doing it for weeks now, controlling himself, and pulling away before things got too heated.

When he finally broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine. "I should stop," he said quietly. "If I don’t, I won’t be able to."

I could see the conflict in his eyes, his desire warring with self-control and that made me love him even more.

He smiled helplessly. "You make it really hard to be a gentleman."

I laughed softly, brushing his cheek. "You don’t always have to be one."

He chuckled. "Temptress."

I tilted my head, pretending to pout. "I just feel bad, that’s all. You have been taking cold showers every night."

His eyes widened, then he laughed. "And you know how?"

I smiled knowingly. "I hear the water running and you always come back looking like you fought a war."

He groaned dramatically. "That’s because I am fighting a war with myself."

I bit my lip, watching him. "Then let me help you win for once."

He froze, as his eyes darkened slightly. "Christy..."

"Let me," I whispered.

There was charged silence, full of things we didn’t need to say. Then he exhaled slowly and nodded.

He quickly led me to the bathroom. I felt slightly nervous at first but when I remembered how he had been holding back, I became more determined to help him.

I slowly sat on the edge of the bathtub and I could feel his hot gaze on me as I slowly undid his belt.

His hard member immediately sprang out and stood tall as soon as I pulled down his brief.

I slowly wrapped my fingers around it and noticed it was so big that my fingers couldn’t hold it fully.

I started stroking it slowly, while observing his expressions.

"Ugh fuck" he groaned as I increased the speed.

I used my other hand to slowly touch his balls before taking the tip of his hard rod in my mouth. I started sucking it really fast and his legs shook with pleasure.

"Fuck.. Fuck... Babe"

"Uggggh"

"Just like that, slowly"

He kept groaning and I became more bold and took more length into my mouth and took it down my throat.

He thrust his hips slowly and it went on for a while before he poured his hot load into my mouth.

I swallowed it before he could say anything and he looked at me helplessly.

It wasn’t about lust, it was about connection and easing the ache between us in the only way that felt right.

Afterward, we stayed close, quiet and still, the sound of our breathing was the only thing filling the room.

He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked softly.

"For loving me like this."

I smiled faintly. "Always."

We stayed that way until the air began to cool. Then we cleaned up together, laughing quietly when he tried to help me dry my hands and almost dropped the towel.

By the time we came out of the bathroom, the night had settled completely. I sank onto the couch, feeling both tired and light. My hands were weak, but my heart was full.

Kendrick sat beside me, still watching me with that mix of pride and longing. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "You look exhausted," he murmured.

I nodded. "A little but I’m happy."

He smiled. "Good, that’s all I want for you."

He leaned in, kissing me softly again. I wanted to stay in this moment forever, the calm after weeks of chaos and the quiet after a lifetime of storms.

Then my phone rang.

I groaned softly, reaching for it, the screen flashed with a name I hadn’t seen in a while.

Mason.

Kendrick frowned slightly. "Mason?"

I nodded slowly and answered. "Hello?"

"Christy," Mason’s voice came through, serious but steady as always. "I found something. About your disappearance... from when you were a child."

My heart skipped a beat. "What did you say?"

"There is a lead and I think it’s big. We need to talk tonight if possible."

I froze, my fingers tightening around the phone.

Kendrick’s hand closed gently over mine. "What’s wrong?"

I met his eyes, my heart pounding faster with each breath. "He found something," I whispered. "About... my past."

The room suddenly felt smaller.

For weeks, I had been wrapped in peace, in love, in the safety Kendrick gave me. But now, it felt like the world outside was knocking again, demanding answers I wasn’t sure I was ready to face.

I looked down at my belly, seeing my baby bump that reminded me of everything I had to protect.

Maybe it was time and I needed to know.

I exhaled shakily and whispered, "Tell him we will meet."

Kendrick nodded silently, but his eyes said what his lips didn’t, that whatever truth was waiting for us, we would face it together.