After their playful painting session, Bella leaned back in her chair, wiping her hands on a towel. Her stomach gave a quiet growl, and she glanced shyly at Lucas.
"I think I'm starving," she admitted with a sheepish laugh.
Lucas smiled warmly, standing up and stretching. "Come on, let's make something simple. Chef Lucas at your service."
Bella followed him into the kitchen, her steps light, feeling safer than she had in days. She tried to help, but Lucas gently nudged her aside when she almost dropped a jar of pasta sauce.
"You're banned from complicated tasks," he teased, grabbing a pan with easy familiarity.
Bella huffed playfully, crossing her arms. "I'm very capable."
"Sure you are," Lucas said, ruffling her hair before she could dodge. Her mock glare made him chuckle.
They moved around the kitchen like a casual team — Bella chopping vegetables under close supervision, Lucas handling the stove with practiced ease.
The air was filled with the rich scent of pasta and laughter, and by the time they sat down to eat, the heaviness that had clung to the house since yesterday felt like a distant memory.
Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Bella hesitated at the door, looking outside. The day was bright, the air warm, and everything seemed so... normal. Lucas caught her lingering glance.
"Want to go for a walk?" he asked, slipping his hand casually into his pocket. Bella hesitated. "I... only if you're with me," she said softly.
Lucas's expression didn't change much, but something in his eyes warmed — protective and fond. "Wherever you go, I'm there," he said simply.
They wandered down a quiet lane near the house, Bella staying close to his side. She tried not to feel silly for needing him so much. After a few minutes, she confessed in a small voice, "I must look so childish... clinging to you like this."
Lucas stopped walking, turning to face her. "No," he said, voice low and sure. "You're brave. Even when you're scared, you're standing, you're moving forward. That's real strength, Bella."
Her cheeks burned at the sincerity in his tone. They eventually reached the porch steps and sat down, side by side. For a while, they simply talked about little things — favorite foods, ridiculous school memories, places they wanted to travel someday.
Bella laughed when Lucas admitted he once accidentally dyed his hair green in high school trying to impersonate a rock band member.
"I can't imagine you with green hair," she giggled, picturing it. Lucas rolled his eyes dramatically. "It was a dark time. Guess what, I got so much scolding from mom."
Bella laughed so hard she leaned against his shoulder without thinking, and Lucas didn't move away. Instead, he shifted just enough to make it comfortable for her to stay.
The spell broke when a car pulled up in front of the house — Rachel's back. Bella hurried forward to greet her, scooping her into a tight hug.
"Mommy!" Rachel squealed happily. Lucas ruffled Rachel's hair, exchanging a look with Bella — full of silent understanding and shared warmth.
The house was loud and alive again, filled with Rachel's endless stories and giggles. They made a simple dinner together — spaghetti and meatballs — with Rachel proudly "helping" by sprinkling way too much cheese on everything.
Later that night, the three of them snuggled up on the living room couch, a kid's animated movie playing softly in the background.
Rachel fell asleep first, curled up in Bella's lap. Bella shifted carefully, her head eventually coming to rest against Lucas's shoulder as her own eyes fluttered closed.
Lucas stayed perfectly still, feeling a strange, unexpected peace settle over him. This... this feels right.
He tightened his arm slightly around Bella, anchoring her against him.
Outside, the night stretched quiet and endless, but inside the little house, they were safe, warm, and together. And for tonight, that was enough.
The movie's credits rolled quietly in the background, but neither Bella nor Rachel stirred. Lucas smiled softly, glancing down at the two girls curled up against him — his girls, he realized with a strange tightness in his chest.
He shifted carefully, slipping one arm under Rachel and the other around Bella's back. Bella murmured something incoherent, but didn't wake up as he gathered them both.
"Come on, little troublemakers," he whispered under his breath.
Lucas carried Rachel first, tucking her gently into her bed. She wriggled once, grabbing her stuffed bunny tighter, then settled back into deep sleep.
Returning for Bella, he leaned down and carefully lifted her into his arms. She instinctively nuzzled closer, a soft sigh leaving her lips, making Lucas's heart squeeze giddily.
In their room, he placed her gently on the bed beside Rachel, pulling the blanket up over her. For a moment, he just stood there, watching her sleep, brushing a stray curl away from her forehead.
'How could something so simple — her trust, her nearness — undo him this easily? She was scared, hurt... and yet she still looked for him. Reached for him without even thinking. It made him want to be better. Stronger. Safer. For her. For both of them.'
Lucas leaned down, pressing the softest kiss to her temple.
"I've got you, mia cara," he whispered against her hair, before slipping into bed beside her. Tonight, he decided, he'd hold her close. And tomorrow, he'd make sure no shadow ever touched her again.
The night was silent, the house cloaked in the kind of stillness that only deep sleep could bring. Rachel was curled up beside Bella, her tiny breaths even and soft. Bella herself was tucked into Lucas's side, her hand lightly resting against his chest as if still seeking comfort even in sleep.
Lucas would have stayed like that, still and content, if it weren't for the faintest sound. A whisper of a creak. Footsteps. His body tensed immediately. Years of instincts, sharpened by a life most didn't know he lived, surged forward.
Without waking Bella, Lucas carefully slipped out of bed, his movements fluid and practiced. His hand brushed briefly against the bedside table where his gun sat hidden, but he didn't draw it yet.
Not unless it was necessary.
He moved silently through the hallway, barefoot, the house dimly lit by the small night lights Bella insisted on keeping for Rachel. The living room came into view—and so did the figure standing there.
Lucas's jaw tightened. The man was familiar. The same bastard from the restaurant—the one who had been watching Bella. Without hesitation, Lucas moved.
A quiet, brutal tackle brought the man to the ground, but he fought back just as fiercely. Fists slammed into ribs, arms locked around necks, the struggle violent but eerily muted as Lucas fought to keep the noise low.
He slammed the man against the wall with a heavy thud, his forearm pressing against his throat.
"Who sent you?" Lucas hissed in a voice made of ice. Ofcourse he knew who was behind all this, but still he want this man to confess the truth. The man smirked, blood already staining his teeth. "You won't find out."
Lucas twisted his arm behind his back, eliciting a grunt of pain. "How many know where we live?" The man stayed silent, stubborn.
Lucas's patience was razor-thin, but he also knew this man would not spill anything. Footsteps approached swiftly — Bella's bodyguard, drawn in by the disturbance, entered with two others, guns ready but lowered at Lucas's small shake of his head.
Lucas didn't look away from the pinned man. "Take him out of here," Lucas said coldly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Not in the house," he added, sharp and absolute. "Bella don't like killing inside the house." He mentioned after remembering her words from some days ago. "Moreover I have yet to serve this guest of mine."
The bodyguard nodded immediately.
Two of them grabbed the intruder roughly, dragging him through the back door into the darkness beyond.
Lucas stood still for a moment, breathing deep. A lamp lay knocked over, a small decorative vase was shattered on the floor — signs of the short but vicious struggle. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath.
"Fix everything. Make it look untouched. And those things which broke, replace with new ones. Also check from where he entered inside." he ordered without turning.
The bodyguards got to work immediately, sweeping broken pieces, righting furniture, erasing all signs that danger had ever breached these walls. Only when the living room looked normal again did Lucas allow himself to exhale fully.
With a final glance at the now-empty room, he turned and padded back toward the bedroom. Inside, Bella and Rachel slept on—safe, untouched, unaware of the storm that had passed just outside their door.
Lucas slid back into bed silently, his arms automatically reaching for Bella, pulling her close. He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head, closing his eyes.
He would keep it that way.
No matter what it cost.