CHAPTER 147: MOVING IN

Two weeks had passed since Gregory’s death. During that time, Zeke had spent most nights at Cassidy’s apartment. And today, Cassidy and Claire were finally moving into Zeke’s villa, the renovations on Claire’s room had just been completed.

When Claire found out they would be moving in to live at Zeke’s villa, she was absolutely thrilled.

Zeke still remembered that moment vividly, it was on the very first Friday night they started their movie night tradition.

Cassidy, Claire, and Zeke were snuggled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn, watching a family movie.

Halfway through, Cassidy glanced at Zeke. He gave her a small nod—they’d decided last night that this was the perfect time to tell Claire the big news.

When the movie ended, Cassidy gently patted the top of Claire’s head. "Sweetheart, Mommy and Daddy have something to tell you."

Claire looked up at her with big curious eyes. "What is it, Mommy?"

Cassidy smiled. "Next week, we’re going to move to Daddy’s villa... and live there together."

Claire’s eyes went wide. She quickly turned to Zeke. "Really, Daddy?!"

Zeke nodded with a warm smile. "Yes, princess. We’ll all live together. Do you like that?"

Claire’s little hands clapped together in excitement. "Yaaay! I like it! I like it!" She bounced on the couch, giggling so hard she could barely sit still.

Cassidy and Zeke laughed along, exchanging a look that said they’d made the right choice.

***

Now, a week later, the three of them were in Zeke’s car, heading toward the villa that would soon be their shared home. Claire hadn’t stopped talking since they left, chattering away about her preschool friends and the games they’d played.

Just last week, as she’d wished, Claire had finally returned to preschool after being absent for over a month. Blake, her bodyguard, had been right there with her, keeping her in sight at all times. Per Zeke’s orders, Blake kept Claire within five meters at all times.

As soon as they arrived at Zeke’s villa, the first thing on Claire’s mind was Rocco—Zeke’s fluffy Samoyed.

With bright eyes and barely contained excitement, she asked, "Daddy, can I play with Rocco?"

Zeke gave her a small smile. "Of course—but only after you check out your bedroom and playroom first. I want to see if you like them. If you don’t, Daddy can have them redone."

Claire nodded eagerly. Zeke then led Claire, Cassidy, and Clara upstairs to the second floor. He showed Clara her room first, and she decided to start unpacking right away. The three of them then continued to Claire’s room, which was right next to Clara’s.

The moment the door opened, Claire froze in place. The room was bathed in shades of pink with a princess theme—complete with a lovely canopy bed, sparkling decorations, and dainty little furniture.

In just seconds, her face lit up. She ran inside, bouncing up and down on her bed, her laughter filling the room.

Zeke smiled in satisfaction at Claire’s excitement. Still holding Cassidy’s hand, he walked closer to where Claire was busy exploring every corner of her new room.

"Do you like your room, princess?" he asked gently.

"I like it! I like it! It’s just like a princess room," Claire replied, her eyes wide in awe.

"Well, of course. You’re Daddy’s princess, so your room should be a princess room too," Zeke said with a soft laugh.

Claire giggled, then hugged his leg tightly, whispering, "Thank you, Daddy."

"I’m happy you love it, princess. Now... let’s go check out your playroom."

When Claire saw her new playroom, her eyes lit up. The room was big and bright, full of colorful toys, a slide, and a two-level play structure with a tiny staircase.

She ran around, laughing and bouncing with excitement, clearly loving her new space.

"Daddy, I like it so much!" Claire exclaimed to Zeke.

"Can you wait here for a bit while you play, princess? Daddy wants to show Mommy her room first."

Claire nodded, bouncing on her toes, then darted over to the toys, her excitement barely contained.

Zeke took Cassidy’s hand and led her to his room, now theirs.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Zeke pulled Cassidy close and kissed her.

Cassidy lifted her arms, wrapping them around Zeke’s neck and teasingly whispered, "Me too," leaning in close but not kissing him yet.

Zeke chuckled at her playful tease. He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her again—this time deeper, full of desire and passion.

