Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

The weeks that followed settled into something neither Daisy nor Roman had expected.

Routine.

A comfortable, easy routine.

Roman became a regular fixture in Daisy's apartment.

Some evenings he arrived with dinner.

Other evenings he appeared carrying something entirely unnecessary for Lillie.

Another teddy bear.

Another blanket.

Another tiny outfit.

According to Roman, she needed all of them.

According to Daisy, she absolutely did not.

According to Lillie, everything tasted better if she could chew on it.

One evening Roman arrived carrying a small pink hoodie.

Daisy stared at it.

"She's six weeks old."

"So?"

"She can't appreciate fashion."

Roman looked offended.

"That's a Moretti."

"She is not a Moretti."

Roman grinned.

"Half Moretti."

Daisy laughed despite herself.

The truth was, watching Roman become a father had been unexpectedly beautiful.

He never complained.

Never acted inconvenienced.

Never treated time with Lillie like an obligation.

If anything, he seemed determined to make up for every moment he'd missed.

And Lillie?

Lillie was beginning to recognise him.

The first time it happened, Daisy nearly cried.

Roman had walked through the apartment door after a long day at work.

Lillie had been lying on a play mat in the living room.

The moment she heard his voice, her head turned.

Then came a huge gummy baby smile.

Roman froze.

Completely.

"Did she just smile at me?"

Daisy laughed.

"Yes."

Roman looked at his daughter.

Then at Daisy.

Then back at Lillie.

"She smiled at me."

"You already said that."

Roman looked emotional.

Actually emotional.

And somehow that made Daisy's heart ache in the best possible way.

A few days later, Harper invited everyone for Sunday lunch.

Which really meant she ordered enough food to feed a small army and expected everyone to attend.

By early afternoon, Noah was cooking in the kitchen.

Harper was directing everyone.

Claire was helping herself to wine.

And Poppy and Theo were waiting impatiently by the window.

"He's here!"

Theo announced dramatically.

The front door opened moments later.

Roman stepped inside carrying Lillie.

Immediately Poppy ran over.

"My cousin!"

Theo followed.

"Can I hold her?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because last week you tried teaching her karate."

"It was self-defence."

Roman laughed.

And just like that, he fit in.

Not awkwardly.

Not like a guest.

Like he'd always belonged there.

Daisy noticed it throughout the afternoon.

The way Noah and Roman laughed together.

The way Harper bossed them both around equally.

The way Poppy dragged Roman into helping build a blanket fort.

The way Theo followed him everywhere asking endless questions.

Most of all, she noticed how natural it all felt.

As if they'd skipped months of uncertainty and gone straight to family.

Later that afternoon, Daisy stepped onto Harper's back patio carrying two cups of coffee.

Roman sat outside watching the children play.

Poppy was attempting to organise a tea party.

Theo was attempting to turn it into a military operation.

Neither plan was going well.

Daisy handed Roman a cup.

He smiled.

"Thanks."

For a while they sat quietly.

Watching the chaos unfold.

Eventually Roman glanced toward her.

"What?"

Daisy smiled.

"You look happy."

Roman laughed softly.

"That's because I am."

The answer came so easily.

So honestly.

Neither of them looked away.

The sounds of the children drifted across the garden.

Lillie slept peacefully inside.

And for a moment everything felt strangely perfect.

Then Roman spoke again.

"You know what scares me?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"How much I like this."

She looked around.

At the family.

At the laughter.

At the life being built around them.

Then back at him.

"Me too."

Roman smiled.

The slow kind.

The real kind.

The one that made her stomach flutter every single time.

Because somewhere along the way, between late-night feeds, flowers, family dinners, and tiny baby smiles—

they'd stopped pretending this was just about Lillie.

It was becoming about them too.

And neither of them wanted it to stop. ❤️