Page 34 of Nolan

"She's going to be fine," Nolan says, as if reassuring himself.

"Yes." I nod. "But God, Nolan, when they admitted her, I've never been so scared."

His arm comes around my shoulders, pulling me against him. "Me too."

We sit like that for a long moment, his heartbeat steady against my cheek. The comfort of his closeness, the safety I feel in his arms, it's suddenly so clear to me.

"I realized something," I say softly, pulling back to look at him. "These past few days, watching you with her, being here with both of you... I realized this is where I belong."

His eyes search mine, a question forming.

"I know what I want now," I continue, gathering my courage. "I want this. Us. I want to be a family, you, me, and Ashlynn."

He stills, his breath catching.

"I know she's not mine, not biologically," I say quickly. "But I couldn't love her more if she were. And I couldn't," I falter, then press on. "I couldn't love you more than I do right now."

There it is, laid bare between us. All the feelings I've been hiding, all the longing I've suppressed since that kiss.

"Belle," he whispers, his voice reverent.

"I'm ready to try, if you are," I say. "Ready to see what we could be together. All of us."

The silence stretches between us, and for a terrible moment, I think I've misread everything. But then his hand comes up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear I didn't know had fallen.

"I've been afraid," he admits. "Afraid of ruining what we have, afraid of hurting Ashlynn if things didn't work out. Afraid of how much I need you."

My heart pounds as he leans closer.

"But I'm tired of being afraid," he whispers against my lips. "Especially when what I want most in the world is right here in front of me."

When his lips meet mine, it's nothing like our first kiss. There's no hesitation, no pulling away. This time, it feels like coming home.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Nolan

Annabelle's confession hangs in the air between us, making it electric, charged with possibilities I've only allowed myself to imagine in the quietest moments of night. Her eyes shine with vulnerability and certainty all at once, and I'm undone.

When our lips meet, something unravels inside me, all the control I've maintained, all the boundaries I've enforced. Her mouth is soft and warm, opening to mine with a sigh that reverberates through my entire body.

"I love you," I whisper against her lips, the words escaping before I can think them through. But they're true, so true I ache with it. "I've loved you for so long."

Her hands frame my face, eyes searching mine. "How long?"

I laugh softly. "Since the third week you worked here. You were singing some ridiculous song about dinosaurs while making breakfast, and Ashlynn was giggling so hard she snorted orange juice out her nose."

Annabelle's smile is radiant. "That long? And you never said anything?"

"You were Ashlynn's nanny. It felt...complicated." I brush a strand of hair from her face, marveling that I can touch her like this now. "And then after that kiss, when I panicked,"

"You really panicked," she teases, but I can see the remembered hurt in her eyes.

"I thought I'd ruined everything." My thumb traces the curve of her bottom lip. "I couldn't bear the thought of you leaving us."

"Never," she promises, and then she's kissing me again, deeper this time, her body pressing closer.

The heat between us builds rapidly, months of restraint dissolving. Her hands slip under my shirt, cool against my skin, and I groan into her mouth.

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