NORA
Theo led the way upstairs, and even though I’d been watching Charlotte for two weeks at this point, I hadn’t actually stepped inside his room before.
On the mornings I found her sleeping in there, I’d always hovered near the doorway, gently coaxing her awake without crossing the threshold.
It had felt like a boundary I wasn’t sure I should blur.
But today I had permission to follow him in.
The room was larger than I’d expected. Calm.
Intentional. Like something pulled from the pages of an architectural magazine.
The walls were a soft, light sage; the bed perfectly made with layered neutral linens and oversized pillows.
Dark wood nightstands flanked either side, each topped with sleek brass lamps and carefully chosen books stacked with quiet precision.
My eyes caught on a framed photo sitting on the nightstand to the left.
Theo in a suit, seated in a simple armchair. His tie was loosened, his eyes closed, his expression softer than I’d ever seen it. And a baby Charlotte slept sprawled against his chest, her cheek pressed into his shirt, one tiny hand curled into his collar.
His chin rested gently against the top of her head, like he’d come home from a long day and fallen asleep while rocking her.
It was so tender it almost hurt to look at.
I remembered what he’d said the night before. That Charlotte had been the reason he’d gotten up each morning. The reason he’d showered. Gone to work. Kept breathing.
And I couldn’t help but wonder if that picture sat there on purpose. Not as decoration, but as a reminder. Of why he had to keep going.
Theo didn’t linger in the bedroom. He walked past the bed and toward a set of double doors that opened into a bathroom that made my jaw drop.
Marble countertops. Pale tile floors that gleamed under recessed lighting. A freestanding soaking tub positioned beneath a window. A glass shower large enough to be considered its own room.
And I’d thought the guest bedroom was impressive.
This was on another level entirely.
Two more doors sat opposite each other inside the bathroom. Theo crossed to the one on the right and pushed it open, saying, “Here it is.”
The lights flicked on, warm and golden, illuminating rows of dresses, heels, and handbags.
I stopped just inside the doorway to take it all in, noticing then that a faint trace of perfume lingered in the air.
Alisha’s scent—floral and unmistakably elegant.
And I suddenly felt all too aware that I was standing in her space. In the room where she must have dressed for galas and charity events, slipping into silk and satin while Theo waited patiently downstairs.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked quietly, not wanting to intrude on a space that he might consider sacred.
But instead of telling me that he changed his mind, he stepped in behind me, rested a hand on my shoulder, and said, “Someone might as well use these dresses.”
I searched his face, still not sure I really believed that this was actually okay. But I found no signs of regret or hesitation.
“Are there any dresses I should avoid?” I asked before touching any of them. “Any she wore that might have special sentimental value?”
I didn’t want to unknowingly zip myself into a memory that might unravel him.
Theo hesitated. His green-eyed gaze slowly scanned over the rows.
After a moment, he stepped forward and pulled out a navy-blue dress with intricate beading along the bodice. Then another soft, gold gown.
“Maybe just not one of these,” he said, taking them and carrying them to the back corner of the closet to hang, separate from the rest.
He made one more slow scan of the racks, grabbing two more, and once he seemed satisfied with his selections, he gestured toward the remaining dresses.
“Anything else should be fine.”
“Okay.”
I let my eyes travel over the dresses. There were sleek black gowns. A bold red one. A pale pink one with a flowing skirt that looked like it belonged in a ballroom.
My fingers paused on a shimmery pastel-blue dress with a halter neckline. I pulled it free from the rack and held it up against my body.
“Feel free to try that on in here,” Theo said, already stepping backward toward the door. “Or any others. I’ll just wait out there.”
“Thank you.”
Once he had disappeared around the corner and I heard the bathroom door click shut, I stepped out of my clothes and carefully slipped into the dress.
For a moment, I expected it not to fit, since Alisha had been a few inches taller than me.
But when I pulled the zipper up, it closed smoothly.
I stared at myself in the gilded, full-length mirror in the corner.
And the dress fit almost perfectly.
It hugged my waist just right, the satiny fabric skimming over my hips without clinging. The neckline was even more flattering than I expected.
I looked almost sophisticated.
I turned slightly, taking in the back.
I didn’t look like a girl who had run out of her burning house barefoot the night before.
Perhaps not someone who exactly belonged at a billionaire’s wedding on the arm of a famous quarterback. But close enough.
