I lay back in the hospital bed, my baby in her bassinet beside me, tucked up in pink sheets, swaddled and sleeping. I hurt. Every part of me hurt, but I had never been as happy in my entire life. She was perfect and precious, and she had the tiniest mouth.

Which meant my nipples had their work cut out for them. “Honestly, the weirdest tired thought I’ve ever had,” I muttered, and stifled a yawn.

Not the weirdest. Not the most uncomfortable, even.

Noah had delivered my baby. He’d helped bring her into this world, even though he’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. The pain of that sat in my chest and was exactly why we had to clarify our boundaries all over again.

Oh god, I have to talk to him. I have to contact Mom and Dad. And Marc.

And I still had to figure out latching with a newborn. That part excited me. And naming her. There was so much to look forward to with my little one, and so much to dread with everyone else.

The door creaked open and I turned to it, smiling. Luna had promised she’d come back as soon as she’d gotten something to drink and eat, and I couldn’t wait to talk to her about my baby—about naming her, specifically.

But Luna didn’t step through the open door.

Noah entered, his cheeks red and his eyes glassy. “Erika,” he said.

“Oh,” I scooched up, as gently as I could, and kept my voice low in case my girl woke up. “I guess now’s a good a time as any to talk.”

“How are you feeling?” Noah shut the door behind himself quietly, then walked over to the bed. He halted, pressed his hands to his sides. “Do you need pain medication?”

“No,” I said stiffly. “I’m fine.” It was too difficult seeing him like this. My heart ached for him. Every part of me needed him in some way, and it wasn’t just physical, either. I had missed him so much.

I had missed the scent of his cologne, his actual presence, the half-smile when he found something I’d done funny—like insisting on buying Christmas decorations. I’d missed the sound of his voice, the reverberation of his laugh in a room. I’d missed his opinions on life, on business, on the past.

“Erika,” he said, and took another step closer. He was softer than the last time I’d seen him, in his office.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to focus. The truth was, it didn’t matter how much I missed Noah or what silly fantasies I’d had about being with him as a young woman. I had a baby to look after now, a life to shape, and I would do everything in my power to ensure that it was fruitful, happy, and uninterrupted by an irresponsible parent.

“All right,” I said, still softly, but just as firm as I’d planned. “I understand that today wasn’t exactly the best outcome for either of us, but it happened. So let’s deal with it. I assume you still don’t want anything to do with me or the baby?”

Noah’s jaw dropped. “Erika...”

“That’s fine. Then we can put this past us and move on with our lives.” My heart shattered for what had to be the third time around him. Because of him. Oh no, it was more than that. How many times had he broken my heart in high school too? “You can forget it ever happened. Just pretend like you were doing your job as normal, and I was another single mommy who needed some help delivering her child. That suit you?”

“What’s going on?” Noah asked. “Erika, I had no idea you were doing this on your own. If I’d known, I would have been there for you every step of the way.”

Confusion brimmed over. I blinked up at him. “Huh? What do you mean, if you knew? You were the one who told me I had to do it on my own. You didn’t want to be involved.”

Noah’s expression was a thunderstorm. He clenched his fists. “Erika,” he said. “Erika, who’s the father of this baby?”

Another wave of confusion, followed by anger. “That’s really effing low, Noah. Really low. You know who the father is. You’ve known all along. You—”

“No,” he said, “I haven’t. I was under the impression that Jason was the father of your child, and that you were back with him.”

The words made absolutely no sense. They jarred against me, and I struggled for mental purchase. “What?”

“Marc told me that you were back together with your ex and pregnant. I didn’t believe it until you came to see me here, and you told me—”

“No,” I whispered. “Oh no, this is unbelievable! This is so, so, so bad.” It was my turn to clench my fists. “Marc—you—Marc.”

“He told me that you were back with your ex, and I trusted it was the truth. When you came to see me that day, I thought you were there to taunt me or to, I don’t know what. None of it made sense. After, I tried to get hold of you, to find out what was really going on, but it was like you disappeared. Your friend wouldn’t let me near you. I couldn’t call you. Marc wouldn’t give me your number. You’d moved, I thought back to fuck—I mean, effing Chicago, and I have been—Erika, when you arrived here today, it was like seeing you again for the first time.” He fumbled closer. “It was like breathing again.”

Fury at my brother raged through my veins. At his tampering. He hadn’t given up after all. He’d acted like he was fine with Noah being the father, with me keeping the baby, and he’d gone behind my back and ruined everything.

I’d spent the last nine months waking up crying over a man who I’d believed not only rejected me but my daughter as well, and, in truth, he’d had no idea.

“That’s why you were so angry that day,” I whispered. “You thought I’d come back to throw the pregnancy and my ex in your face?”

“I wanted to believe that,” Noah replied. “Wanted to believe that you couldn’t feel for me, because it would make all the feelings I had for your bullshit. Because I was scared.” He mouthed a swear word but didn’t say it out loud. “Erika, is she—is the baby—?”

“She’s yours,” I whispered. “She’s your daughter.”

“Oh my god.” He grabbed a chair and placed it beside my bed, then sat down. He took my hand and drew it into his. “I delivered my daughter. I’m a dad.”

“Yes,” I said, my heart tha-thumping against the inside of my throat. Gosh, I was one giant heart at this point, tense and beating over time. “What does this mean?”

“It means we were lied to,” Noah said and lifted my hand. He brushed his lips across my knuckles, and tears welled up again. “It means we were robbed.” Noah searched my face, those dark, expressive eyes flicking back and forth. “I’m so sorry you had to do this on your own, Erika. So sorry. I—if I’d understood what was happening, I would have been there for you every step of the way, every step. Through the midnight cravings and the hormones. I thought you had someone. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“That was partly my fault, Noah.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “I owe you an apology. After what happened at the hotel, I was still unsure, and I needed space. Needed time away because I was scared of how I felt for you, and then I found out I was pregnant and—”

“And Marc started lying his ass off.”

“Pretty much.” I couldn’t laugh at it. I was too angry with my brother. “Noah, there’s so much we need to talk about. About our baby, about us.”

“I know,” he said. “And I’m ready to talk about it whenever you are. If you need rest first, I’ll understand.”

“You’re so calm.” I smiled at him, inhaling him, allowing myself to appreciate him instead of just shutting myself down completely. It was dangerous territory, but for once, I wanted to believe that Noah was true, and honest, and that he wouldn’t play any games. Not when it came to something this important.

“I’m forcing myself to be calm for you and for the baby. Inside, I’m ready to rip Marc a new...butthole.”

“Well put,” I replied.

Noah lifted my hand again and kissed it, then got up and circled around to the bassinet. Carefully, he twitched the blankets aside, just enough to make out our daughter’s little fist, clutched into a tiny ball. He stroked the back of it, his finger huge against her soft skin, and swallowed audibly.

“She’s beautiful.”

“She’s ours,” I whispered.

There was still loads to figure out, but I could relax for now. I settled back, opened my mouth to tell Noah about how fast it had all happened and—

The door swung open and Marc stepped into the room, his hair a mess and dark circles under his eyes. “Erika, I came as soon as—” He spotted Noah and the words died on his lips. “What are you doing here?”