Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

A few weeks passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Life had settled into something comfortable.

Something neither Daisy nor Roman had expected.

Most mornings Daisy woke up in Roman's penthouse.

Most nights ended there too.

At some point she'd stopped bringing an overnight bag.

There wasn't much point anymore.

Half her wardrobe now lived in Roman's closet.

Her skincare products had taken over part of his bathroom.

And somehow Lillie had completely claimed the nursery Roman had built for her.

Not that he minded.

In fact, Roman seemed ridiculously happy every time he walked past the room.

Daisy was still on maternity leave.

The hospital had offered her more time and she'd taken it.

At first she'd worried about being away from work.

Medicine had been her entire life for so long.

But now?

Now her days were filled with bottle feeds.

Baby giggles.

Walks through the city.

And watching Lillie discover the world.

She wasn't ready to miss any of it.

One Tuesday morning Daisy sat cross-legged on the nursery floor while Lillie kicked happily on a blanket.

The baby was fascinated by her own feet.

Completely fascinated.

Daisy watched her struggle to grab them and laughed.

"You know they're attached to you, right?"

Lillie made a noise that sounded suspiciously like disagreement.

The baby monitor wasn't needed.

The nursery was right there.

The sunlight poured through the windows.

And for the first time in years Daisy felt... peaceful.

Her phone buzzed.

A picture from Roman.

He was in a boardroom.

A dozen serious-looking executives sat around a table.

The caption read:

I miss my girls.

Daisy immediately laughed.

Then took a photo of Lillie chewing on her sock.

We're having an important meeting too.

The reply came seconds later.

She looks more professional than half my board.

Roman had become unbearable at work.

At least according to Olivia.

His assistant walked into his office just as he smiled at his phone.

Again.

"Oh look."

Roman glanced up.

"What?"

"You're smiling at baby pictures."

"I am not."

"You absolutely are."

Roman looked down at the latest photo of Lillie.

Then smiled again.

Olivia sighed dramatically.

"Case closed."

The weekends quickly became everyone's favorite time.

No work.

No meetings.

No responsibilities beyond enjoying themselves.

Every Saturday or Sunday they ended up in Central Park.

The same park where Roman had unknowingly found his daughter.

The same park where everything had changed.

Now it felt like theirs.

This particular Saturday was beautiful.

The sky was clear.

Children ran across the grass.

Dogs chased tennis balls.

Families filled every pathway.

Lillie sat in her stroller watching everything with wide curious eyes.

Roman pushed her while Daisy walked beside them.

Every now and then he stopped to point things out to Lillie.

As though she understood every word.

"That's a dog."

Lillie blinked.

"And that's another dog."

Lillie blinked again.

Daisy laughed.

"Very educational."

"I'm teaching her."

"She's four months old."

Roman looked offended.

"It's never too early."

Later they spread a blanket beneath a large tree.

Lillie lay between them kicking her legs happily.

Roman was lying on his back.

Daisy resting beside him.

The city skyline stretched beyond the park.

For a while they simply enjoyed the sunshine.

No phones.

No distractions.

Just them.

Eventually Roman turned his head toward Daisy.

"You know..."

"What?"

"You've basically moved in."

Daisy laughed.

"I have not."

Roman pointed toward Lillie.

"Our daughter has more clothes in my apartment than I do."

"That's not true."

"It is."

She smiled.

Maybe he wasn't entirely wrong.

The thought should have scared her.

Instead it felt natural.

Like this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Roman reached over and intertwined his fingers with hers.

Lillie immediately grabbed one of his fingers too.

Roman looked down.

Then smiled.

Daisy watched both of them.

Her heart full.

Because months ago she'd been preparing to do this alone.

Now she couldn't imagine her life any other way.

And as the afternoon sun warmed their faces and their daughter giggled between them, Daisy realized something.

This wasn't just happiness anymore.

This was home. ❤️📖