Senator Lucas G. Bennett

Valentina caught the way Lucas looked at her, that familiar warmth in his eyes that still managed to make her heart skip after all these years. A soft smile touched her lips as her hand instinctively rested against the small swell of her stomach, the reality of their child settling over her in a way that still felt both overwhelming and beautiful.

“I’m feeling good,” she answered, her voice warm as she leaned a little closer to him. “A little tired, but very good.” Her dark eyes held his for a moment, filled with a tenderness she had not allowed herself to feel in a long time.

At his words, her smile deepened. “Our first event together again,” she murmured, glancing around the crowded gala before returning her attention to him. “And this time, we are building something far more important than appearances or politics.” Her fingers slipped into his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I still cannot believe this is our life now.”

Lucas smiled when she spoke, seeing that soft beautiful smile on her face always made him so very happy. He would do anything in the world to make sure that Val kept smiling, he would learn from his mistake. Lucas always wondered, questioned what it was like to have someone that made you so weak, made you wanted to be better person, to be kinder and warm. He finally found that answer when he found Val. He was thankful that after everything, they were back together.

"Hopefully we do not stay too long and we can head home. I can run you a nice warm bath and give my beautiful fiancé a nice massage," he whispered softly after she leaned a little more to him. "You are correct and I will be honest sometimes all of this feels like a dream,"

after the night they’d shared, the elevator, then his bedroom, valentina had allowed herself the rare luxury of staying. her day off had been spent tangled in his sheets, though not entirely disconnected; a few emails sent, a careful glance over heath’s calendar for the week ahead. old habits didn’t disappear, even in moments like this.

things with lucas felt… easy again. familiar in a way that didn’t scare her as much as it probably should have.

she closed her laptop at the sound of his voice, shifting slightly on the bed, wrapped in one of his shirts. “in here,” she called, tone soft but clear.

when he appeared, though, something in his expression made her pause. her brows drew together faintly as she took the glass of wine from him, eyes studying his face a second longer than usual.

His heart was beating very fast and it almost felt like he could not breath and it took him a moment. His mind went back to that night, the night he came home to her after it happened and he lied to her that he cheat but this time was different, he hopped so and wanted to be honest. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he placed the two wine down and he sat on the bed, grabbing her hands.

"I..." he spoke swallowing for a moment. "I love you and you gave me a second chance and this time I want to do things different. I was to be totally honest with you. I understand and accept if you hate me and I should have been honest from the start," he added taking a deep breath.

The foster system. It isn't something brought to the spotlight as often as it should; the folders on his desk more frequently touching on environmental reforms, anti-crime initiatives, housing betterments.

"It certainly makes statement," Julian mentions, pouring them both a glass. He offers a fresh one to Lucas. "How are you feeling about it?"

"Thank you," he spoke as the male handed him a glass and he took it from them. "I am fairly confident. Got enough backing especially I might have included something that might benefit some of the senators and plus, I had so many favors to catch in too." he added. Lucas knew that people were selfish and many of his Senators would never support a bill that they did not get something out of it and Lucas knew how to play those people.

accepting all of this was still new. balancing her position working for heath while quietly stepping back into something with lucas, something public, something political, was a delicate line. dating a senator was one thing. dating her ex-husband who happened to be that senator? that was another headline entirely.

she stayed close at his side, fingers resting lightly against his arm. “wine would be nice,” she said softly. she almost added that you could never go wrong with wine, but that wasn’t entirely true, she’d grown up around enough questionable bottles to know better. instead, she let out a quiet breath of amusement.

at his steady stream of compliments, she gave a small shake of her head, though she leaned into him just slightly. “careful,” she murmured, her tone warm. “you’re going to give me an ego if you keep that up.” her smile lingered, softer now. “but… you clean up very well too.” a gentle glance down and back up at him. “though i suppose that’s what happens when we coordinate.”

her hand shifted, fingers brushing more deliberately against his sleeve. she tilted her head, studying him in a way that was less political partner and more something personal.

“how do you feel with everyone watching us?” she asked quietly. “be honest.”

Life was indeed a mystery, would who have guessed that the two of them would be on good terms. They for sure had a long way to go but they were working on things and figuring it out slowly. "Maybe that is my master plan and you have always been the one person who see right through them," he replied back with a grin on his face as a small chuckle escaped his lips. "Thank you, we have always looked amazing together..." he added as he grabbed a glass of wine for the both of them.

