Page 104 of Beautiful Desire

“You’re home, miss,” says that same voice.

Miss? Why is Dom calling me Miss? Lifting one eyelid open, I see a sleeping Dom lying halfway beneath me. Huh. If he wasn’t talking, who was?

I must have said that out loud, because that same voice answers.

“It was me, Miss Parker.”

Turning my head, I see Bill crouched down, looking at me through the open door next to me.

Clutching my chest, I say, “Oh, my God. You scared me.”

“Apologies, miss. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just wanted to let you know you were home.”

“Oh. Yeah, I can see that,” I tell him as I see my building behind him. “Should I wake Dom to let him know?”

“I wouldn’t. He hasn’t slept much since he’s been back. He needs the rest.”

He hasn’t been sleeping? I wonder why. Could it be the stress of the company? Nodding my agreement to Bill, I carefully peel myself out of Dom’s hold and leave a soft kiss on his forehead before stepping out of the car.

Bill walks me to my building and waits while I dig my keys out of my clutch to unlock the main door.

Once it’s unlocked, I turn to him and say, “Goodnight, Bill. Make sure he gets some sleep tonight, okay?”

He gives me a genuine smile and replies, “I’ll do my best.”

I walk inside and hit the call button for the elevator. The doors open right away as I punch the button for my floor. Thankfully, it’s a short ride up, and a minute later, I’m exiting the elevator and making my way down the hall to my apartment.

Walking inside, I close and lock the door behind me and make my way to my bedroom. Grabbing my phone out of my purse so I can send a text to Gia, I see I already have one waiting for me.

Gia

I hope you’re having a great time. Don’t worry about Lily. She’s doing great and has been asleep for the last hour. Love you, bitch. x

That is exactly what I needed to see right before I go to bed. Sitting on the edge of my mattress, I take my shoes off and don’t even bother to change or do anything else. The stress of the last month has taken a toll on me, and once again, I succumb to my exhaustion, this time dreaming I’m still wrapped up in Dom’s arms.

CHAPTER31

ELLE

“I’m coming!”I shout, running out of the bathroom as I hear a loud knock on my apartment door.

Who the hell needs to be knocking so loud at this time of the morning?

I look through the peephole and see Gia standing out in the hallway. Nico is sitting on her hip, while Lily is in her stroller and her overnight bag is on Gia’s shoulder.

“Why didn’t you just use your key?” I ask her as I swing open the door, allowing them to enter.

“They’re somewhere in this goddamn bag. It was just easier for you to open the door,” she replies with an excited smile on her face.

I take the stroller from her, pushing it into the living area before unclipping Lily’s straps and lifting her out to hold her close, allowing that precious baby smell to fill my nostrils.

“Good morning, my beautiful angel baby. I hope you were a good girl for Auntie G,” I coo.

“Of course she was. She’s always a good girl for her favorite auntie. But what wereallywant to know is how mama’s date went,” Gia says, quirking a brow at me before making her way into the kitchen and turning on the coffee machine.

I spent the entire night dreaming of Dom, reliving the time we spent together last night. I dreamed of the very first night we shared together, and I dreamed of us sharing a future together.

The feeling of guilt that has become all too familiar over the past few weeks returns as I look down at Lily. I was going to tell him – in fact, I tried to tell him, but he cut me off. I know I should have tried harder, but I got lost in the moment. Lost in him. Lost inus. Lost in being me, Elle, instead of Elle, the single, full-time working mom.

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