Chapter 26
Oliver
The first thing I notice after opening my eyes is her.
Rina’s still asleep, curled on her side, hair a dark, tangled mass spilling across the pillow. Morning light filters through the curtains and paints her skin in honeyed strokes. One hand is tucked beneath her cheek, her mouth relaxed and slightly parted.
She looks so fucking gorgeous it almost hurts. It’s the kind of beauty that makes you want to press pause on the world and just stay there.
She also appears fragile. There’s a thinness to her right now, like if I blinked, she might fray at the edges and drift away. The thought hits hard.
If I mess this up, if I do anything to make her think I’ll walk, it’s almost a guarantee I’ll lose her for good.
No, not just her.
The baby too.
That thought lands like a physical blow.
Baby.
Mine.
Hers.
Ours.
I’ve always known what it meant to show up. My older brother, Hayes, made damn sure of it. After Dad died, he stepped in before anyone asked him to. He kept food on the table, the bills paid, and the rest of us from falling apart.
That’s what love looked like in our family.
It wasn’t about grand gestures.
It was about staying.
The part that scares me most isn’t whether I’ll know what to do.
It’s wondering if I’ll be even half the man he was.
I lie still for a few more minutes, memorizing her. The shift of her body against the sheets. The freckle near her collarbone I only noticed last night. The sunlight catches it, bathing it in a golden hue, and suddenly leaving this bed isn’t something I want to do.
I move carefully, sliding out before she stirs. The floor is cool under my bare feet as I pull on sweatpants and head to the kitchen.
The penthouse is quiet. It’s a silence I’ve grown used to over the years.
After growing up with three siblings and then living in houses packed with teammates and noise, I welcomed the peace.
But it didn’t take long for that quiet to turn oppressive, the kind that reminds you how empty everything really is.
Except now…
Rina’s jacket is draped over the back of a chair, and her heels are sitting by the door. The scent of her shampoo lingers faintly in the air. The space feels lived in for the first time since I moved here.
I beeline for the fridge and take stock of the contents. There’s a wasteland of takeout cartons and half-drunk protein shakes. After a little digging around, I find eggs and a pack of turkey bacon shoved in the back.
And voilà, you have breakfast.
There’s a hiss as the bacon hits the hot pan. The sound slices through the stillness as I pull up a recipe on my phone for the perfect scrambled eggs and then follow each step. Milk, cheese, salt, and pepper. My movements are clumsy but deliberate.
While the eggs cook, I grab my cell and open the text thread with my older brother.
Me: Guess what?
Hayes: It’s too damn early to play guessing games.
Me: I’m gonna be a dad.
Hayes: lol. Fuck off.
Me: Not kidding.
Hayes: Jesus Christ. Who the hell would let your dick near them?
Me: Haha. You’re hilarious.
Hayes: For real tho. Are you serious?
Me: Dead serious. What the hell do I do?
Whenever I have a question or need advice, Hayes is my go-to.
The reply comes through quickly.
Hayes: Get a few books and some prenatal vitamins. Tea helps for nausea. And the most important wisdom I can impart—don’t be an asshole.
A smile tugs at my lips despite myself. I pull up an online store and go a little crazy adding things to my order. Parenting guides, prenatal vitamins, ginger tea. You name it, I toss it in the cart. It feels ridiculous and surreal and somehow… right.
Another message pops up.
Hayes: Can’t wait to meet Little O.
The name hits harder than expected.
Little O.
I can almost see me holding a tiny bundle with my hair and Rina’s eyes as her laughter fills the room. The image nearly knocks the air out of me and leaves my chest tight.
Hope and fear collide, flooding me with equal parts wonder and panic.
What if I screw this up?
What if I’m not enough for either of them?
My gaze drifts to the photo on the bookshelf.
The one Rina asked about last night with Mom, Dad, Hayes, Theo, and me.
Mom was pregnant with Kia at the time. We looked like one big happy family.
It was back when the world made sense. Before the accident stole Dad from us.
Before Hayes had to become a man when he was just a teenager.
I can still picture that night.
Mom at the kitchen table, hands trembling as she tried to explain what happened. Instead of crying, Hayes wrapped an arm around me and Theo, doing his best to be strong for all of us. I didn’t understand it then, but that’s the night I learned love can disappear in the blink of an eye.
That’s not a lesson I want to pass on.
I don’t want my kid to ever know what it feels like to lose one of the people who are supposed to always be there. The worst part is, no matter how hard I try, that’s not something I can control.
I push away from the counter before the ache can sink in too deep, and turn my attention back to the pan. I’m no Michelin-star chef, but from where I’m standing, the eggs look edible.
I plate them beside the bacon, pour a glass of orange juice, and load everything onto a tray.
Rina stirs as I walk into the bedroom. Her lashes flutter, and a sleepy groan slips from her as her eyes blink open.
She looks gorgeous with her dark hair mussed, sheets tangled around her, and skin kissed by morning light.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more than I want what we’re building to last a lifetime.
“What’s this?” she asks, voice scratchy with sleep as she pushes up against the headboard, brows drawn in mild suspicion.
“It’s a little something I like to call breakfast.” I set the tray on the bed. The mattress dips under my weight as I climb in beside her. “Don’t look at me like that. I followed the instructions to a T. Trust me, these eggs are gourmet level. Your tastebuds aren’t going to know what hit them.”
Her lips twitch, as if she’s trying not to smile. I scoop up a forkful and hold it out.
When she continues to stare, I tease, “Be a good girl and open the tunnel for the choo-choo.”
That earns me a scowl. “I’m perfectly capable of feeding myself.”
“I know.” My grin turns tender. “But I want to do it for you.”
Her eyes meet mine, startled, before darting away.
She hesitates, then opens her mouth and accepts the bite.
Her lips close around the fork. Somewhere in my brain, I know she’s just eating eggs, but my body doesn’t seem to care.
Watching her chew, swallow, then lick a trace of cheese from the corner of her mouth is the kind of domestic intimacy I never thought could undo me.
And yet, here we are.
“See?” I say. “Not too terrible.”
Even though she doesn’t answer, a faint curve ghosts across her mouth. It’s small and subtle around the edges, yet it lands deeper than any other smile she’s given me.
I keep feeding her bite after bite. Small motions along with the quiet scrape of the fork against the plate. The tension in her shoulders eases as she sinks back into the pillows with a sigh she probably doesn’t even notice.
For once, there aren’t walls between us. Just something simple and real. Something more intimate than any kiss we’ve shared.
I feed her until her lashes lower and her breathing steadies. Until the storm in her eyes quiets and she looks sated.
I don’t say what I’m really thinking—that I’d stay like this forever if it meant she’d never have to face the world alone again—because I don’t want to scare her.
All I can hope is that deep down inside, she feels it too.