Raf unravels me again and again, his body attuned to my every desire—as if he can pluck them from my mind before they’re even fully formed.
Afterward, we lie tangled together, the sheets warm, the room dim. His arm is heavy around my waist, his thumb tracing slow patterns into my skin.
The moment feels fragile, honest, and I know that I can’t keep waiting, hoping for an answer. I need to be brave enough to find it.
Taking a breath, I decide to find my courage—and take a leap.
“Can I ask you something?” I say quietly.
He hums, lips brushing my shoulder. “Always.”
I stare at the wall, heart racing. “Do you still feel like… you’ll never be able to love another woman? That Genevieve was it for you?”
His thumb stills.
I regret the question instantly, fear spiking sharply and suddenly.
But he doesn’t pull away. He shifts slightly, propping himself up on an elbow, cheek resting in his palm so he can look at me. “I used to think that,” he says slowly. “For a long time.”
I swallow. “And now?”
He exhales, gaze distant. “Now I think Genevieve wouldn’t want me to live like that. Closed off. Alone.” His eyes come back to me. “I’m starting to come around to the idea of wanting a family someday.” The corner of his lips tips up, forming that devastatingly charming crooked smile.
And the words send a rush of warmth and terror straight through me.
He studies my face. “How do you feel about it?”
My pulse roars in my ears. He means it generally, hypothetically. I know that. But my heart doesn’t care.
“Are you ready to call our fake relationship quits?” he asks almost playfully. “To start a family of our own?”
The question lands heavily between us.
This is the edge of the cliff.
I can feel it.
We’re both hedging around the real question—whether we can be a real couple.
One step forward changes everything. And it makes me nervous.
Then I think of Riley’s sleepy smiles.
Of the way Raf looks at her.
Of the way he holds me like I matter.
I want that.
I want all of it for a lifetime.
“I do,” I say softly. “I want a family,” I amend, keeping that door cracked and praying he’ll step through it.
He searches my face, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes, and suddenly, I’m nervous, my mouth running to stave off the silence.
“I’ve always wanted children—a house full of them, making it ring with laughter and noise.” Emotion swells in my chest as I recall with vivid clarity the moment I took my daughter in my arms for the very first time. “There’s no better feeling than becoming a mother.” The words are barely out of my mouth before I realize what I’ve done, and my stomach plummets.
Raf’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?” he asks.
