As everyone filed out of the room, the tension finally drained with them. Tablets disappeared, chairs slid back into place, and the door shut behind the last suit. I stayed seated, staring at Nala like she'd just finished casting a spell in a language I definitely didn't speak.

"What in the fuck was that?" I asked. "What just happened. And please explain it like I'm five."

Nala paused, then leaned back against the edge of the table, crossing her arms. Her expression softened, amused.

"Alright," she said. "Five-year-old version." She pointed toward the door. "Anotta has a lot of money. We have a very expensive idea."

"Okay," I said. "I'm with you so far."

"Project Phoenix is basically a very smart guard dog," she continued. "It watches your house. It learns who belongs there. If something weird happens, it doesn't just bark. It locks the doors, calls for help, and keeps you safe before things get bad."

"So… rich people alarm system," I said.

"Smarter than that," Nala corrected. "It thinks ahead. That's the selling point."

"And Anotta?" I asked.

"She's paying us to finish building it and prove it works," Nala said. "In return, she gets a slice of the money Phoenix makes. Not control. Just profit."

I frowned. "And all that legal talk?"

"That was us making sure she can't hijack the project," she replied. "She gets oversight, not the steering wheel."

"Huh." I leaned back. "Okay… yeah. That was better. Why not just say it like that in the meeting?"

Nala laughed, pushing herself off the table. "Because if we talked like that in front of investors, they'd think we were idiots."

"Rude," I muttered, then smirked. "Fair."

She grabbed her tablet and slung it under her arm. "Come on. You earned a coffee after surviving your first board meeting."

I stood and stretched. "Yes, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes, already heading for the door.

I followed a few steps behind, pulled my phone out, and called Delilah.

She picked up on the second ring. "Hey. Jasmine just told me Kim's back. Thank god."

I smiled without meaning to. "Yeah. I feel like the luckiest man alive."

She chuckled softly. "So you called just to deliver the good news?"

"No," I said. "I mean, that too. But mostly I kinda missed you." I hesitated, then added, "Think we could meet up at your place? Well. Ivy's place. Since it's technically her home. Then we'll go to my penthouse."

She laughed, low and amused. "God, you're impossible." Another beat. "Fine. Come by after work."

"I love you," I said, easy and honest.

"I love you too, Evan." I could hear the smile in her voice. "Bye."

"Bye."

❤︎❤︎❤︎

I knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, it opened, and Delilah stood there in a loose sweater, hair tied back, looking tired but glowing in that soft way she always did.

"Hey," I said, holding up the small paper bag. "Brought some dessert."

"Oh, you didn't have to," she said, smiling as she took it from me and stepped aside to let me in.

"Well," I said, walking past her, lowering my voice a little, "you are pregnant with my baby." I gave her ass a quick, playful slap. "Just trying to be a responsible future father."

She smirked and leaned in, kissing me deeply. "Such a good daddy."

The bathroom door opened down the hall.

We broke apart instantly.

Delilah cleared her throat and headed toward the kitchen with the bag while I did the same, pretending nothing happened, and dropped onto one of the couches in the living room.

Ivy came out a moment later, hands still a little damp, drying them on her shirt. She stopped when she saw me, then sat on the couch across from mine with a long exhale. Yeah. Something was definitely on her mind.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," I replied.

She hesitated for half a second. "So… what was that back at the café?"

I leaned back. "What do you mean?"

"You telling me to stay away from Carrie," Ivy said. "She's like… I don't know, a national treasure or something."

"She really isn't," I said. "Come on."

"Well, okay, maybe not literally," she admitted, crossing her legs. "But still. Can you just tell me what happened?"

I exhaled quietly. "Her son. Tom. He's… not a good guy, Ivy. Trust me."

Her brows pulled together. "What did he do?"

"Hit and run," I said simply. "That's why I didn't want you anywhere near them." I paused, then added, "And he's kind of a creep."

"Oh my god," Ivy said immediately. "He kept staring at my chest. Like nonstop. I was about to say something, but Carrie was right there."

I nodded. "Exactly."

She tilted her head. "So how do you even know her?"

"She's an investor in our company," I lied. "That's where."

"Oh." Ivy blinked. "Huh. Still wild to me that you work at a company."

"Life happens," I said with a smirk.

