“And Enzo,” I said, catching his eye one last time, “I mean it about keeping an eye on you. We’re both struggling, and we owe it to ourselves, and to our baby, to get the help we need.” He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine, and in that moment, I felt a strange combination of hope and dread, of
Nina Enzo’s hand gripped the doorknob, and with a resigned sigh, he swung the door open. Standing there was none other than Luke, his expression a mix of urgency and discomfort, as if he also wished that he were anywhere but here. The emotional and intimate energy between Enzo and me dissipa
Nina The morning light filtered through the enormous windows of our bedroom, casting a golden glow across the room. It was normally a sight that I looked forward to every morning, but today, I found it hard to appreciate. Sleep had eluded me after last night. I couldn’t let go of the image o
Nina Enzo stared at me incredulously for a few moments, his eyes wide. “What?” I asked, standing. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Enzo shrugged, running his hand through his hair again in a way that I knew all too well as his way of thinking. “I don’t know. It’s just… You’d really want
Nina The plane landed on the tarmac with a jostle, and I let out an inaudible sigh of relief. I wasn’t usually bothered by flying, but this trip had been particularly full of turbulence. Now that we were on solid ground again, though, I felt like I could finally relax. “We made it,” Enzo murmure
I decided to push the thought away for now, refusing to let it take root. Instead, I focused on the here and now, on the man walking beside me, on the life we were building together. “I can’t wait to meet our baby,” Enzo said softly, as if he had somehow sensed my inner turmoil. “Me too,” I repl
Nina “Nice to meet you,” Mila said, extending her well-manicured hand. Putting on a smile, I reached out and took it. Her grip was light—almost too light—and her fingers felt dainty and fragile as she shook my hand. “Nice to meet you too, Mila,” I said, making a mental note of her almost flims
“Yes, I am,” I said, trying to keep my tone neutral. “I’ve been working with his team for a little over a year now.” Mila nodded. “Interesting. And you’ve been to med school?” She crossed her arms, a small smirk playing on her lips. “Not yet,” I said with a shake of my head, “but I’ve had a good
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied