Page 41 of A Baby For Her Billionaire BFF

“Hey.” Her voice is soft, drenched in the remnants of dreams and the quiet comfort of our shared warmth.

She turns to face me, and even in the dim light, I can see the sleepy smile tugging at her lips.

“Welcome back to Chicago,” I say, though it feels like we never left — not really. Pennsylvania was a necessary detour, a step back into my past, but this — her apartment, her presence — it’s home.

“Back to the grind today?” She stretches languidly, the movement causing the sheets to slip just a bit, and I catch a glimpse of the curve of her shoulder. I have to quell the urge to trace its arc with my fingertips.

“Eventually,” I reply, the word hanging between us like a promise yet to be fulfilled. “But for now, this is perfect.”

We share a moment, a suspended second where the world outside her bedroom doesn’t exist. It’s just Nora and me, two people who’ve found each other again after years and against odds that would’ve had Vegas bookies sweating.

“Oliver?” Her voice breaks through my reverie.

“Yeah?” I lean closer, drawn by the magnetic pull of her ocean-deep eyes.

“Shut up and kiss me.”

“I wasn’t even talking.”

“I know.” She grins.

I laugh — a real, throaty sound that seems to echo around the room — and oblige. Our lips meet, a gentle collision that grows more insistent with every passing second. The kiss is a conversation without words, a dialogue of give-and-take that says everything about how we feel without uttering a single syllable.

“Your laugh,” she breathes against my lips, pulling away just enough to speak. “I missed it all these years.”

“Missed yours more,” I counter, unable to help the grin splitting my face.

“Impossible.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

Our laughter intertwines, a melodious duet that fills the room. It’s easy, this banter, this teasing that’s as natural as breathing. I hadn’t realized how much I craved this lightness, this joy that seems to bubble up effortlessly when I’m with her.

“Okay, maybe it’s a tie,” I concede, my voice barely above a whisper as I brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“Better.” She pulls me down for another kiss, sealing the truce in the sweetest way possible.

We’re two adults with responsibilities and ambitions, but right now, none of that matters. Right now, it’s just the simple pleasure of being together, of waking up next to someone who makes every morning feel like the first page of a promising new chapter.

“I need to get going soon,” I say, both wanting to get to work and hating that I need to.

“Not without breakfast, you’re not.” She hops out of bed and pulls on some clothes. “Go take a shower and I’ll get it started.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I answer with a grin.

Ten minutes later, freshly showered, I walk into her kitchen. The sizzle of eggs in the skillet is a symphony to my still-drowsy senses. Nora moves around the small space with an ease that speaks volumes about her connection to this place; it’s part of her, every pot and pan an extension of her capable hands. She’s in a loose-fitting shirt, and it makes her look irresistibly domestic and yet so very much herself.

“Pass me the salt?” she asks without turning, and I slide the shaker across the counter towards her.

The intimacy of the moment seizes me; here we are, sharing the simple act of preparing breakfast as if it’s something we’ve done a thousand times before.

I lean against the counter, watching her shake the salt over the eggs. My heart swells at the sight. “Nora, you know being back in Pennsylvania with you… it meant everything.”

She meets my eyes, her smile gentle. “I’m glad I was there with you. It’s where I wanted to be.”

There’s a weight on my chest, a pressure building up behind the words “I love you.” They’re ready to spill out, desperate to make themselves known, but I hold them back. Not yet. Not until we have a moment that’s as perfect as this one but that doesn’t need to be interrupted by rushing off to work.

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