Page 27 of His Surrender

“I’ll see you tonight, sweetheart.”

She reaches one tiny hand toward his tie, and he chuckles, carefully untangling her fingers.

“I know. I’d rather stay too.” When he straightens, his gaze briefly finds mine again. “Thanks, Aubrey.”

The front door clicks shut behind him, leaving the apartment strangely quiet.

I look down at Liana. “Well,”—I smile— “looks like it’s just us today.”

By the time Liana goes down for her morning nap, I’ve unpacked another suitcase, started a load of laundry, and somehow convinced myself I know exactly what I’m doing.

My phone buzzes across the kitchen island. Sydney’s name appears on the screen.

I answer before the second ring.

“So,” she says without so much as a hello, “are you officially a New Yorker now?”

I laugh, leaning against the island. “I’ve been here for three whole days.”

“Ooh. Listen to you.”

“I even figured out how to use his fancy coffee machine.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“You should be. It came with instructions.”

Sydney laughs. “So”—I can practically hear the grin in her voice— “how’s life in billionaire land?”

I glance around the kitchen.

Sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting off marble countertops that probably cost more than my first car.

“It’s … surreal.”

“That’s one word for it.”

“I still can’t believe I’m living here.”

“Correction.” She pauses dramatically. “You’re living in Manhattan with a billionaire.”

I shake my head. “When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous.”

“Because it is ridiculous.” She lets out an excited squeal. “And not just any billionaire.”

I already know where this is going. “Sydney …”

“Your teenage crush.”

I groan, dropping my forehead against one of the upper cabinets. “I was hoping we’d leave him in high school.”

“No chance.”

“I was fifteen.”

“And … now you’re not.”

I laugh despite myself. She always knows exactly how to make me laugh.