"Good. I need to tell you something," Maya said. Ella froze, beckoned me; we stepped into the hall.
"You're moving out?" Ella's voice pitched up in the corridor.
"I interviewed for a job today," Maya said. "Early stages, but I'm planning to rent near work. That way, meeting people won't feel awkward in someone else's place."
Ella panicked. "You're just starting, money's tight. Rent? Besides, that's my and Lucas's home, yours too. Stay as long as you want."
"No, Ella," Maya corrected. "I need my own home, my own family."
Ella blinked, brow furrowed: "Maya, you hiding something?"
Maya's face on-screen flustered. Her phone rang. She glanced, unease flashing.
"Call coming in," she said, rushed. "Gotta take it. Talk soon, Ella. Take care of yourself and Theodore."
She hung fast—too fast.
Ella stared at the blank screen, worried. "Think she's in trouble?"
"If she is, she'd tell you," I said. "Trust her."
I hated meddling, but I didn't want Ella losing sleep.
"You're the best sisters, but you'll have your own lives."
Ella sighed.
Back in the room, she gazed at Theodore in the incubator.
"I want Maya happy," she murmured. "Her own family, like us."
I squeezed her shoulder.
"She will."
We lingered till nurses shooed us.
Back at the suite, Ella was fresh from the shower, damp hair cascading over her shoulders, air thick with her warm, sweet scent. She wore a thin silk slip, moonlight fabric hugging her back's curves. Against the starry night, she looked soft, almost translucent. My throat bobbed, heat surging low.
I wrapped her from behind, sliding a velvet box into her view.
"For you."
Her eyes widened at the box.
"What's this?"
"Open it."
She took it, pried it open. Inside, a ring—platinum band with a rare aquamarine diamond, fringed in tiny brilliants. Took me two months to track down.
"Lucas," she gasped, "I already have one..."
"The past is past." I dipped my head, lips grazing her ear, making her shiver. "This is me proposing again. Our fresh start."
I took her hand, faced her, and dropped to one knee.
"Ella, will you give me another shot as your husband?" I looked up. "From today, I'll be better for you and our kid. I'll fight for us forever."
