Page 99 of Baby Surprise for my Brother's Best Friend

I’m floored. Absolutely floored.

Because this man, this reckless, infuriating, once-chaotic man, is here, trying. And not for show. For me.

He turns just in time to see my expression and grins, dimples flashing. “I might’ve burned the bread, but this pasta sauce slaps hard.”

I laugh despite myself. “You’re using my campaign briefs as coasters.”

He shrugs and pours me a glass of wine like he’s hosting a five-star dinner. “Gotta keep things balanced.”

He hands me the wineglass but doesn’t let go right away. His thumb grazes mine.

“Hey, Sophie,” he says, voice low.

I blink. “Yeah?”

He looks straight at me, all playfulness stripped away. “It’s okay to be tired. You don’t have to hold it all together for me.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

He sets the glass down gently, like he's afraid the weight of the words might break it. “Dolcezza, you move like someone who thinks if she stops, everything will fall apart. But you don’t have to earn anyone's approval. Not from your dad, those investors. Not from me. I'm proud of you and If no one else sees how hard you've been working, fuck them. I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere.”

My heart scrambles up into my throat, hot and aching.

I want to cry, from relief, from love, from the weight of finally being seen. I want to kiss him until the fear dissolves. I want to scream because I don’t know how to hold something this precious without breaking.

My heart scrambles up into my throat.

I want to cry. I want to kiss him. I want to scream because I’m so overwhelmed with how deeply I feel for him.

And it terrifies me.

Because this, him, us, this weird little domestic slice of a night, feels like everything I didn’t know I was waiting for.

And I don’t know how to hold it all without breaking.

Later that night, Alessio falls asleep quickly, one arm draped over my waist like it belongs there. His breathing evens out in minutes, soft and steady, his body warm against mine.

But I lie wide-eyed in the dark, staring at the ceiling, my pulse jittering like a live wire under my skin.

Alessio’s arm is heavy, anchoring me in a way that should feel comforting, but all it does is highlight the storm raging in my chest.

The contrast is too sharp, his steady breathing, my frantic thoughts.

He’s so sure, so still. And I feel like I’m quietly coming undone.

He’s asleep, completely content, completely unguarded.

And I’m unraveling.

The job. The offer. The man sleeping beside me. The version of myself I thought I had to be to get everything I ever wanted… and this new version that just wants to be held.

I haven’t told him about the offer. Not because I’m trying to lie. Just… because saying it out loud might make it real. Might mean choosing. And I’m not ready to choose. Not between the life I’ve fought tooth and nail for, and the man who’s made me question if I even want it anymore.

I reach up and touch his hand where it rests on my stomach.

His fingers twitch, then settle again.

It should feel perfect.

---