Cradling Cassidy in his arms, Zeke moved toward the bed, sitting at the edge as their kisses grew hotter, more urgent, tongues teasing and exploring.

Even though every part of him wanted more, he knew if they kept going, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back.

With a reluctant sigh, he broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. "I have to stop, baby... or Claire’s going to start wondering why we’ve been in here so long."

Cassidy chuckled softly, feeling his warm, heavy breaths against her skin. She leaned back just enough to place a quick, playful kiss on his lips, teasing him.

"Yeah, you’re right." Cassidy freed herself from Zeke’s embrace and stood up. She tugged Zeke up with her and led him toward Claire’s playroom.

"Princess, let’s go see Rocco!" Zeke called as they reached the door.

Claire’s eyes widened with delight. She dropped her toy without a second thought and sprinted toward Zeke and Cassidy, her laughter bubbling out as her joyful smile stayed glued to her face.

The three of them made their way to the backyard, Rocco’s favorite place to play.

The moment Rocco saw Zeke, he bolted across the grass, tongue lolling in excitement. He jumped at Zeke as soon as he reached him, making Zeke step back quickly to avoid the enthusiastic greeting.

"Rocco, stop. Sit," Zeke said, but Rocco was too excited, bouncing around him.

"Rocco, sit," Claire called out this time.

Hearing her voice, Rocco stopped, wagged his tail, and trotted over to Claire. He nuzzled his fluffy head against her stomach, greeting her in the soft, playful way only a happy Samoyed could.

Claire giggled, thrilled that Rocco had listened to her. She patted his head and said, "Good boy, Rocco. Good boy."

Rocco, picking up on the praise, barked happily, making Claire jump a little.

"Bad dog, Rocco!" she said, laughing.

"Rocco, don’t bark! That’s too loud," Zeke said, giving the excited Samoyed a firm look.

Rocco bolted past them, dashing around the backyard with uncontainable energy before bouncing back to Zeke. He repeated the loop several times, tail wagging furiously, clearly overjoyed.

Claire laughed and ran after him, giggling the whole way. Blake and a few staff followed, making sure she stayed safe while playing with Rocco.

Cassidy and Zeke watched from nearby, smiling at the fun scene.

"You know," Cassidy said, "I used to have a Samoyed like Rocco. I didn’t expect you to have one too. I thought if you had a dog, it’d be big, like a Pitbull or German Shepherd."

Zeke smiled. "I got Rocco because he’s a Samoyed. I knew you had one before, and I wanted to feel closer to you... to understand why you chose a Samoyed over other dogs."

Cassidy’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe that Zeke kept Rocco because of her.

"I didn’t realize before how much you wanted to be close to me," Cassidy teased, raising both eyebrows playfully. "You really like me, huh?"

Hearing Zeke’s reason for keeping Rocco, Cassidy couldn’t hide how happy she felt—her heart practically danced.

"Yeah, I really like you. And thankfully, you feel the same," Zeke said, looking at Cassidy with a loving smile, feeling grateful she felt the same.

He took her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her gently. "Thanks for liking me too."

Zeke gently released Cassidy but kept his hands on her cheeks, looking straight into her eyes. "Now that we’re together, I’m not letting you go again."

Cassidy smiled, her fingers brushing over his face. "As long as you don’t cheat or hurt me, I won’t leave you."

Zeke’s jaw tightened a little, a serious look in his eyes. "I’d never do anything like that to you."

Cassidy, with a serious look, said, "Watch out—if you do, I’ll take Claire and leave you."

Zeke immediately wrapped her in a tight hug. "Don’t ever say that, baby. I’d never do that. I promise."

The thought of Cassidy and Claire leaving him made his chest tighten and his breath catch. He couldn’t imagine ever hurting her.

Suddenly, Claire’s excited voice rang out from across the yard, "Daddy, Mommy, come here! Let’s play with Rocco together!"

Zeke and Cassidy looked at each other and smiled. Holding hands, they ran over to Claire, who was bouncing with excitement. Seeing her happy face as Rocco wagged his tail made Zeke’s chest feel warm, and Cassidy’s heart lifted too. The three of them started playing together, laughing and running around with Rocco in the backyard.

***