Diane’s POV
The phone rang just as I was settling into the couch with a cup of herbal tea, watching the twins perform their morning acrobatics routine inside my belly. Joan was in the kitchen, humming softly as she prepared breakfast and for once, everything felt peaceful.
"Hello?" I answered, recognizing the number.
"Hey, beautiful." Noah’s warm voice imdiately made my heart flutter, and I felt that familiar blush creep up my neck.
"Noah!" I shifted on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position that didn’t put pressure on my ribs where one of the babies seed determined to practice their soccer kicks.
"I’m calling to tell you I’d be travelling for work today," he said, and I could hear the conflict in his voice. "I’m supposed to catch a flight in two hours, but I wanted to check on you and the babies first. How are you feeling?"
The concern in his voice made my chest warm. Even with work obligations pulling him away, I was still his priority. "We’re doing well," I said softly. "Actually, I was just thinking..." I paused, suddenly feeling shy about what I wanted to ask.
"What were you thinking about?" he prompted gently.
I took a deep breath. "I was wondering if maybe... when you get back from your trip... you might want to co with to see the house Dad bought? I know it’s already furnished and everything, but I’d like to add so finishing touches to the nursery. Make it feel more personal, more like ho for the twins."
There was silence on the other end, and I rushed to fill it. "I an, I don’t want to go alone. This is such a big step, and you’re... you’re fully part of my life now, Noah. I want us to make these decisions together. I want you to help create a space for our babies."
The words hung in the air, and I realized what I’d said. Our babies. When had I started thinking of them that way? When had Noah beco such an integral part of this journey that I couldn’t imagine taking these steps without him?
"Diane," Noah’s voice was thick with emotion. "You have no idea how much that ans to . The fact that you want there, that you see as part of this... I’m going to call and cancel the trip."
"What? No, you can’t do that! Your work is important—"
"You’re more important," he interrupted firmly. "This opportunity, this chance to build sothing beautiful with you, I’m not going to ruin it by putting work first. I’ve waited too long for this."
My heart was racing now, warmth spreading through my entire body. "Noah, are you sure?"
"I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life."
Just as he said those words, I heard a car door slam outside. Joan looked up from the kitchen, eyebrows raised.
"Soone’s here," I told Noah, struggling to get up from the couch.
"I know," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "I’m right outside."
My breath caught. "You’re... what?"
The doorbell rang, and I felt my pulse quicken as I made my way to the front door. Through the peephole, I could see a figure standing on the porch, but the late afternoon sun was creating shadows that made it hard to see clearly.
I opened the door, and my mouth literally fell open.
Noah stood there looking absolutely devastating in a crisp white shirt that was unbuttoned just enough to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of his chest, dark hair peeking through the fabric in a way that made my mouth go dry.
His hair was slicked back perfectly, and he wore black pants that emphasized his long legs and lean fra. I’d never seen him dressed quite like this before—sowhere between casual and formal, effortlessly sexy in a way that made forget how to breathe.
"Hi," he said softly, his eyes drinking in.
I stood there staring, trying to process how incredibly handso he looked. How had I never noticed the way his eyes seed to smolder when he looked at like that? I felt heat pooling low in my belly, a desire I hadn’t experienced in months suddenly flaring to life.
"I... you..." I stamred, feeling my cheeks burn. "You look..."
Before I could finish the sentence, Noah stepped forward, his hands coming up to fra my face. His eyes searched mine for just a mont, and then his lips were on mine, kissing with a passion that took my breath away.
I gasped against his mouth, not having expected the intensity, the way his kiss seed to ignite sothing deep inside that had been dormant for so long. But after the initial shock, I lted into him, my hands fisting in his shirt as I kissed him back with all the longing I’d been suppressing.
This wasn’t the gentle, careful kiss he’d given at my birthday party. This was raw, desperate, filled with months of unspoken desire. I felt like I was drowning in the taste of him, the feel of his hands in my hair, the way his body pressed against mine despite my heavily portruding pregnant belly.
When we finally broke apart, we were both gasping for air, staring at each other with a mixture of shock and overwhelming want. My lips felt swollen, tingling from the pressure of his kiss, and I could see my own desire reflected in his dark eyes.
"Diane," he breathed, his voice rough with emotion.
"I know," I whispered, because I didn’t trust myself to say anything else. The intensity of what had just happened, the way my body was still humming with need—it was almost too much to process.
