After the surprise dinner with Elena's friends, Ethan, Elena, and Alex finally returned home.
Elena had been silent the entire ride, her arms crossed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Ethan parked the car, turned off the engine, and leaned back casually, watching her.
"You're angry," Ethan said, his voice teasing.
"No," Elena snapped, her voice sharp.
"I'm humiliated! You just had to show up and announce everything in front of them?!"
Ethan chuckled softly. "I didn't announce everything. Alex did most of the work."
Elena glared at him. "You didn't even stop him!"
"He was just being honest," Ethan shrugged innocently.
"And anyway... what's so wrong about people knowing you're my wife?"
Elena bit her lip, feeling her heart race.
The way Ethan said "my wife" so naturally... it made her stomach flutter.
"You're impossible," she muttered under her breath and opened the car door to get out.
Before she could step out, Ethan grabbed her wrist gently.
"Elena..." he said softly.
She turned toward him, surprised at the sudden tenderness in his voice.
"I'm proud of you," Ethan said, his eyes locking with hers.
"You're not just my wife. You're my best decision."
Elena's heart skipped a beat.
She tried to look away, but Ethan leaned closer, his forehead gently touching hers.
"For every moment you doubt yourself... remember this," he whispered.
"You're mine. And I'm never letting you go."
Elena closed her eyes for a second, feeling her anger melting away.
A soft drizzle started outside, tapping against the windows.
The world outside blurred, but inside the car, everything felt clear—
The warmth between them. The bond they couldn't deny anymore.
Ethan cupped her face tenderly and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, lingering there.
Alex's voice broke the silence from the back seat:
"Daddy, are you kissing Mommy again? Ew!"
Both Elena and Ethan burst out laughing, their anger and embarrassment forgotten.
Ethan ruffled Alex's hair with a chuckle.
"Get used to it, buddy. It's going to happen a lot."
That night, as they stepped into their home together, a new chapter in their relationship had quietly begun—
Not just as a family... but as two people falling deeper in love.