His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 634 Talking

"What kind of pact?"

He bit into the onion ring, chewed, then leaned forward like he was sharing state secrets. "If we ever get married later in life, and if one of us has a daughter and the other has a son, they have to marry each other."

Hazel blinked. "You made a marriage pact for your future children?"

"A sacred pact. Written in ketchup."

"You didn’t."

"We did. It counts." He grinned. "I’m going to have a daughter. Jason will have a son. They’ll be perfect. It’s destiny."

Hazel laughed, the sound bright in the warm restaurant. "How do you know you’ll have a daughter? You can’t just decide these things."

Dom sat up straighter, looking deeply offended. "I know it. I can feel it. Daughters are cute. Daughters are beautiful. Daughters let you braid their hair and buy them tiny shoes and teach them how to skate." His voice softened. "And I will have one. I’ve decided."

Hazel shook her head, still smiling. "What if you have a son?"

"I’ll love him too. Obviously." Dom picked up his milkshake, taking a long sip. "But I’m having a daughter first. That’s the plan."

"The plan," Hazel repeated.

"The plan." He set down his shake, looking at her across the table. His eyes were warm, his smile easy. "What about you? Do you want kids?"

Hazel looked at her plate, then back at him. "I never really thought about it," she admitted. "Before, everything was complicated. I didn’t let myself want things."

Dom didn’t push. Just waited.

"But maybe," she said quietly. "Someday."

He nodded slowly. "When you do, if you do, they’re going to be lucky."

She looked up. "Why do you say that?"

He shrugged, like it was obvious. "Because they’d have you. That’s already a win."

Hazel stared at him. His face was open, honest, nothing hidden. She felt something warm spread through her chest.

"You’re ridiculous," she said.

"I’m honest." He picked up another fry, pointing it at her. "Also I’m right. You’d be a great mom. I can tell."

She laughed again, shaking her head. "How can you tell?"

"The way you talked about your childhood. The way you listen. The way you—" He stopped, his cheeks coloring slightly. "I don’t know. I just can."

She looked down at her plate, smiling into her napkin.

They finished eating in comfortable silence, the warmth of the restaurant settling around them. When the bill came, Dom grabbed it before she could.

"My treat," he said. "You were brave on the ice. You earned it."

"I fell three times."

"You got up four. That’s the important part."

She let him pay, watching him sign the receipt with a flourish, his handwriting looping and dramatic.

They walked out of the restaurant together, the cold night air hitting their warm faces. Their breath fogged in small clouds as they stood on the sidewalk.

Hazel pulled her jacket tighter, looking around at the quiet street. Most shops were closing, the late-night crowd thinning out.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Dom asked, his hands shoved in his pockets, rocking on his heels.

Hazel shook her head. "Not really. I’m tired."

"Perfect!" Dom’s face lit up like she’d just given him the best news of his life.

Before she could ask what he meant, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a small garden tucked between two buildings. She’d walked past it before, but never really noticed it. Iron gate, a few benches, some trees with tiny white lights wrapped around the branches.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, letting him pull her through the gate.

"Talking. Obviously." Dom dropped onto a bench under the shade of a big tree, the fairy lights twinkling above him. He patted the spot beside her.

Hazel sat, leaving a little space between them. The garden was quiet, just the distant sounds of traffic and the soft rustle of leaves. She tucked her hands in her lap, looking at him.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

Dom leaned back, stretching his arms along the back of the bench. "I don’t know. Anything. Everything. What’s your favorite color?"

She blinked. "That’s what you dragged me to a garden at night to ask?"

"It’s important information." He turned to face her, completely serious. "I need to know these things."

She stared at him for a moment, then let out a small laugh. "Blue."

"Blue," he repeated, nodding slowly like she’d just revealed the secrets of the universe. "Good choice. Very solid. Mine’s green. Like, forest green. Or emerald. The dark kind."

"That’s very specific."

"I’m a specific person." He shifted, getting comfortable. "Favorite food?"

"I don’t know. Something warm. Soup, maybe."

"Soup," he said flatly.

"What’s wrong with soup?"

"Nothing. It’s just..." He paused, searching for words. "You’ve lived your whole life, been through wars and assassinations and all kinds of danger, and your favorite food is soup."

"Soup is reliable."

"Soup is boring."

She smacked his arm. He grinned.

"Okay, okay. Fine. Soup is allowed." He rubbed his arm dramatically. "My turn. Favorite animal?"

She thought about it. "Maybe cats. Quiet. Independent. They don’t need anyone."

"Mm." He nodded. "I’m more of a dog person. Loud, loyal, always happy to see you." He looked at her sideways. "We balance each other out."

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she looked at the fairy lights instead.

"What about you?" she asked after a moment. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

Dom hummed, tipping his head back to look at the sky. "I’ve been a lot of places. Modeling takes you everywhere. But if I could pick..." He paused. "Somewhere quiet. Mountains, maybe. A cabin. Snow outside, warm fire inside. Just peace."

She watched his profile in the dim light. "That sounds nice."

"It does." He turned to her. "What about you?"

She looked down at her hands. "I used to want to see everything. Before..." She stopped.

"Before what?"

She didn’t answer. The fairy lights swayed slightly in the breeze.