Ryan's POV
The soft laughter echoed from the penthouse as I made my way up the elevator. I'd stayed later than usual at the office, finalizing another deal with Saint Corp's properties. The city felt colder tonight, its bright lights a reminder of the life I'd been chasing—endless work, prestige, and a future built on control.
But something inside of me shifted when I stepped into the penthouse, the door opening with a familiar creak.
It was quiet at first.
Then I heard it.
Mia.
Eric.
They were in the kitchen. I hadn't expected the scene before me—the way they moved so naturally, so at ease together. Mia was there, bending over the counter, preparing something. Eric was perched on the stool beside her, his small hands trying to help as they flourished cookies into perfect little shapes. The scent of baked goods lingered in the air, warm and comforting, and I couldn't help but notice how Mia was smiling—really smiling.
I stopped in the doorway, watching them. She caught my eye briefly, and for a moment, I saw the soft tenderness in her gaze as she looked at Eric—like a mother would, like I had never imagined she would for him.
Mia didn't see me, not yet. But Eric did. He grinned, waving his tiny hand at me.
"Uncle Ryan! Aunt Mia is the best! She let me help make cookies!"
It was an innocent statement, one that tugged at something in me I didn't recognize.
A part of me wanted to stay invisible, just leave them to their small moment of normalcy, but I couldn't. The sight of Mia with Eric, so domestic, so…whole, made the tightness in my chest grow unbearable.
Mia set down the rolling pin with a soft chuckle. She wiped her hands on the dish towel before walking over to me.
"Back so soon?" she asked, the words casual, but I could hear the edge of concern beneath them.
I wanted to say something sharp, to remind her of the distance between us, the contract, the way things were supposed to be. But I didn't. Instead, I said, "How was your evening?"
She nodded toward the counter, the remnants of their work—half-made cookies and flour strewn about. "We made cookies. Eric helped," she said softly, her smile more genuine than anything I had seen in a long time.
I felt a strange pull at my chest, an unfamiliar tightening.
I had told myself I didn't need anyone. That I didn't want anyone to get too close. But seeing Mia and Eric in this small, quiet moment made something inside of me stir.
Why did it feel like they belonged here—together—in this space? Why did I feel like an outsider in my own home?
Eric skipped over to me, pulling on my hand as he beamed. "Can I show you the cookies we made? You can have one!"
I didn't answer right away. Instead, I looked at Mia, who was still smiling, her expression soft. She was so much more than the woman I'd contracted for a marriage. In this quiet moment, she was something entirely different. Something that I hadn't realized I was starting to want.
"I'm not sure they'll be any good," Mia teased as Eric practically dragged me to the table. "You're welcome to try, but you might need a glass of milk with them."
The image of them together—the way they laughed, the way Eric clung to me as though I wasn't some stranger—was too much for me to ignore. They were a family.
And I couldn't understand why I felt the need to keep my distance from it.
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Later That Night – Ryan's POV
The night had come too fast. Eric had long since gone to bed, and the silence that settled over the penthouse was heavier than usual. I stood at the window, staring out over the city, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
It wasn't just the cookies or the soft smiles.
It was the way Mia had looked at Eric—and the way she had looked at me, too, when I first came in. There was something in her eyes that unsettled me. Was it care? Maybe. But it was more than that. She was becoming part of this life—my life, whether I wanted her to or not.
I couldn't stop thinking about the small moments. The things I had missed before, the things I hadn't allowed myself to see. And now, all I could think about was how much more I wanted to know about her.
But I couldn't do this. I couldn't let myself be consumed by them. Mia and Eric… they weren't mine to have. Not in the way I had ever allowed myself to believe.
Still, a part of me wondered if I could change that.
Would I even allow myself.