Second Chance for the Barren Luna (Talia and Jason) novel Chapter 459

Nolan’s POV

I shook my head. "No, nothing new," I said quietly.

There was never much to say. Leslie always asked about Talia, if anything was different. Every time, the truth was the same: nothing had changed.

"You've done a great job with them," Leslie said. "Whatever else is on your mind, remember that."

"Honestly, they practically raised themselves," I replied, trying to smile.

But the truth was, raising them hadn’t been easy, no matter how I tried to downplay it. There were nights when the twins cried for their mother, and all I could do was sit there feeling guilty and helpless. I tried to hide that from everyone, but Leslie saw through it.

"They didn't, and you know it," Leslie said, touching my arm. "When Talia wakes up and sees those kids, she'll be so glad it was you here."

Leslie squeezed my hand, just for a second. “You’re too hard on yourself, Nolan.”

I managed a crooked grin. “Aren’t we all?”

She snorted. “Not like you.”

"I hope you're right," I murmured.

Marco walked up the hill toward us, his hand hovering behind Della, ready to catch her if she stumbled.

"There you are!" Della called out. "Did you see the cake yet?"

"Yeah, I saw it. That thing's as big as a door," I said, grinning.

Della grinned, her cheeks flushed with pride. I could tell organizing the party meant everything to her. Even Marco, who pretended to complain, secretly didn’t mind. Talia was Della’s best friend. Making the cake and making sure the event went well was the least she could do while Talia recovered.

"It's five tiers, and it took me two days," Della said as Marco helped her sit down. "And I sorted the gifts. There are almost a hundred. They're stacked by the tables in the order people got here."

"Della, you're seven months pregnant," I reminded her.

"Trust me, I know," Della replied, rolling her eyes.

I turned to Marco. "Why is your wife making a five-tier cake and counting a hundred presents at seven months along?" I asked.

"Because I told her not to," Marco said with a shrug.

"Don't blame him. He tried," Della said, waving it off. "I wanted to do it, Nolan. They're my niece and nephew, and I've made their cake every year since they were born. I'm not stopping now just because I'm pregnant."

Leslie laughed at them both. "Give up, you two. Della's never stayed still in her life, and she's not about to start now."

After that, guests really started showing up. The field filled up just like it did every year. Right in the middle of everything, Elian shouted so loud I heard him from fifty feet away.

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