She looked up, wary. “Yes.”
“I want to see them,” he said. “Not for us. Because it matters.”
What followed wasn’t easy. Matthew’s board questioned his approach, and a rival executive named Franklin Shaw tried to exploit Paige’s vulnerability to gain control of the project. When Matthew learned that Shaw had orchestrated his financial downfall, his doubts vanished. He severed ties, accepted the scrutiny, and redirected his resources toward something that, for the first time, he felt was undeniably right.
Life tested them again when one of the babies, Jude, became seriously ill. In the hospital corridor, Paige trembled with fear, a fear she could no longer contain. Matthew signed forms, spoke with doctors, and held her firmly. “We’ll take care of this,” he said, and for once, his words weren’t empty.
In the quiet afterward, Matthew revealed his own truth: the adoption he had rarely spoken of and the belief that love was conditional. Paige listened, then took his hands. “You are enough,” he said, simply and without hesitation.