The thought made my stomach flip.
I stepped out of the closet and opened the bathroom door slowly. Theo was standing near one of the bedroom windows, adjusting the cuff of his shirt like he’d needed something to do with his hands.
“What do you think?” I asked, feeling all jittery with anticipation and hoping he would be okay seeing me in this dress.
He looked up and went completely still.
His eyes moved over me slowly, and from how quiet he was, I worried he might be seeing ghosts of his past life.
But then, the corners of his lips quirked up and he said, “You look incredible, Nora.” His eyes smiled, too, when they met mine. “Really. That dress looks amazing on you.”
Heat climbed up my neck, and I felt my insides flutter with butterflies.
“Are you sure?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious. “It’s not too much?”
“No,” he said, stepping a little closer. “It’s exactly enough.” He looked down at my feet. “Now we just need to find you some shoes.”
Miles: Just leaving my house. See you soon.
I was just finishing styling my hair when the text came through.
Me: Perfect. See you then!
I hit send and set my phone down on Charlotte’s bathroom counter.
Then, a second later, my stomach dropped.
Because he was definitely going to head to the wrong house.
I grabbed my phone again and typed quickly.
Me: I’m actually at Theo’s. Long story but… my house caught fire last night so he was nice and let me stay here.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Miles: Ok, switching my route. Also… are you okay? That’s crazy!
I swiped a coat of my new mascara across my lashes before responding.
Me: Yes. I got out just in time. I’ll tell you all about it on the way to the wedding.
The doorbell rang just as I slipped on the pair of heels I’d found tucked in the back corner of Alisha’s closet. According to Theo, that was where she’d stashed the items she’d meant to return. Lucky for me, the strappy heels she’d ordered in the wrong size were only half a size too big.
They weren’t a perfect match for the dress, and a fashion connoisseur like Alisha probably would have noticed immediately.
But they would definitely do for me in the pinch I was in.
I grabbed my phone and was just stepping toward the door when there was a soft knock.
I opened it to find Theo standing there in a fitted navy suit.
And while I’d seen the man in a suit nearly every weekday since starting this job, it never stopped being irresistible.
“Miles is here,” he said.
His gaze swept over me briefly.
Earlier, when I’d first tried the dress on, his reaction had been steady. Warm. Certain. But now that my hair was styled and my makeup finished, I couldn’t help wondering if he liked what he saw.
Not that I should care.
Tonight, I was supposed to impress Miles. And whoever it was he needed to believe we were dating.
“Thanks for telling me,” I said, realizing belatedly that I should probably respond like a normal human.
“Of course.”
He seemed momentarily distracted, like he’d forgotten why he’d come here. Then he cleared his throat and stepped aside, gesturing toward the stairs.
“Your date awaits.”
I smiled at him and slipped past.
I descended slowly, one hand brushing the railing, suddenly aware of the click of my heels against the wood.
Miles was adjusting his tie near the entryway when I came around the corner. He turned at the sound.
And froze.
“Well,” he said, blinking once, like he hadn’t expected me to be dressed up like this. “Okay. Wow.”
“I hope that means I look okay?” I asked, heat rushing to my cheeks.
“You look better than okay,” he said with a low chuckle.
“Thank you,” I replied, smiling as I took him in. “You look really good, too.”
“I do try.” He grinned, his dark brown eyes crinkling at the corners.
I heard Theo’s footsteps on the tile behind me.
“You ever find a plus-one?” Miles asked Theo, glancing over my shoulder.
“Nope.” Theo shrugged. “Just going solo tonight.”
“Well,” Miles said lightly, “if you’re nice, I might let you steal a dance with Nora.”
I laughed, assuming he was joking.
But when I looked at Theo, there was something different about the way he was looking at me.
Not polite.
Not amused.
Just… quietly intense.
And suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
“That’s good to hear,” he said, stepping forward and giving Miles a firm pat on the shoulder as he passed him. “Since I was already planning on stealing a dance myself.”
What?
My brain short-circuited.
I just stood there dumbly, trying to decide if this was just harmless banter between friends or something else.
But it was hard to tell because Theo had never looked at me like that before.
And with that thought, warmth curled low in my stomach, slow and unsettling in the best way.
“Careful,” Miles said with a grin as Theo opened the front door for us to step out. “I don’t share well.”
Theo glanced at me briefly before looking back at him. “We’ll see.”