Chapter 181

Kelly POV

The night was quiet, the kind of stillness that felt rare these days. Adrian and I sat on the couch watching TV, the only bright light coming from the dim glow of the lamp in the corner. Aiden was asleep, Harper tucked asleep in her room. For once, there was no extra sound, no outside world demanding something from us. Just the sound of our breathing, the warmth of him beside me.

He was tracing circles against the back of my hand, his touch slow, thoughtful. It was comforting, but it also made me nervous. I didn’t know why. Or maybe I did.

When Adrian finally shifted beside me, sitting up a little straighter, my stomach clenched. He exhaled softly, his thumb still brushing my skin.

“Kelly.” His voice was steady, but there was something deeper in it. Something that made my heart pound.

I swallowed. “Yeah?”

He didn’t speak right away. Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out something small. A box, a ring box. My chest tighte