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Just like they discussed, Noah and Luna purchased a new house before they left for his tour. When they returned, it took them a few months to settle in, and now Luna was decorating and making it their own. She was very excited to start this new chapter with him. Things had been great, except for a few slight hiccups on the road. Most of his fans accepted that the three now came as a package deal, which was good because Luna wasn't planning on going anywhere this time.

The pair resumed marriage counselling as Luna had promised, and she even started seeing someone to talk to alone. Luna was serious about making it work this time and wanted her husband to know that. So, when Noah asked her to share her location, she did without arguing. He had every right to ask that since they were home. She could only imagine the insecurities he felt whenever she left out of the house without him. Luna wanted to do anything she could to ease his anxieties. She knew earning his trust wouldn't be easy, but Luna was determined to do so.

After getting all the Christmas presents from the attic and placing them around the tree, Luna realized how much she overspent and so did Noah. “What?! Stop! No! Don't look at me like that, please!” Luna placed one of her hands over her eyes, turning away from him but still listening to Noah lecturing her. “It’s not like I meant to, baby, it just kind of happened,” she explained, turning to face him. “I was afraid Harper would accidently find her presents, so, as I bought them, I wrapped them and stuck them in the attic and well, I guess I just lost track of how much I was buying! I’m sorry!”

Luna started to walk towards her husband, who had a very disappointed look on his face. “Stop it, your face is going to get stuck like that,” she chuckled. It was often something they said to Harper when she was in a sour mood and had a stink face. She was very much like Luna in that aspect. Noah was always telling her to fix her face. It revealed everything she was thinking. She tugged at the back of his shirt, “C’mon, you can't be that mad at me. I was just spoiling our princess,” she said with a smile playing on her lips.

Luna glanced over at the presents and then back at Noah. “Wanna open one?” She asked before letting go of him and approached the lit-up Christmas tree. She moved her hands over several of the presents she bought for him before quickly snatching up the small rectangular box. She happily pranced towards him, holding the box out before her. Reconciliation brought out a side of Luna that hadn't been seen in a long time. She was happy for the first time in a long time.

They sat down on the couch before Noah started to unwrap his gift. She hoped he liked it. It was a sterling silver chain with three dog tags, one engraved with their wedding day, the second engraved with Harper’s name and birth year. The third was a bit confusing, especially without any context from her. It only had 2024 engraved. When Noah looked up at her, “I'm pregnant,” Luna whispered, almost too scared to say it out loud in case he wasn't happy about the news. For the first time in months, the feeling of dread started to creep up on her, and she quickly panicked, getting too caught up in her head. She never really thought about Noah not being excited for a new baby.

"Bloody hell, woman," Noah complained as he watched Luna put the last presents under the tree. "And here I was thinking I was keeping my eye on you, and somehow you managed to do all of... this." There was an underlying playfulness to his scolding, and deep down, she knew it. Noah stared wide-eyed, his lips pressed together as he finally looked at all the presents under the tree. He had started to realise how many there were as they'd added them, but it was overwhelming once he saw the mountain of presents. Running his hand through his hair, he nodded in agreement with Luna. It'd been a hell of a year for them, and it couldn't have been easy on Harper either; she deserved a massive, magical Christmas to make up for it. They all did. "I'm not mad. In fact... we need more!" He joked playfully, pointing his finger as if he was counting them. "36?! But last year, I got 37!" he quoted Harry Potter, making sure to lay on his accent thick.

The cut from Luna's betrayal still stung, but he was trying his best to leave it in the past, and the counselling seemed to be helping heal it. They both loved each other and wanted more than anything for this to work; it would take time, but they were meant to be. Wrapping his arm around her, he kissed her on the side of her head before looking back at the tree as she asked if he wanted to open one. "You don't have to ask me twice." Immediately, Noah tried to figure out which present he should let her open. Then, he wondered if he could even find them in the giant pile, and finally, he decided to wait until after opening hers to figure it out.

They may have looked like simple dog tags to anyone else, but as Noah read the dates on them, he knew how special they were. The "2024" one was a bit mysterious, but he knew Luna had her reasons for it, and he couldn't wait to find out. Although, he honestly wasn't anticipating her to tell him she was pregnant. Deep inside, Noah was panicking, but once he noticed that little bit of fear in Luna, he shoved it away and put on a brave, happy face. He didn't want this moment dampened by worrying about what could go wrong; he wanted to celebrate the great news of their family expanding. "Really?" he asked as he set the dog tags down in his lap and took her hands in his.

