CHAPTER 282: CHAPTER 282: LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND FUTURE DREAMS

~Evric’s POV~

I didn’t let him finish. I nodded toward his hand. "Baby... check your finger."

Zayn followed my instructions, checking his finger. The moment he saw his ring, a slow, beautiful realization spread across his face. "Oh, it looks like someone is taken."

I leaned closer, my voice a husky whisper right by his ear. "Who is that ’someone’?"

He just smiled, that wide, irresistible smile that makes my chest ache with love. "I don’t know."

That did it. I couldn’t resist. I moved fast, tickling his side, hitting his sweet spot. "Who is that someone?" I pressed again, my voice catching with a laugh.

Zayn giggled, a bright, pure sound, and fell back onto the bed, still smiling. But I wasn’t done. I kept tickling him, determined to hear him admit it. He twisted and squirmed, his laughter filling the room, until finally, on a gasped breath, he gave in.

"Fine! Fine, it’s me! I’m the one who’s taken!"

I shifted, climbing gently on top of him, settling my weight softly. I looked down into his sparkling eyes, and my fingers found a new spot to attack. "Who is taken?"

"Me!" he laughed, pushing weakly at my hands.

"Mention your name," I demanded, tickling him with renewed fervor.

Zayn burst into non-stop laughter, completely breathless. "It’s me, Zayn Smith! Baby, stop!"

I didn’t stop until I got what I wanted. I lowered my voice, my lips near his ear again. "You’re taken. Draeven name soon, yes or no?"

"Stop, babe!" he pleaded, but his eyes were shining with happiness.

I didn’t relent. Not until he finally, joyously admitted, "Yes! I will take Draeven’s name soon!"

I stopped instantly, letting out a satisfied, soft breath. I leaned down and gently kissed the tip of his nose. "You look really beautiful when you are happy, baby."

The laughter faded, and a wave of deep, peaceful silence washed over us. Zayn’s arms came up, wrapping tightly around my neck, and he pulled me down into a soft, long hug.

"Thank you, Daddy," he murmured against my ear.

"For what?" I asked, completely content just holding him.

"For everything. For loving me so much, Evric."

I pulled back just enough to look at his face, framed by my hands. " Thank you for loving me more than I deserve, Zayn."

I leaned in and kissed him, slow at first, then deeper, until time blurred and all I felt was him. When I finally eased back, breath mixing with his, I remembered the next part of our future we needed to talk about.

"One more thing, babe," I said, catching my breath.

"What?" His voice was low and hazy.

"I’m planning something for us... a new house. Or we could take one of my properties. After we get married, I want us somewhere quiet, away from people. Just the two of us, building our own world. What do you think?"

Zayn pulled me into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping around me as if he couldn’t bear even an inch of distance. I let my head rest against his chest, sinking into the warm, steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

"What about my restaurants? And your work, Evric?" he murmured, the concern in his voice impossible to miss.

I pressed a soft kiss to his chest. "Everything is in control, love. I already spoke to my father. He told me to do whatever makes me happy. Wherever I choose to live, he’ll invest and build a new branch there. And besides... I never promised him I’d stay in his company forever. I have my own businesses to take care of too. So I think..."

Zayn stopped me, placing a gentle finger over my lips. "Babe, your father trusts you because he knows you are the only one who seems to be interested in business. Look at Evans, he loves the industry, and Chrisly can only do what he can do, and Nuala doesn’t even want to be stressed. You are the only one fit for this role."

He pulled back, cupping my face with both hands, his expression serious but loving. "And if you think because we are getting married you want it to affect your position in work, babe, I won’t accept it... you should find a way to place everything right, not walk away from it, okay?"

I smiled, a warm wave of appreciation washing over me. He always pushes me to be my best. "Okay, baby," I said, kissing his chest. Then I got back to the main point. "Is that a yes, then? That you’ll relocate with me once we get married, right?"

Zayn’s smile returned, wide and bright. He hugged me tight. "Anywhere my husband goes is where I will be, because I love him so much, and he’s my home."