Noah cleared his throat, visibly trying to compose himself. "Are you ready to go see the house?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice, and hurried inside to grab my keys and purse. My hands were shaking slightly as I collected my things, and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My lips were definitely swollen, my cheeks flushed, and my hair was slightly mussed from his hands. I looked like a woman who had just been thoroughly kissed, and the sight made my stomach flutter.
When I ca back outside, I tossed my keys to Noah with what I hoped was a sly smile. "You’re driving."
He caught them smoothly, his own smile devastating. "Anything for you, my lady."
The formal way he said it, combined with the heat still simring in his eyes, made my knees weak. I watched as he moved around to open the passenger door for , his movents graceful and confident. As he helped into the car, his hand lingered on mine just a mont longer than necessary.
I caught Joan watching us through the window, and I gave her a wink. She laughed and called out, "I might not be ho when you get back! I have a eting soon."
The ssage was clear: take your ti. I felt my blush deepen.
As we were about to pull out of the driveway, one of the security guards approached the car. Noah rolled down the window.
"Ma’am, we should follow you," the guard said professionally.
I leaned forward slightly. "It’s fine," I said, shooting Noah a aningful glance. "Noah is with . I’m safe as long as I’m with him."
The guard nodded and stepped aside, and we drove off.
The ride to the house was filled with comfortable conversation, but underneath it all, I was hyperaware of Noah’s presence beside . The way his hands looked on the steering wheel, the way he glanced over at at red lights, the lingering scent of his cologne in the enclosed space of the car.
When we pulled up to the house Dad had bought, I felt a surge of emotion. It was even more beautiful than I expected—a gorgeous two-story ho with a sprawling lawn and mature trees that provided natural privacy. The kind of place where children could play safely, where a family could build mories.
"Wow," Noah breathed as we walked up the front path. "Diane, this is incredible."
Inside, the house was even more impressive. The living room was furnished with plush sofas in neutral tones, and large windows let in streams of golden afternoon light. The kitchen was a chef’s dream, with granite countertops and top-of-the-line appliances that glead under the pendant lighting.
"Co upstairs," I said, taking Noah’s hand and leading him up the curved staircase.
The master bedroom was spacious and airy, with a walk-in closet that was bigger than so apartnts I’d lived in when i was still single. But it was the nursery that made stop in my tracks.
Dad had clearly spared no expense. The room was painted a soft, gender-neutral yellow, with white furniture that looked like it belonged in a magazine. There was a beautiful crib, a changing table, a rocking chair positioned perfectly by the window, and built-in shelves that were just waiting to be filled with books and toys.
I squeezed Noah’s hand. "Do you like it?"
He nodded, his voice soft with wonder. "It’s beautiful, Diane. Absolutely beautiful."
I walked over to examine the crib more closely. "I’d like to change this," I said, running my hand along the white railing. "I want to get pink and blue bedding instead of all this white. And maybe add more decorations—so artwork on the walls, maybe a mobile, so colorful rugs."
Noah smiled. "Let’s go shopping then."
—---
An hour later, we were walking through a high-end baby store, Noah pushing a cart while I selected items that caught my eye. Pink and blue bedding sets, soft blankets, whimsical wall decals, a beautiful musical mobile with tiny elephants and stars.
"This is fun," I said, holding up a set of matching picture fras. "I never got to do this with Liam."
Noah’s expression darkened slightly at the ntion of my soon to be ex-husband, but he quickly refocused on . "Well, I’m honored to be here with you now."
When we reached the checkout, the total was substantial, but Noah didn’t even blink as he handed over his credit card.
"Noah, you don’t have to..."
"I want to," he said firmly. "This is for our babies, rember?"
There was that word again. Our babies. Each ti he said it, it felt more natural, more right.
Back at the house, we worked together to transform the nursery. Noah assembled the new toddler beds while I arranged the bedding and decorations. Several tis, our hands brushed as we worked, and each touch sent little sparks of electricity through .
"Hand that pillow," I said, reaching for a decorative cushion at the sa ti he did.
Our fingers tangled together, and suddenly his hands were cupping my face, his thumbs brushing across my cheekbones. I felt that strange, wonderful sensation again—like every nerve ending in my body was suddenly awake and singing.
I laughed, but it ca out breathless and slightly shaky. "What are you doing to ?" I whispered.
