Page 28 of Baby for My Best Friend's Brother

“I’m not saying it to be nice. I mean it.” She hesitates. “You could’ve made this feel like a fling. But you didn’t. You made it feel like something special.”

“Itwassomething special.”

Her gaze lingers on mine a beat longer before she lays her head back down, her breath warm against my skin.

I know I won’t sleep tonight. Not really.

I just want to hold her as long as she’ll let me.

Because tomorrow morning, she’s leaving.

And I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do after that.

NINE

SOPHIE

I wake to the scent of pine.

And him.

It’s on my skin. On the sheets. On the man slumbering next to me.

It’s the morning after. At least, I think it’s morning. There’s a hint of sunlight streaming through the blinds. But if it’s morning, then that means Cliff and I have spent most of the night engaged in foreplay, sex, or post-coital bliss.

Which means I’ve barely slept. Not that I’m complaining. I haven’t felt this desired, aroused, or satisfied since… well, ever.

Cliff’s chest rises and falls beneath my cheek, his skin warm against mine. We’re tangled up in his hotel bed, the sheets askew, our limbs still wrapped around each other like we couldn’t bear to let go in our sleep. Which, I suppose, is exactly what happened.

For a moment, I just listen to his steady breathing and try to freeze time. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to ruin the illusion that this could be more than a temporary escape. Thatmaybe, just maybe, I could stay here in this quiet, wild place with this quiet, wild man.

But the light slipping through the window is too golden and insistent. And my suitcase is half-packed in the corner. And my flight back to Seattle is in a few hours.

I inhale a shaky breath and press a soft kiss to Cliff’s shoulder before carefully sliding out of bed. He stirs slightly, reaching for me in his sleep, but doesn’t wake.

In the bathroom, I brush my teeth and splash water on my face. My reflection looks different. Softer somehow. More open. Like I’m standing on the edge of something I never planned for.

I need to talk to him.

I need to tell him about the IVF. About why I came here. And about what changed.

I don’t expect him to want to drop everything and follow me to Seattle. I don’t even expect him to want more than we’ve had this week. But I can’t leave without telling him the truth.

He deserves that.

I finish dressing and walk back into the room just as Cliff is sitting up, rubbing his eyes. His hair is tousled, and the sleepy smile he gives me when he sees I’m still there nearly undoes me.

“Hey,” he says, voice rough. “You trying to sneak out on me?”

“Nope.” I sit next to him, my hip pressing against his. “But I do have to leave to catch my flight soon.”

He frowns, like he’d forgotten that was even a possibility. Then he reaches for my hand and threads his fingers through mine.

“Can I take you to the airport?”

“Sure.” I swallow hard. “But there’s something I want to talk to you about first. Something I should’ve told you earlier, but… I didn’t know how.”

After what we’ve shared these past few days, I don’t feel right leaving without telling him about what I have planned back in Seattle.

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