Page 131 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé

I stay quiet, letting him continue.

“She challenged me. Pushed me in ways I didn’t even realize I needed. She made me a better man. And she made me understand that love, real love, isn’t about control. It’s not about power or convenience. It’s about choosing that person, every day, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”

His voice grows quieter. “Losing her… It nearly destroyed me.”

I swallow, nodding. “I know.”

He looks at me, something unreadable in his expression. “For a long time, I didn’t think I’d ever love again. I didn’t think I deserved to. But then… Quinn.”

At the mention of her name, a different kind of smile tugs at his lips. A softer one.

“She’s nothing like your mother,” he says with a small chuckle. “But she’s just as strong. Just as fierce in her own way. She reminds me daily that love isn’t something you only get to experience once in a lifetime. It doesn’t work like that. Love finds you again, when you least expect it.”

I take in his words, mulling over them.

My father leans forward. “Love isn’t about getting everything right all the time. It’s about showing up. It’s about being there even when it’s messy, even when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.”

I rub my hands together, thinking about Layla, about Vincent. About how much I want to be the man they need.

Dad sighs. “Valentino, I know you. You put too much pressure on yourself. You think if you’re not perfect, if you make one wrong move, you’ll lose everything. But love doesn’t work that way.”

I exhale, standing up. “You make it sound so simple.”

“Because it is.” He smirks. “Love isn’t complicated, Valentino. People make it complicated.”

I give him a small smile, shaking my head. “You really think you’re full of wisdom, don’t you?”

He chuckles. “I had to get old for something.”

As I leave, something inside me settles.

The doubts, the fears, they’re still there, but they’re quieter now. Because for the first time in a long time, I know exactly what I want.

And I’m ready to fight for it.

29

LAYLA

“We’regettinglatetomeet your family…”

My protests are half-hearted as Valentino has his face pressed to my chest, licking my bare hard nipples.

We’re in the shower together, his suggestion.

“We’ll save time,” he’d said to me, but the moment our clothes came off, everything else was forgotten.

“I know,” he mumbles before biting my nipple, and bringing his other hand to play with the other breast. “Have I ever told you how you have perfect breasts?”

“Valentino….”

“Mmm.” He brings his face up to shut me up with a kiss.

His tongue lingers in my mouth for a moment before he pulls away.

The pressure of his stiffened length presses across my abdomen.

“Look how hard I am for you already, baby.”

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