"I could ask you the sa thing," he murmured, his eyes searching mine.
The mont stretched between us, charged with possibility, before I forced myself to step back. We still had work to do.
For the next hour, we arranged and rearranged the nursery to my satisfaction. At one point, Noah threw a small pillow at , hitting gently in the arm.
"Hey!" I protested, laughing as I threw it back.
This started a playful pillow fight that had us both giggling like children. It felt so natural, so easy, this playfulness between us. When was the last ti I’d laughed like this? When was the last ti I’d felt this light, this genuinely happy?
"I love this," I said as we finally surveyed our handiwork. The nursery now looked warm and welcoming, with splashes of pink and blue that sohow managed to be cheerful without being overwhelming.
"I love this too," Noah said, but he wasn’t looking at the room. He was looking at .
We settled onto the rocking chair together, Noah’s arm around my shoulders as I leaned against his chest. For a few minutes, we just sat in comfortable silence.
"Noah," I said eventually, "I’d like to invite you to have dinner with my family. Mom, Dad, Sophie, and Joan. At Dad’s house, so you can properly et my parents."
I felt him tense slightly. "All of them?"
I knew what he was thinking. "I know Sophie will be there, and I know that might be... awkward. After what she did with Liam."
Noah was quiet for a mont, and I worried I’d overstepped sohow.
"I’m looking forward to it," he said finally. "Your family is important to you, which makes them important to . Even Sophie. What happened between her and Liam... that’s in the past. We’re building sothing new now."
Relief flooded through . "When you get back from your business trip, then. I’ll arrange everything."
"About that," Noah said, his arm tightening around . "I actually didn’t cancel the trip entirely. I rescheduled it for tomorrow. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you right now."
I twisted in his arms to look at him. "You really did that for ?"
"I told you, Diane. You’re my priority now. You and these babies."
The sincerity in his voice made my eyes water. "I need to tell you sothing," I said. "Liam called yesterday. He was... aggressive. Challenging about taking him to court, making threats."
Noah’s jaw tightened. "What kind of threats?"
"The usual. That I’ll never get sole custody, that he’ll make sure I regret crossing him." I shook my head. "He sounded desperate, Noah. And desperate people do unpredictable things."
"Don’t worry about Liam," Noah said firmly, "You shouldn’t be stressing yourself about him, especially not this close to your due date. You need to focus on yourself and the babies. I’m here now, and I’ll take care of anything that threatens your peace of mind."
The protective edge in his voice made feel safer than I had in months.
"There’s sothing else," Noah continued. "Guerrero called earlier today. He had on a conference call with so of the other board mbers."
I straightened, suddenly alert. "What did he say?"
"He’s going to be acting as interim CEO while he finalizes the transition. He didn’t tell the board who the new CEO would be yet, but he made it clear that he has soone in mind. Since you successfully secured the Elite contract, the board knows you’re the likely candidate."
"But?" I could hear the hesitation in his voice.
"He’s being cautious. Liam still has people loyal to him in the company, and Guerrero doesn’t want to move too quickly and risk a revolt."
I sighed, feeling the familiar weight of corporate politics settling on my shoulders. "So I’m still in limbo."
"Not for long," Noah assured . "Guerrero told he has a big announcent to make at the next board eting. That’ll be when he gets back from his business trip—the sa ti I return from mine."
I nodded, trying to process this information while simultaneously being distracted by the way Noah’s thumb was tracing small circles on my arm.
"Whatever happens," I said finally, "I’m ready for it. I’ve co too far to back down now."
"That’s my girl," Noah murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
As we sat there, surrounded by the nursery we’d created together, I felt sothing shift inside . This wasn’t just about the house, or the babies, or even the position I was fighting for. This was about building a life with soone who saw as an equal partner, soone who wanted to share not just the big monts but the small, everyday ones too.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?"
"For being here. For choosing . For making feel like I deserve to be happy."
Noah’s arms tightened around . "Diane, you deserve everything good this world has to offer. And if you’ll let , I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you get it."
As we finally locked up the house and drove back to Joan’s in comfortable silence, I realized that sowhere between the kiss on the doorstep and the pillow fight in the nursery, sothing fundantal had changed between us. We were no longer just dating, no longer just testing the waters.
We were building sothing real. Sothing lasting. Sothing that felt, for the first ti in months, like ho
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