I might miss tomorrow so here is tomorrow's chapter.
“Sometimes, the only person you can trust with your demons is the one who’s danced with them before.” By Unknown.April didn’t move for a long time after the door closed behind Gail.She just sat there, staring at the city skyline like it might offer answers she didn’t have. The weight on her chest was different now. Less grief, more fury.She wanted to scream. Or cry. Or throw something.Instead, she reached for her mobile phone.There were maybe five people in her life who she trusted without question. None of them had the resources or connections she needed right now. And the one person who did?She hated that it was him.Still, her fingers moved before her brain could stop them. The line rang twice.“Look who finally remembered my number,” Noah’s voice came through, low and amused.April immediately rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t a booty call.” Remembering his hands on her this morning outside her place.“Shame. I was hoping you were calling for another... per
“Sometimes, home isn’t a place. It’s a person you’re still pretending not to need.” By Unknown.April unlocked her front door and stepped into the familiar sanctuary of her home. The familiar scent of it hit her immediately, grounding her. Her space.Except… now it wasn’t just hers.That was about to change. Noah Crawford would be living here for three months. Was she truly ready for that?She set her bag down and glanced around the spacious living room. Everything was as it should be, minimalist, elegant, quiet. Her housekeeper had been in that morning. Not a single cushion was out of place. It looked like a spread from a home magazine.And still, April felt jittery. Anticipation thrummed beneath her skin like an itch she couldn’t scratch.Noah would be here any moment.The thought was both unnerving… and thrilling. She hated that part. Hated that her stomach fluttered at the idea of him in her kitchen, in her hallway, in her bed.No. Not yet. She wasn’t going to think of that. She di
“Sometimes, you don’t realize you’ve found home until your body stops wanting to leave.” By Unknown.April barely had time to breathe after Noah’s kiss before he was pulling her tighter against him, lifting her onto the counter like she weighed nothing. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, and he slid his hands down to grip her thighs, his mouth still devouring hers like he couldn’t get enough.His body was warm, solid, and everywhere. His lips trailed from her mouth down her throat, biting lightly at the base before soothing it with his tongue. April gasped, arching into him.He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. “Tell me to stop. Because I will if needed.”She couldn’t. Wouldn’t ask him to stop.Her silence was permission.With a low, satisfied growl, Noah pulled her long sleeve dress over her head, baring her to him without ceremony. His eyes darkened as he took her in. “You’re so fucking beautiful, April.”Before she could come up with a comeback, his mouth was
April lay tangled in the sheets, her breathing still uneven, skin slick with sweat, body thrumming from the high he’d dragged out of her. Noah was beside her, propped on one elbow, watching her like he was trying to memorize her face.She hated how much she liked that look.Silence stretched between them… not uncomfortable, but full. Heavy. They’d never had the post-sex autopsy before. In some ways, April was glad. She hadn’t wanted to rake over the past. But she also knew they needed to. It hung over them like a storm cloud, waiting to burst. She just wondered which of them would break the silence first.“Why are you looking at me like that?” she murmured, eyes on the ceiling.“Like what?” His voice was low, threaded with something she didn’t trust herself to name.“Like you’re seeing me for the first time.”“I feel like I am,” he said. “Or maybe… maybe I just wasn’t allowed to see you properly before.”April turned her head toward him, her expression unreadable. “You saw enough back
The smell of espresso and fresh toasted bread filled the kitchen the next morning. There had been no time for more because they had overslept. April grinned at the reason they had overslept. Noah had been… hungry for her during the night.April sat barefoot at the breakfast bar, wearing Noah’s crisp button-down shirt. She sipped her coffee while scrolling through her emails to check for any urgent tasks that needed attention that morning. Although she had showered and washed her hair, she had not yet put on her work clothes. She had always fantasized about wearing one of his business shirts as a nightie or robe.Noah stood at the stove, shirtless and smug, flipping pancakes like a man who had absolutely no shame in how good he looked, half-naked in a domestic setting.She didn’t trust it.“What?” he asked, catching her watching him with narrowed eyes.“You’re being weird.” He was a jackass. She just needed to figure out if he was her jackass.“I’m making pancakes.”“Exactly. You made s
“Blood may bind us, but truth is what sets us free.” By Unknown.April stepped off the elevator at Harrington HQ and immediately felt the tightness in her chest. Each foot step echoing louder than the last. She should’ve been walking tall, chin up, power radiating off her like it normally did when she wore this suit, the ink-black one with razor-sharp tailoring that made her feel invincible.But inside, she was on a rollercoaster. She felt like an unsure eighteen old again. She needed to be better. She needed to do better for herself and for her father. Today was going to be tough after the media release on her mother.She paused outside the glass corridor, inhaled deeply, and set her shoulders. I can do this. I’ve survived worse. She told herself. I can survive him.She spotted Neil immediately, standing by her office door like a sentry.He wasn’t just waiting. He was guarding.“What is it?” she asked, voice low but steady.Neil’s face was calm, but the flicker in his eyes gave it aw
