I love you.
Three words. Simple. Ruinous.
And I'd locked up.
Not because I didn't feel it. Christ, the depth of it terrified me—this consuming, overwhelming force that had taken root inside me and refused to be dislodged. It surged when she laughed. When she pushed. When she trusted me with things no one else touched.
But the words wouldn't come.
They'd lodged behind walls I'd been building since childhood. Foundations my father had poured, brick by brick, every time he weaponized my mother's love. Turned affection into obligation. Tenderness into debt.
So when Emma had held my gaze with her heart laid bare—
I'd said nothing.
And I'd let the moment pass.
"Hey." Todd pulled me back. "Where'd you go?"
I blinked, refocusing on his face.
"Nowhere," I said. "Just thinking."
"About?"
I shook my head. "Nothing that matters."
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
Across the room, Emma laughed again—softer this time, a wistful note beneath it. Vivian reached over and squeezed her hand.
Tell her, a voice inside me screamed.Tell her before she decides your silence is the only answer she'll ever get.
But the words stayed locked behind myteeth.
"So." I cleared my throat, forcing the weight from my tone. "How are things with you two? It's been a while since we've talked."
The deflection was obvious. Todd's raised eyebrow told me he'd caught it.
But he let me have it anyway.
"Things are good. Really good, actually." A tenderness crept into his face that I'd never seen on him before—softer than the sharp-edged Dominant I'd known for over a decade. "We're having a baby."
I straightened. "You're serious?"
"As a heart attack." He grinned, unguarded joy that looked foreign on his face. "We just found out a couple of weeks ago."
"Todd, that's—" I reached over, clasping his shoulder. "Congratulations. Both of you. That's incredible news."
"Thanks, man." He ducked his head, almost sheepish. "It's terrifying as hell, if I'm being honest."
I glanced across the room at Vivian, seeing her differently now. The woman who'd once knelt at my feet, who'd craved structure and rules and the safety of knowing exactly where she stood—she was going to be a mother.
"I'm happy for you," I said, and meant it. "Truly. You two will be great parents."
"We'll see." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Viv's already brainstorming pregnancy protocols."
I balked. "I'm sorry—what?"