"I do not mind it at all, as long as the looks are not malicious and plus, we are beautiful so I don't blame them at all."

Then, the question — it makes him laugh. "Not too shabby, I wouldn't say." He motions around the oval office. "Please, let's not talk about me. I feel as though my entire life is already on the papers. Tell me about you." Julian snaps his fingers. "What was that new policy you were working on?"

"I see but I feel like the papers only covers the surface level stuff," he chuckled as with a smile on his face before taking a seat and looking at the other. "The new policy would help reform the Forster system, providing more support especially for those who age out," he answered.

this was uncharted territory. stepping out like this, publicly, came with expectations, with eyes, with commentary. and being on the arm of a senator wasn’t subtle. not just any senator, either. the weight of it wasn’t lost on her.

if someone had told her fifteen years ago that she’d be here, possibly circling back to the man she once married, she would’ve laughed. yet here they were, history pressing quietly at her back while cameras and whispers lingered somewhere in the periphery.

valentina looped her arm through his, posture poised but not stiff, her gaze sweeping the room out of habit. she caught sight of heath across the way with his new girlfriend, surprisingly, an approval there, and then sebastian, who looked like he’d dressed in the dark on purpose. she resisted the urge to comment.

her eyes lifted to lucas, a small, composed smile settling in. “before we’re cornered by opinions,” she murmured lightly, “should we get a drink?”

Lucas had never cared much about rumors and talks, he did not want to put the woman he still loved and cared for in a awkward position. So he was careful about his actions, how he moved and did things. He tried his best also to make sure those bad rumors never went anywhere, one thing that never change was how protective he was of her.

Lucas had been distracted since he saw Val, she looked so beautiful tonight, noted that she always looked beautiful and could never get over her beauty. "We should, seems like they might actually have some good wine and champagne tonight," he answered with a smile on his face as he placed a kiss on cheek. "Seriously, still can't get over how amazing you look tonight. I know all eyes will be on you."

and yet, when his mouth found hers again, resistance slipped through her fingers. the spark was still there, undeniable, dangerous. just for a moment, she let herself stay, let herself feel him, remember them. the fireworks exploded somewhere around them, but they might as well have been miles away. all she could hear was the rush of blood in her ears, the echo of two hearts beating far too close together.

“happy new year,” she murmured against his lips, the words soft, almost fragile. she didn’t open her eyes. she couldn’t. because she knew the moment she did, reality would rush back in, the truth that this would still be another year without him, no matter how much this moment tried to pretend otherwise.

When she said those words back, his heart did break. He hated he lied and hurt her. He tried to hide the pain in his eyes that he wished he had told her the truth instead. He wondered what their life would be like. Would they have kids? He smiled. Hands slowly running through her hair as he placed a kiss on her lips again. "Come home with me tonight," he whispered softly.

the teasing lingered between them, thin and fragile as glass. she didn’t pull away when he closed the distance, but the kiss still caught her off guard. for a heartbeat, her body froze, caught between instinct and memory, between what was and what had been lost. his mouth was familiar in a way that felt almost unfair, stirring echoes of shared mornings, whispered jokes, and the way he used to brush past her in narrow hallways just to steal a second of closeness. then the hesitation cracked. her hand lifted, fingers sliding into the back of his neck, anchoring him there as she leaned into the kiss, deepening it before her mind could catch up.

when they finally broke apart, her breath came a little uneven, eyes lingering on his like she was searching for something she already knew wasn’t there anymore. the space between them felt charged and dangerous, heavy with everything they never said and everything they once promised. val’s thumb brushed absently at his collar, a small, unconscious habit from another lifetime, and she forced a soft, crooked smile back into place as if daring both of them not to fall into old patterns all over again.

Lucas knew that he stilled had feelings for Val, he tried his best not to show it in the kiss but he kissed her so much. He wanted to keep kissing her, just let it feel like they were the only two people in the whole world and no one else. Like nothing mattered at all. The kiss was addicting, Val had always been addicting to him. Even after all this time. She has still been the only who had capture his heart, the only one he would let destroy him. The Senator would give her power over him, a sigh escaped his lips after the kiss and he licked his lips for a moment before biting his bottom lip.

His eyes looked into hers, he had lost track, they had kissed as the fireworks went off but Lucas never cared about that. All he cared about was this very moment with this woman. "Happy New Year beautiful."