Page 13 of The Billionaire's Paradise

“Do you think we’re ready?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “But I don’t think anyone ever is.”

“Do you think we’ll be good at it?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “I think we’ll figure it out.”

He pulled back just enough to look at me. “I’m scared.”

“Me too.”

“But I want it.”

“So do I.”

Something shifted in the air. A deeper closeness, threaded with uncertainty and need.

Cal slid his hand under my shirt, fingers warm against my skin. “We should enjoy tonight. Just the two of us.”

“Because soon it won’t be just the two of us anymore.”

He leaned down and kissed me. It was soft at first, then firmer, more determined. I kissed him back, my hands sliding up beneath his shirt, palms pressed to the familiar shape of him.

We moved toward the bedroom together.

Clothes came off slowly. Thoughtfully. His fingers tugged at my shirt. I threaded off his belt and planted kisses down thelength of his neck. There was nothing rushed, nothing greedy. Just quiet need.

My hands slid down his back as he nudged me toward the bed, our mouths refusing to part.

When he lay over me, my chest ached from how much love I felt for my husband.

When he pushed into me, it wasn’t just about seeking release. It was about anchoring everything we were feeling in something real…us.

He held my face, eyes locked to mine, like he needed to watch every flicker of emotion as it moved through me.

“I love you,” he whispered against my lips.

I pulled him closer. “I love you too.”

Afterward, we lay tangled in the sheets, limbs draped over each other, skin still warm. The city lights blinked softly outside.

“Do you think the surrogate case manager will like us?” I asked.

“She’ll love us,” Cal said. “And if she doesn’t, Rashida will step in and stage a full-scale PR intervention.”

I smiled into his chest. “That actually makes me feel better.”

“She’s already prepared color-coded spreadsheets.”

“Of course she has.”

His fingers threaded through mine under the covers.

“Maybe we’re going to be really good at this,” he said softly.

“Maybe. I hope so. God, I hope so.”

Outside, the night settled around us. Tomorrow, everything would begin.