That was the only answer I needed. I smiled, a profound joy settling in my heart, and kissed his forehead gently. "Thank you, baby. You are my home also."

~Zayn’s POV~

We stayed like that for a long, quiet moment, just holding each other and soaking in the happiness of our plans. Everything felt perfect, until my stomach loudly betrayed me.

Mumble... rrrrrmmmblle...

I laughed, feeling heat creep up my neck.

Evric chuckled softly, raising his head. "I guess it’s time to stand up and shower," he said, pulling me up with him. "Should we order something, or—"

I cut him off quickly, already craving a bit of normalcy and wanting to show him off, just a little. "I want to step out with my fiancé! Let’s go down to the hotel café and eat together."

A little while later, after a shared shower and getting dressed, we headed out, feeling refreshed and ridiculously in love.

We found a nice table by the window in the bustling hotel café. Once we were settled, Evric gestured toward the menu. "You place the order, babe. I trust your judgment."

I ordered our food and two coffees. Just as the waiter walked away, Evric shifted in his seat. "I need to use the restroom quickly."

"Okay, baby," I answered, giving him a quick, affectionate squeeze of the arm.

The moment Evric was out of sight, I felt a shadow fall over our table. I looked up. Standing there was a striking woman—clearly a foreigner—who had been glancing my way a few times already. She had a certain look in her eyes that was unmistakable.

"Hi," she said brightly, offering a confident smile. "I’m Lyra."

Before I could even manage a polite "Hello," she continued, leaning slightly closer. "I’m sorry to interrupt, but I just had to tell you, I’ve been admiring everything about you since you sat down, your style, your smile, everything. You have incredible energy. Would you mind if we exchanged contacts?"

I felt a faint blush rise. I was already trying to figure out how to reject her nicely and politely, perhaps just showing her the ring, when a firm, low voice answered for me.

"No."

Lyra paused, turning to see Evric standing right behind her, his expression utterly neutral, but his eyes were radiating ownership.

"Excuse me?" she asked, a little put out, looking Evric up and down. "Who are you?"

I answered immediately, a powerful, proud surge of protectiveness flooding my chest. "That’s my fiancé."

Lyra’s demeanor softened instantly. "Oh! Fiancé. I’m so sorry." She offered a quick, embarrassed apology.

"It’s okay," I said gently. She offered us both a quick nod and hurried away.

I turned back to Evric, and what I saw made me instantly dissolve into laughter. The stern expression he’d worn for Lyra had vanished, replaced by a radiant, almost juvenile joy. He couldn’t hide it; the smile that burst onto his face was huge and pure. The sound of me calling him "fiancé" out loud had completely undone him.

"Are you happy?" I teased, leaning forward. "Did you like hearing me call you that out here?"

He nodded quickly, like a child who had just received the best present. He covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. He kept giggling, still hiding his face, and then, overcome with sheer happiness, he dropped his head right onto the table, muffling his laughter.

His absolute cuteness made my own smile widen until my cheeks ached.

Just then, our food arrived. I gently nudged his arm. "My husband-to-be," I said, my voice filled with fondness, "it’s time to eat."

He snapped his head up instantly, his eyes wide and shining, his smile somehow even bigger than before. "Baby!" he exclaimed, a soft, astonished sound. "You’re making me go crazy! Why did you suddenly become this bold?"

I winked at him, enjoying my power over him immensely. "Because my husband-to-be is the best in the whole world."

That was the last straw. The compliment, the term, the public setting—it was pure, joyful overload for Evric. His face flushed a beautiful pink, his eyes went soft and glazed over with sweetness, and he let out a dramatic, muffled groan of happy surrender.

He reached across the table, his hand finding mine in an iron grip. "Come here," he demanded, his voice low and utterly captivated. He didn’t break eye contact. "Let them send this food to our room. I need to show you exactly how happy I am... in the room."

I laughed, feeling the same giddy excitement. With a quick word to the waiter, Evric took my hand and pulled me up, practically rushing us out of the café and back toward the privacy of our hotel room.

I’m absolutely going to marry this man.