Delilah returned with a tray and set it on the coffee table between us. I'd picked up a small assortment from a nearby bakery: chocolate lava cake slices, vanilla cheesecake squares, and fruit tarts with glossy berries on top. Nothing too heavy, nothing too weird. Safe choices.

"Evan brought dessert," Delilah said.

Ivy grabbed a plate immediately. "Mother, don't get me wrong, but I think you should maybe… eat a little less. You're gaining weight."

Delilah coughed. "Wow. You're really saying that in front of him?"

Ivy shrugged. "I'm just being honest."

I laughed and reached for a plate as well. "This is a very welcoming household."

They both started eating.

"Okay," Ivy said after a bite. "This is actually really good."

"Yeah," I said, taking a forkful myself. "Worth it."

Ivy looked up at me, squinting slightly. "Have you been working out?"

I raised a brow. "What, is it that obvious?"

"Kinda," she said. "Your arms look bigger."

"I've been working out at home," I said. "Nothing crazy."

She nodded approvingly. "You look good. Keep it up, champ." Then she glanced at Delilah with a grin. "If only my mother would do the same."

"Oh, I'd ground you if this was my house," Delilah shot back.

Ivy lifted both hands. "Okay, okay. Sorry."

I leaned back, dessert in hand, watching them bicker, feeling oddly calm. After everything with Carrie and Tom, this felt good. Warm. Normal. And knowing Delilah sat beside me, pregnant with my baby, grounded me in a way I hadn't expected. Kim was safe too. She was pregnant as well. At first, I hadn't known what to feel about any of it. Now, though, all I could think was how lucky I was.

Delilah swallowed the last bite on her fork and glanced at me. "Hey, Evan, could you drop me off at the mall later? The girls and I were planning to meet up."

"Of course," I said. "When?"

"In about twenty minutes."

"Then we should leave now. Traffic's been awful lately."

"Really?" she said, already pushing herself up. "Okay, yeah. Let me get ready."

She disappeared into her bedroom, door closing behind her.

That left Ivy and me alone in the living room, and my stomach tightened despite myself. Sooner or later, she was going to notice that her mother was pregnant. She was sharp, too sharp to miss it forever. And when she did, she would ask questions Delilah couldn't answer honestly. That was the part that gnawed at me. They couldn't stay together once Delilah started showing. Not without everything falling apart.

Ivy picked up her phone and started texting, legs tucked beneath her. She looked relaxed, oblivious to the spiral running through my head.

"She looks different," Ivy said suddenly, slipping her phone back into her pocket and looking at me. "My mom, I mean."

"Different how?"

"Happy," she said. "Like… glowing."

"That's not a bad thing," I said carefully.

"Yeah," she murmured, then leaned closer. "I think she might have a boyfriend."

"Oh."

I didn't trust my face, so I took another bite of dessert and focused on chewing. Ivy leaned back, exhaling.

"Maybe I'm just imagining things."

"What if she does?" I asked once I'd swallowed. "Have a boyfriend and…"

Ivy's expression hardened immediately. "Then I'd choke that bastard."

I gulped. "That's a strong reaction."

"I mean it," she said. "I wouldn't accept anyone else. Ever."

I nodded, noncommittal, my phone buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out. A message from Delilah.

'Bathroom. Now.'

I cleared my throat and stood. "Uh, bathroom break."

"Mm," Ivy replied without looking up.

I walked down the hall and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

I pushed open the bathroom door quietly, slipping inside and closing it behind me with a soft click. Delilah was standing there by the sink, already half-undressed, her dress unzipped and hanging off one shoulder. She looked at me with that knowing smile, her full lips curving as she stepped closer.

"Finally," she whispered, pulling me in for a kiss. Our mouths met hard, tongues sliding together, her hands fisting my shirt as I backed her against the counter. The faint sound of the TV from the living room filtered through the door—Ivy out there, oblivious, munching on dessert.

I broke the kiss just enough to murmur against her lips, "Ivy's right outside. Eating her dessert like a good girl. And here we are... you're such a bad mommy, aren't you? Sneaking me in here to fuck while your daughter's in the next room."

Delilah shivered, her breath hot on my neck. "Shut up... she might hear. But fuck, Evan, that makes it hotter. Don't stop talking like that."

I chuckled low, nipping her earlobe. "Yeah? You like the risk? Ivy could walk in any second and see her mom pressed against the counter, begging for cock."

She moaned softly, hands sliding under my shirt, nails scraping my back. "Evan... keep going... but be quiet..."

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