Page 15 of Baby Surprise for my Brother's Best Friend

I pad out into the kitchen barefoot, craving something cold to shut down the thoughts spiraling in my head.

The apartment’s dim now, the sky outside tinted that soft blue just before twilight. It’s quiet. Too quiet.

As I approach the living room, her voice reaches me.

“…and if we don’t get ahead of this, the entire narrative shifts. Understood?”

I slow at the edge of the hallway, just out of view.

Sophie sits on the edge of the couch, legs crossed, blazer tossed aside, a legal pad covered in frantic notes perched on her lap.

Her screen glows with faces, her team, probably, but it’s her I can’t stop watching.

She’s all sharp lines and steady control, but I see the way her fingers twitch when someone interrupts her. The quick shake of her head. The way she presses her lips together a little too tight when someone suggests a strategy she doesn’t like.

She’s unraveling, but only just.

The cracks are almost invisible, unless you know what to look for.

And I do.

The call ends. She exhales, slow and shaky, then notices me leaning against the doorway.

“What?” She runs a hand down her face.

I raise my hands in surrender. “Didn’t say anything.”

Her eyes narrow. “You were lurking.”

I step into the kitchen area. “I was grabbing something to drink. The lurking was a bonus.”

I reach for a glass from the cabinet.

The silence stretches, but not uncomfortably.

I turn to her. “You’re good at what you do.”

Her head snaps up.

I meet her eyes, allow her to see the truth in my words. “I mean it.”

She doesn’t respond right away. Just stares at me like I’ve sprouted a second head.

"Then don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

God, she’s beautiful, all vulnerable. I could get lost in her.

But she deserves better. So, I smirk.

“Too late. I’m very hard.”

She groans and turns away, muttering something about regretting all her life choices.

But I see the way her shoulders drop just slightly. The tiniest, reluctant smile ghosting at the corner of her lips.

An fuck me if I don’t want to see it in full bloom.

Maybe she needs this banter just as much as I do.

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