LOGINSebastian pov The car door clicked shut, cutting off the cool night air. I stood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, completely frozen. My daughter was gone. The red taillights of her car moved down the dark street, turning the corner until they disappeared completely. My chest felt tight, I could not breathe. I looked down at the expensive fabric of my suit jacket. My shoulder was slightly wet. That was where she had rested her face. That was where she had held me. Goodbye, Dad. The words repeated in my mind over and over. She had called me Dad. She did not say Sebastien. She did not say Mr. Marchetti. She had looked at me with those beautiful eyes—the exact same eyes as her mother, Elaine—and she had claimed me. A hot tear spilled over my eyelid, rolling down my cheek. I did not wipe it away. I let it fall. I had spent years carrying the heavy weight of grief for a woman I could not save. I had lived with the quiet agony of thinking Elaine had simply stopped answering m
Bella POVI felt a sudden, sharp ache of sympathy and love in my chest. I reached across the table and lightly touched the back of his hand. "She is very real, Sebastien. And she is very loud. You will meet her very soon, I promise.""I would like that more than anything," he said quietly, setting the phone down and wiping his eyes with a crisp white handkerchief.He took a deep breath, folding his hands on the table. He looked at Caleb with a directness I now understood was just how he operated when he wanted an honest conversation."What is your intention toward my daughter?" he asked.Caleb did not hesitate."To spend my life earning her trust," he said, looking Sebastien dead in the eye. "Which I know I have not always deserved."The table was very quiet as Sebastien looked at him for a long moment. Finally, Sebastien nodded once a small smile appeared on his face."That's good enough," Sebastien said.I picked up my water glass and said nothing but I felt something in my chest se
Bella POVWe walked into the hotel, our shoes clicking softly against the polished marble floor. I could feel the tension radiating off the man beside me. Caleb was walking a little too straight, his shoulders locked tight, his usual easy confidence completely replaced by an intense, quiet focus.As we neared the entrance of the private dining room, he stopped me, pulling gently on my hand. He reached up with his other hand, adjusting his tie for what felt like the tenth time since we left the house."Bella," Caleb said, his voice unusually low. He looked down at me, his eyes scanning my face with total seriousness. "Be honest with me. Do I look okay? Is the suit right?"I stared at him for a second, completely caught off guard, and then I laughed. It was a bright, genuine sound that echoed in the quiet hallway. I couldn't help it. For the past twenty-four hours, I had been the one pacing, checking monitors, and babbling out of pure nerves."Yes, Caleb," I said, reaching up to smooth
Caleb pov I shook my head, laughing softly at my own lack of composure, and began unbuttoning my shirt. A few minutes later, the sound of warm water running in the shower filled the room. I was just pulling my arms out of my sleeves when the bathroom door opened just a crack.Bella leaned her head out, her hair pinned up loosely, with steam curling around her shoulders."Caleb," she called out softly, her eyes locked onto mine. "Come join me in the shower."A slow smile spread across my face. "I'm coming," I said, my voice dropping an octave as I stood up from the bed.I didn't waste any time. I tossed my unbuttoned shirt onto the floor. My hands moved quickly to my belt, unbuckling it and letting it slide through the loops with a sharp metallic click. I unbuttoned my trousers, pushing them down my legs along with my boxers, and kicked them aside until I was completely stripped of my clothes. My cock was already half-hard, heavy and aching with need.Naked and entirely focused on her
Caleb POVGrace was getting incredibly cranky upstairs. I could hear her crying from the top of the steps, and a moment later, Nadia came back down the hallway, carrying her. Grace was fussing, her face red, and the moment she saw us, she reached her small arms straight out toward her mother.Nadia walked over to the table and carefully handed her over. Grace clung tightly to Bella's shirt, burying her face in her shoulder and letting out a long, ragged sigh."She has opinions about her bedtime routine tonight," Bella said, rubbing Grace's back as the little girl let out a small, tired cry. "She wants the specific lullaby sequence, and she will not settle until it is exactly right.""Let me take her, Bella," Nadia said kindly, reaching out after a few moments. "I know the exact order she likes. We will do the rocking chair first, then the music box."Grace finally let go of Bella, reaching her small arms out to Nadia. She looked back at us over Nadia's shoulder, blinking her heavy eye
Caleb POV She moved through the house quietly, changing moods like the weather. Even though she was restless, she didn't make a sound. She walked down the hallway barefoot, stopping to fix books that were already neat. From the kitchen island, I watched her as I chopped vegetables for dinner. Then, she walked away toward the stairs. A few minutes later, she came back down. "Bella," I said, putting the knife down on the cutting board. "That is the second time you have gone upstairs to check on Grace in forty minutes. The monitor right here on the counter shows her breathing is perfectly steady." She didn't look at me right away. She walked into the kitchen, opened a dish drawer, looked directly at the silverware inside, and then closed it without taking anything out. She wiped an invisible piece of dust off the clean marble counter. I chuckled softly, leaning my hands against the edge of the island. "Bella, you really need to calm down." She stopped her hands and finally looked u
Bella pov The song was ending, our dance almost over, and I knew I should step away. But his arms were strong and warm around me, his scent was drowning me, and for just a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like to give in. To let him kiss me in front of everyone, claim me publicly, mak
Bella pov I turned to find Ethan Pierce, CEO of Pierce Industries and one of the few self-made billionaires in the room. I'd met him a few times at business events, always found him charming and intelligent."Ethan, good to see you." I shook his hand. "You know Caleb Black?""We've met." Ethan's s
Bella POVI made it back to the penthouse in record time, my mind still spinning from what happened in the elevator. The kiss, the confession, the way my body had betrayed me completely.Tom was in the living room with Maya, building what appeared to be a penguin village out of blocks."Mommy!" He
Caleb pov "You're right, I don't get to claim anything." I moved to stand beside her at the railing, careful not to touch. "But I want you to know what I've learned, how I've changed. I've been in therapy for years trying to undo the damage my father did. I've cut ties with everyone who knew the t