“Some interruptions come wrapped in fate’s messy little bow.” By Unknown.April stood at her front door, rubbing her temples and praying the day hadn’t followed her home. All she wanted was ten minutes of peace, maybe a glass of wine, and something unhealthy to shove in her face before curling up in bed. She was exhausted and not in a good way.Granted, the truth had come out, but not before April had to deal with some of the fallout from David and Gail’s wrecking ball. Shareholders and board members had demanded answers. So she’d given them the raw, unpretty truth. David would hold no standing within the company after his latest stunt.She really hoped this was the end of his involvement in her life and in Harringtons. But unfortunately, she doubted it. She may have stopped him from damaging the company from the inside, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to create storms on the outside.As April turned the key in the lock and stepped into the brownstone, she froze.What she hadn’t e
“Some truths sit quietly in the room, pretending not to be ticking time bombs.” By Unknown.April was halfway through a second glass of wine when the knock came at the door again. She was glad her friends were here.She glanced at Noah. “Are you expecting someone?”Poppy, Sophie, and Trent were still sprawled across her living room, laughing over a story from their university days. Trent was in the middle of telling it, and April noticed how he kept glancing at Sophie when he thought she wasn’t looking. Her heart clenched. She really wished Trent would just tell Sophie how he felt. It would break him if she moved on without ever knowing.Noah sat beside her on the couch, one arm resting casually behind her shoulders, his fingers brushing her skin with slow, absent-minded strokes that made it increasingly hard to focus on anything else.Another guest wasn’t part of the plan. Then again, none of this night had been. But her friends. God, her friends, they were her safe space. Her constan
“Intimacy is not purely physical. It’s the act of being seen and known for who you truly are and still being loved.” By Unknown.The light seeping through the curtains was soft, filtered by clouds, giving the room a quiet, gray glow.April blinked, adjusting to the new morning. Her body felt heavy, but not in a bad way, mostly just sleepy. She liked being in the warm cocoon of Noah’s body.Noah’s arm was draped across her waist, his chest warm against her back, his breath soft against her neck.She could feel the rise of him against her hip. Morning wood. She grinned. The most innocent of problems. But it stirred something in her, a reminder that she was still here. Still whole. Still wanted. Her hips shifted slightly.Noah groaned.“You’re awake,” he murmured, voice still thick with sleep.“Maybe,” she replied.He nuzzled closer, nose brushing her shoulder. “You’re dangerous when you start shifting like that.”She did it again. “You’re the one pressing against me,” she whispered, a f
The silence between them wasn’t heavy. Noah didn’t say anything right away. He just crossed the room, taking a seat beside her on the bed and reached for her hand, his thumb brushing across her knuckles.April let him hold it. Let herself lean a little closer. Her body still felt like it didn’t belong to her. Her nerves frayed. Her head throbbed from the strain of pretending she was okay. They just looked at each other.Noah reached out and brushed a strand of hair off April’s face. His hand lingered along her cheek before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple.“You scared the shit out of me,” he whispered.April smiled weakly. “I scared myself.”He leaned his forehead against hers. “Don’t do that again.”She let out a small breath, tears in her eyes. “Not really up to me.”“I know. But still. Don’t.”April turned her face slightly and kissed him. Soft. Slow. It wasn’t a kiss of desperation or apology. It was a connection. Real and quiet.He pulled her gently into his arms, an
“Sometimes the measure of love is not in words spoken, but in sacrifices made silently, in the moments when no one is watching.” By Unknown.April had no idea how she even got to the hospital.The pain hadn’t been sharp or overwhelming. That would’ve been easier. It was dull and dragging, low in her belly, and unsettling in the way it came and went. It had started right after the incident with Porsha.She couldn’t lose this baby. It would kill Noah. After what had happened to his first child. The pain was still fresh, even though it had happened years ago. For Noah, though, it had only just happened.If something happened to their baby and she found out it was Porsha’s fault, she would destroy her and her family. April was no longer the pushover she had been four years ago.After Porsha had pushed her, she had first thought it was the adrenaline fading. The shock of being shoved and screamed at by her cousin had already rattled her. But then the cramping came. Not strong, not regular,
