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She didn’t know how he did it — it was a gift of some sort, honestly. Benedict had promised her he would put her unease to rest, and although she had initially doubted him, he ended up being right. It seemed that her husband always found a way to keep his promises.
All it took was the warmth of his arms, a few soothing words whispered in her ear, and Sophie was instantly relaxed, all her previous worries locked away and momentarily forgotten. It didn’t matter that she had tons of work for tomorrow’s Christmas Eve nor that one of her employees called in sick. Baek’s Bakery Bliss had once started as a mere online shop, dozens of orders flooding in daily and zero help, and she had still managed to make it work. She wouldn’t panic now. Not when she finally owned a place of her own.
“What’s been your favourite Christmas, Sophie?” he asked her softly, distracting her from her work-related thoughts.
Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, but she tilted her head up to meet his comforting gaze. She smiled at him and replied in an equally quiet tone, unwilling to ruin the peacefulness of the moment. “Why do you ask? Are you planning something for this year?”
He simply shrugged. “I was just curious.”
“I don’t think I can choose just one,” she admitted, “The first Christmas we spent with our Violet is within the top of my list for sure, though.”
Benedict hugged her tighter, bringing her closer to his body, while his whole face lit up at the mention of their 2-year-old daughter. Her heart tightened at the sight, as it always did whenever her husband showed how much he cherished their little girl. “She was so tiny,” he said, reminiscing. Sophie chuckled with adoration, remembering how afraid Benedict was of accidentally hurting their child.
“There’s another Christmas Day that’s really special to me,” she confessed a while later.
“Which one?”
“The first Christmas I spent with you and your family,” she said and she instantly traveled back in time, reliving that day from almost four years ago. “There was so much going on! I remember being terrified at the thought of meeting everyone for the first time, especially your mom —”
“My mom adores you,” he interrupted her. He seemed almost offended at the thought of her worrying over something like that.
“Well, I adore her too, but I couldn’t have known that back then,” she shyly commented. “But yeah, despite my utter terror, I can still recall the way I felt once we stepped in your mother’s home.”
“How did you feel?”
“I don’t know how exactly to describe the feeling, but being with your family felt... right. There was something homelike about them and they made me realise how real families are supposed to be,” Sophie admitted.
“Crazy and overwhelming?” he asked, but Sophie knew he was joking. He loved his family despite not being vocal about his feelings.
“Unfiltered and loving,” she argued. “I had always wanted to create a family of my own, but it wasn’t until then that I knew why I longed for a family. I wanted it to be like yours.”
“Ours,” he corrected her. Yeah, ours, she thought. She was lucky enough to officially call herself a part of the Bridgerton family for the past three years, since she and Benedict got married on a rainy autumn afternoon, surrounded by the people closest to them. Sophie wasn’t aware that her husband considered her one of them from that very first day they were gathered around the Christmas table, sharing stories and laughing until the early hours of morning. She was always destined to be a Bridgerton, without ever giving up being a Baek.
“Is it then?” he asked after a few moments.
At her confused look, Benedict provided an explanation. “Is our family like that? The way you wanted it?”
A tender smile crossed Sophie’s face. “It’s even better than this. It’s more than I could have ever imagined,” she murmured.
“It’s all thanks to you, you know. You are the reason our family is perfect,” he noted and planted a quick kiss on her lips to silence her when he noticed she was about to protest. “I can’t wait to meet the newest addition to it,” he added, and his hands cradled her rounded belly, caressing it with soft strokes as he usually did.
She was once again overcome with love for her husband, and she let the words escape freely. “I love you, Benedict Bridgerton.”
“I love you even more, my Sophie,” he replied and he tenderly guided her back to her previous position, nestled in the crook of his neck. Sophie was soon enveloped in the warmth of her husband, savoring the comfort of his scent.
The last words Sophie heard him mumble before she fell asleep were “I’m always gonna love you. I promise.”
And although she was fading into sleep, she was aware of the truthfulness his words carried. Benedict Bridgerton never broke his promises, after all.
Fin.