Page 96 of Baby Surprise for my Brother's Best Friend

She doesn’t answer right away. Just lies there, her heartbeat slowing against mine.

But I can feel it.

She wants to believe me.

And God, I want to be someone worth believing in.

Sophie falls asleep on my chest, her breath steady, her body warm against mine.

I could stay like this forever, her weight anchoring me to something that feels terrifyingly like peace. Like home.

But peace has always been temporary for me. A blink. A mirage.

I run a hand down her back, careful not to wake her, and stare up at the ceiling.

The kind of quiet I used to hate now feels like the only thing I want. And it scares the shit out of me.

Because for the first time, I want forever.

And for the first time, I’m afraid I’ll ruin it.

Not because I don’t love her.

But because I do.

Because maybe love like this doesn’t survive guys like me.

21

SOPHIE

I lie awake next to Alessio, staring at the ceiling.

His arm is slung over my waist, our bodies still tangled from last night.

It should feel perfect. It almost does. But my mind won't shut off, work deadlines, investor pressure, the nagging voice reminding me I’m falling behind.

And then there's him. The way he holds me like I’m something precious, like I’m not just a woman with spreadsheets and deadlines, but a person worth loving just as I am. It sends a shiver down my spine, a terrifying sense of peace I’ve never known.

The panic tries to rise, but it’s met with something deeper, heavier. Longing, maybe. Or hope.

The way he makes me feel seen, wanted, loved, like I’m not alone in the chaos. But that’s the problem. He makes it too easy to forget everything else.

The careful walls I’ve built around my life are starting to crumble brick by brick.

I press my lips together, trying not to let the panic crawl up my throat. I can’t afford to lose focus now. Not with so much on the line.

I whisper to the dark, "Can I really have both?"

Sometime after sunrise, I slip out of bed and head to the office early.

My eyes are bloodshot, my hands trembling slightly as I sip my second coffee of the morning.

Merger reports blur together as I scroll, re-read, and re-analyze figures I should’ve nailed last week.

I tell myself it’s just a rough patch. Just a temporary dip.

But the truth gnaws at me. Something’s slipping. I’m slipping.

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