Page 120 of The Hotel Room

The frost in her chest melted slightly, the weight of her assumptions cracking just a little. Nick wasn’t just James’s bestfriend. He was her friend, too—still firmly in her corner, fighting for her even when she hadn’t realized it.

Kate’s hand gripped the doorframe as a wave of emotion surged through her. The rawness in Nick’s voice, the way he defended her so fiercely—it was the last thing she’d expected. She’d been so sure he was on James’s side, blindly supporting his friend no matter what. But now, hearing this, she realized she’d been wrong.

Nick wasn’t just here for James. He was here for her.

Blinking rapidly, she stepped back, her anger unraveling into something softer, something bittersweet. She turned away and headed back to the kitchen, her heart heavy but her spirit a little lighter.

When Nick came back into the kitchen a few minutes later, she met his eyes with a small, tentative smile. “Thanks for bringing that by,” she said softly.

Nick looked at her, something unreadable in his expression, and gave her a small nod. “I hope you know that you’re the best thing that ever happened to him.” He smiled ruefully. “I’ll always be your friend, Kate. Always.”

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James sat on the couch, his gaze drifting from his children to his wife. The light outside was fading, casting a soft golden glow through the windows, and James couldn’t take his eyes off his family.

Lily was sprawled out on the floor, coloring furiously in one of her art books, her tongue poking out in concentration. Noah was sitting on the armchair, his phone in hand, scrolling while occasionally making sarcastic comments about Lily’s "masterpiece."

Kate was perched on the edge of a chair near Lily, sorting through some baby clothes Leah had dropped off. She didn’t say much, her focus on the task, but her presence filled the room in a way that made everything feel complete.

His eyes lingered on her, tracing the gentle curve of her growing belly. The pregnancy was beginning to show now, a subtle but unmistakable change that left him awestruck. She was beautiful—radiant in a way that only she could be. Even now, even after everything.

James’s chest tightened, the familiar ache of guilt clawing at him. He didn’t deserve this. Any of it.

Not after what he’d done.

He thought back to that night in the hotel, the sterile room with its bland beige walls. The way his body had moved like it wasn’t his own, chasing something he thought he was missing.

For what?

He clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms.

What the hell had he been thinking?

There was nothing missing from his life. There had never been. He had Kate—the love of his life, the woman who hadbuilt a home with him, shared every high and low, carried his children. He had Noah and Lily, smart, funny, wonderful kids who had brought more joy into his life than he could have ever imagined.

And now, this baby. Another piece of their family. Another dream coming true.

How could he have ever thought he was missing out?

He felt sick, his stomach twisting. The unfamiliar perfume, the smile from a stranger, the empty touches. It had been nothing. Less than nothing. A moment of stupidity that had cost him everything that mattered.

He looked at Kate again, at the faint crease in her brow as she folded a tiny onesie. The love he felt for her swelled in his chest, overwhelming and bittersweet.

She had to hate him. How could she not?

And Noah—James could feel this new distance between them. The way his son’s respect had been replaced by something colder, sharper. He doubted he’d ever earn it back. And Lily, sweet and innocent, would eventually piece it together too. One day, she’d look at him differently.

He deserved it.

But even now, in the wreckage of what he’d done, he couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.

This life—his family, his home—was everything. It was the dream he didn’t realize he already had, the one he’d nearly destroyed.

Lily glanced up from her coloring and beamed at him. “Daddy, look! Isn’t it pretty?”

James forced a smile, his throat tightening. “It’s beautiful, sweetheart.”

Her grin widened, and she turned back to her crayons, her little legs kicking behind her.

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