Chapter 13 - Finding True, Unconditional Devotion
Two years after moving to Seattle, love entered my life in the most unexpected, beautiful way.
During a charitable board meeting for Seattle Children’s Hospital, I met Dr. Lucas Hayes—the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery and Chloe’s longtime surgical colleague.
Lucas was thirty-five, tall, with kind, intelligent gray eyes, a warm, booming laugh, and a heart of pure gold. He was a man who had dedicated his life to saving critically ill children, completely unimpressed by corporate titles or balance sheets.
From the first moment Lucas met Maya, he was completely enchanted.
He would sit on the living room rug for hours, building giant wooden train tracks with Maya, reading her fairy tales in funny voices, and teaching her how to identify different sea shells on the beach.
Lucas loved Maya as if she were his own flesh and blood.
And for me, Lucas was the steady, honorable, and fiercely protective partner I had always deserved. He never asked me to shrink myself. He never dismissed my brilliance. He celebrated my strength, supported my leadership, and loved me with a fierce, tender devotion that healed every lingering scar of the past.
On a warm, starlit evening on our private beach, with Maya asleep in her bedroom upstairs, Lucas took my hand in his, got down on one knee in the soft sand, and pulled out a simple, elegant sapphire ring.
“Claire,” Lucas whispered, looking up at me with eyes full of pure, unwavering love. “You are the strongest, most extraordinary woman I have ever known. Let me spend the rest of my life protecting your peace, cherishing your heart, and loving our daughter. Will you marry me?”
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Tears of pure, overwhelming joy spilled over my cheeks.
“Yes, Lucas,” I whispered, throwing my arms around his neck. “A thousand times, yes.”
