Serena’s POV
The mont I stepped off the plane onto New York soil, exhaustion lted away as anticipation took its place. After the whirlwind in London, I couldn’t wait to surprise Maya with my early return and see my daughter’s precious face again. I’d missed Vivian terribly during my ti away.
As I navigated through the terminal, wheeling my carry-on behind , I spotted them—not just Maya, but Ryan too, standing side by side near the arrival gate. My steps faltered montarily, surprise washing over . I hadn’t told either of them my exact arrival ti.
"What’s with that face?" Maya called out, already rushing toward with arms wide open. "Aren’t you happy to see your best friend and your dashingly handso husband waiting for you?"
Before I could respond, she enveloped in a fierce hug that nearly knocked the wind from my lungs. The familiar scent of her signature perfu—sothing citrusy with hints of jasmine—filled my senses, and I couldn’t help but smile against her shoulder.
"I’m not unhappy," I laughed, pulling back slightly. "Just surprised. How did you know I was landing now? I wanted to surprise you both."
Maya dangled her phone in front of with a mischievous grin. "I have my sources, darling. Did you really think the Quinn family wouldn’t keep updated on your movents?"
Of course. I should have known better than to think I could sneak back into the country without my family alerting Maya.
I turned to Ryan, who stood watching our reunion with a soft expression I was still getting used to seeing on his face. "And you? How did you know?"
Ryan’s lips curved into that half-smile that still made my heart skip a beat. "Heart connection, perhaps?" His tone was playful, but sothing in his eyes made wonder if he wasn’t entirely joking.
"Oh God, please!" Maya groaned dramatically, making a gagging motion. "Don’t start with the lovey-dovey stuff in front of . Ethan just flew back to London, and I don’t need the reminder that you two get to go ho together while I’m sleeping alone."
I couldn’t resist teasing her. "Back to long-distance again? Such a sha."
"Let’s not dwell on my tragic love life," Maya declared, linking her arm through mine. "More important question—are you coming back to the studio with to debrief about London, or are you heading ho with Mr. Perfect Hair here?"
I hesitated. After days away, I desperately wanted to see Vivian, but I also knew Maya was eager to hear about Ivy and the London expansion firsthand.
Before I could voice my dilemma, Ryan spoke up. "I’ll drive you both to the studio. The debriefing shouldn’t take too long, right?"
Maya’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, that’s unexpectedly accommodating of you, Mr. Blackwood. In that case, I’m borrowing your wife for exactly ninety minutes, not a second longer."
She threw her arm around my shoulders in a friendly half-hug as we walked toward the exit, Ryan following with my luggage.
At the studio, I recounted everything that had happened in London, from Ivy’s dramatic resignation to Matthews’ spectacular fall from grace. Maya and I dissolved into fits of laughter as I described his face when he realized I was backing Ivy.
"I wish I could’ve seen it!" Maya exclaid, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "The almighty Matthews, finally getting exactly what he deserved!"
Ryan, seated beside on the studio’s plush sofa, watched our exchange with evident amusent. Though he wasn’t actively participating in our gossip session, his presence felt natural, comfortable—sothing that would have seed impossible just months ago.
"So you really think Ivy can handle running the London division?" Maya asked, her expression turning more serious.
"With your guidance initially, absolutely," I confird. "Which reminds —I need you in London next week. You’ll help Ivy settle into her role properly, and..." I paused dramatically, "you might just run into a certain Quinn heir while you’re there."
Maya’s eyes widened, a brilliant smile breaking across her face. "Are you serious? Serena, I absolutely adore you!" She lunged across the coffee table to hug again, nearly knocking over our drinks in the process.
After nearly two hours of strategizing and catching up—well beyond the promised ninety minutes—Ryan finally cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but soone at ho is probably wondering where her mother is."
The ntion of Vivian imdiately redirected my focus. With promises to Maya about finalizing details tomorrow, Ryan and I headed ho.
The mont we stepped through the front door of the Blackwood mansion, I heard the familiar babbling sounds coming from the nursery. My heart lurched with longing.
"Go," Ryan urged softly, taking my coat. "She just woke up from her nap."
I didn’t need to be told twice. I practically ran to the nursery, where I found my beautiful six-month-old daughter sitting in her crib, happily playing with her fingers and making those adorable nonsensical sounds that I had missed desperately.
"Hello, my sweet girl," I cooed, lifting her into my arms. Vivian’s eyes widened with recognition, and she imdiately reached for my face with her tiny hands. "Did you miss Mommy? Because Mommy missed you so, so much."
I inhaled her baby scent—that perfect mixture of baby lotion and sothing uniquely Vivian—and felt my eyes grow misty. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed holding her until this mont.
"Look how much you’ve grown in just a week," I murmured, kissing her chubby cheeks. "You’re getting so big! Have you been good for Daddy and Nanny Margaret?"
Vivian responded with an enthusiastic string of babbles, gripping my necklace with surprising strength for such tiny fingers.
"She’s been asking about you every day," Ryan’s voice ca from the doorway where he stood watching us. "At least, that’s what I like to think those midnight crying sessions were about."
I turned toward him, Vivian balanced on my hip, and noticed a hint of sothing—was that jealousy?—in his expression.
"What about you?" I asked softly. "Did you miss too?"
Ryan pushed away from the doorfra and approached us, his eyes never leaving mine. "More than I thought possible," he admitted, his voice low and sincere.
I smiled and stepped closer, rising onto my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his cheek. "I missed you too. Both of you."
His arm slipped around my waist, drawing and Vivian against his chest in a gentle embrace. For a mont, we simply stood there, the three of us together again.
Vivian broke the silence with a delighted squeal, patting both our faces as if to make sure we were really there. Ryan laughed, a deep, genuine sound that still caught off guard sotis—so different from the cold, distant man I’d first married.
"I think soone’s happy to have her family complete again," he said, tickling Vivian’s tummy and eliciting another joyful squeal.
As we moved to the living room, Vivian perched on my lap while Ryan prepared drinks for us, I felt a profound sense of contentnt settle over . The London trip had been a professional triumph, but this—this mont of dostic tranquility with my husband and daughter—felt like the true victory.
Ryan returned with two glasses of wine, handing one to before settling beside us on the sofa. Vivian imdiately reached for him, and he scooped her up effortlessly, those large hands that commanded billion-dollar deals now gently supporting our daughter’s back.
"She’s definitely grown," I observed, watching how comfortably they interacted. "You two seem to have bonded while I was away."
Ryan nodded, a soft smile playing on his lips as Vivian grabbed his finger and held on tight. "We ca to an understanding, didn’t we, princess? "
As the evening progressed, with Vivian eventually dozing off against Ryan’s chest, I felt the last of the tension from my travels lting away. Ryan caught watching them, his expression softening further. "Welco ho, Serena," he murmured.
Ho. The word held such different aning now than it had when I’d first co to live under the Blackwood roof.
"It’s good to be back," I whispered, and ant it with every fiber of my being.
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