“Some people don’t want peace. They want attention and they’ll burn the room to get it.” By Unknown.It started like any other morning.April sat at her desk, scrolling through reports while sipping lukewarm tea. Neil had just stepped out to prep for the upcoming meeting with finance, one she didn’t need to attend, thank God.She welcomed the quiet after her busy morning. Her head still throbbed from a night of little sleep, and her stomach churned with low-grade nausea. It was likely just the pregnancy. She’d felt fine earlier, but her breakfast had started to repeat on her as the morning wore on. The baby was making itself known.The buzz of the intercom startled her.“Miss Harrington, there’s someone here insisting on seeing you.”April pressed the reply button. “Who is it?” She didn’t have a planned meeting until 11 a.m. with the marketing team.A pause. Then her assistant’s voice returned, a little strained. “It’s your cousin. Porsha Harrington. She won’t take no for an answer.”A
“Sometimes love isn’t about grand gestures. It’s showing up, over and over again.” By Unknown.They could smell Tally’s cooking even before they rang the doorbell.Ryan opened the door a second later, dressed casually in jeans and a soft polo shirt that looked like it had seen better days.“You’re late,” he said with a smirk, then leaned in and kissed April on the cheek before pulling Noah into a one-armed hug.“By three minutes,” April deadpanned, stepping inside. “Tally’s cooking. Must be nesting.”“You have no idea. She reorganized the spice rack alphabetically. Twice. She’s been out of control the closer this birth comes.”April already knew that. Tally had told her she was becoming obsessive compulsive about the smallest things around the house. April really hoped that was something she would miss out on during her pregnancy.Tally appeared around the corner, glowing and round-bellied, a tea towel over one shoulder. “Only because Ryan keeps putting paprika next to cinnamon like a
“To love someone is to risk not knowing if they’ll ever say it back.” By UnknownApril was already back home by the time Noah returned from golf. She’d changed into leggings and a tank top, her feet tucked under her on the couch, a mug of tea cooling beside her.Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She had Noah’s iPad in her hands, looking at baby names. Being with Poppy and Jade today had got her thinking about it. What was a good name for a baby?Because they wouldn’t always be a baby. Being at school with a bad name could be terrible. Kids could really be cruel. She remembered being at school with one kid named Scott… great name, but the kids had called him Scotty Snotty. It was the kids that had been little shits. How could actors or famous people call their kids’ stupid names? April often laughed at them when they got announced. Thinking poor kid.Now it was their turn to think of a name that wouldn’t put their child into therapy.She didn’t hear him walk in until
“In golf, as in life, it is the follow through that makes the difference.” By Unknown.The sun was finally beginning to do its job by the time Noah pulled into the long, winding driveway of the country golf club. The parking lot held a lot of luxury cars. But on the course, none of that mattered. Just because you had money didn’t mean you could play.He spotted Max before he even got out of the car.The actor stood just beyond the clubhouse patio, dressed down in a navy quarter-zip and golf pants, his dark sunglasses perched on his head as he watched a group of older men chatting nearby. He looked more tense than relaxed. And very out of place.Noah walked up to him, golf bag slung over one shoulder. “You look like you want to bolt.”Max turned, managing a tired smile. “I didn’t sleep. Didn’t feel right after seeing Poppy and Jade. My mind was on a loop all night.”“She let you see Jade. That’s something.”Max nodded slowly. “She’s beautiful. And small. I didn’t think I’d get emotional
April woke up still in Noah’s arms.It was early. The kind of still that made the air feel suspended. The light spilling through the bedroom curtains was faint and silver. April turned her head slightly, careful not to disturb the man sleeping beside her. His arm was draped over her middle, hand resting instinctively over her stomach.She watched him for a moment. His lashes fanned out over his cheek, his mouth relaxed in a way it never seemed to be during the day. Even in sleep, he looked like Noah. Unapologetic. Unflinching. But here, wrapped around her like a vine, he looked different. Younger. Softer.They still had a way to go. She still hadn’t told him she loved him. April did, but she wasn’t ready to say it out loud. She didn’t know what she was waiting for.She shifted slightly and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.He stirred, his arm tightening. “What time is it?”“Too early,” she whispered.He hummed in response, his voice still deep and sleep-rough. “Come back to sleep.”She d
“Touch is the first language we learn. It speaks even when words don’t.” — UnknownThey didn’t speak much as they cleared the lounge room. The dishes clinked softly as Noah gathered their bowls, and April followed him into the kitchen. The stir-fry had gone untouched for the most part—lukewarm and congealed in the pan. Noah scraped the contents into the bin while April loaded the dishwasher.“I feel this is so wasteful. We should have just had a sandwich. I know it didn’t take a lot of effort, but still.”“I chopped,” he corrected.She gave a soft snort and leaned over to rinse the pan. Noah watched her for a moment, his eyes tracing the curve of her spine under the fabric, the way her neck moved when she tilted her head, loose strands of hair falling forward.He stepped up behind her, resting one hand lightly on her hip.She didn’t stop. She just kept washing. The sooner this was done, the better.“You good?” he murmured into the space between her ear and her shoulder.April rinsed th