"That's amazing news," he reassured her when she nodded yes. Would it make things harder on them? Possibly. Did he think that it was worth it? That she was worth it? Yes, he did. "Seriously, Luna. We've got this. Okay? You and me, forever. Plus, we already have proof that we make brilliant, beautiful kids. Just look at Harper. We're doing the world a favour by adding another into the mix." He was trying to keep the mood light and positive, and he was ecstatic to have another child with Luna. He knew that she was the only woman for him, and she always would be.

One of the thoughts that quickly seeped into her brain was that there was a chance Noah could think the baby wasn't his. Luna was terrified of him thinking that the most. She'd sworn she’d never betray him again, and she meant it. Luna didn't even like leaving the house most days because she wanted to protect his piece of mind. If she were always home, he wouldn't have to worry and think she was running around on him. These were just a few of her new insecurities since they reconciled. She was working it out, though and talking to their therapist and even her own. Luna was trying to express her emotions openly instead of holding them hostage.

The bad thoughts quickly dissipated once Noah began to reassure her. “You promise?” She wasn't sure if the speech was for his doubts or hers, but regardless, what her husband said helped. “I love you so much, Noah,” she said, holding the side of his face with one hand as he continued to hold the other in his lap. Luna couldn't stop thinking about how lucky she was that he had chosen to give them a second chance. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m so lucky to have you as my husband and the father of our babies,” Luna gushed before leaning in and kissing him. “I’ve only known for about a week or so now. I thought about just telling you, but then I thought how much sweeter this would be,” Luna told him, still holding onto his hand. “Especially after everything. You and our family are my priority now and deserve the best version of me.”

Luna leaned back, sinking into the couch and tugged Noah’s arm, indicating she wanted him to follow. After they got situated, she hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes settled on the tree again, “You know there are too many presents for her actually to remember what she got. We could probably get away with regifting some for next year,” Luna suggested with a chuckle, tilting her head back to look up at him.

He couldn't even let the thought of it being someone else's kid cross his mind: she was his wife, and with no trust, there was no happy ending. He believed in second chances and wanted to leave the past in the past. There was a timeline where he was paranoid to the point of driving her away again, there was a timeline where Luna cheated again, and then there was one where they had a beautiful life together with their children. His money was on the last one, and from what he'd seen since everything had gone done, she agreed. After learning of her betrayal, he racked his brain for any signs he might have missed. They were there, and he missed them, but luckily, none of those signs had been present.

"Promise, love," he reassured her again with a nod. "I love you too, and I fancy myself the lucky one. And this," he held up the dog tags with his free hand, "It's perfect; I love it." Placing the chain around his neck, he snuggled into her and kissed her head. He wasn't only talking about the present; expanding their family was perfect. His eyes followed her gaze back to the tree, and he chuckled at her idea of saving some of them. "Nah. Let her have 'em all. But if you want, you could open one of yours?" It was more of a rhetorical question because as soon as he'd asked it, he gave her another kiss on her head and carefully repositioned her so that he could grab one for her.

Wiggling his fingers as if it were helping him scan all the presents to find the one he was looking for. Finally, he spotted it, shifted a few of Harper's gifts out of the way, and grabbed the one he wanted. It was a small box, clearly a ring box, with a sheer ribbon wrapped around it. He wasn't trying to hide that, but it wasn't as straightforward as it seemed. Returning to his spot next to her on the couch, he handed it over to her before wiping his balmy hands on his pants. He shouldn't be nervous, but he remembered how anxious he had been the first time he asked her.

Luna’s fears disappeared as quickly as they came. She couldn’t describe how thankful she was for how quickly Noah could forgive her. She still couldn’t forgive herself, though. It was an ongoing struggle and a topic of conversation at most of her appointments with her therapist. Luna knew she was too hard on herself, but she couldn’t forgive how neglectful she’d been with Noah’s heart and their family. Luna could’ve destroyed her family for good, and for some time, she did. It had been a long year and a half.

“Yes, please,” Luna said sweetly. She watched from the sofa in awe as her husband searched under the tree for the present he wanted to give her. Their marriage had been better than it ever was. Luna was trying hard to express her feelings when needed, and so far, it’d been working. She wasn’t as stressed or felt like she was walking on eggshells. Her eyes widened when Noah presented her with a small velvet box with a bow. “Noah…” Luna spoke softly, staring at the closed box, unsure what could be inside. Once she removed the bow, Luna opened the box, and her heart dropped. “It’s empty,” Luna frowned and looked up at Noah. She was about to rant about how mean that was, but she couldn’t, not when she saw what he held between his index finger and thumb.

The whole moment took her breath away. She looked between the ring and her husband. It felt very surreal. The ring he held was more extravagant than the one on her finger. “Is that what I think it is, Noah?” Luna asked, not wanting to assume the wrong thing, considering they had been married for years. As soon as he confirmed her suspicions, she immediately started crying, which was not her original reaction.