Chapter 1

My best friend Lauren’s older brother, Logan, is finally back from his years abroad.

Word on the street is that he’s been so buried in his career that his love life has been an absolute desert.

Lauren couldn't stop sighing about it.

"I’m happily child-free, and my brother is a certified workaholic with zero romantic prospects. At this rate, the Miller family legacy ends with us!"

A few days later, I finally met the man, the myth, the legend.

And my brain completely short-circuited.

Why did he look exactly like the guy I slept with four years ago—the biological father of my daughter?

I’d heard Lauren rave about her brother for years.

He was a man with a reputation for having an iron will in the business world, and he’d been her idol since they were kids.

But ever since Lauren and I became friends, he’d been stationed overseas managing their international mergers.

I’d never actually laid eyes on him.

Until a week ago, when Logan officially returned. And this time, it seemed like he was back for good.

Now, looking at Lauren, who was completely wasted and passed out on the bar table, I was trying to figure out how to haul her home.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

It was Logan.

I hesitated for a moment. But when the phone started ringing for the third impatient time, I finally swiped to answer.

"Where are you? I’ll come pick you up," a deep, raspy voice vibrated through the speaker.

Honestly? It was incredibly hot.

My ears started burning for no reason, and I cleared my throat.

"Hi, I’m Sophia, Lauren’s friend. She’s... a little past her limit right now."

Before I could finish, Lauren suddenly bolted upright from the table like a zombie.

"My poor, tragic brother!" she wailed into the night. "He sacrificed his youth to conquer the overseas market, and now he’s old, single, and totally unwanted! He’s going to die alone!"

The other end of the line fell into a terrifying, dead silence.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, curing my own mild buzz instantly. "She’s really drunk. Here’s the address."

"Eight Maple Street," he said simply.

The line went dead.

I waited with Lauren inside for a bit, and when the time felt right, I helped her outside to wait by the curb.

In the distance, a sleek black SUV pulled up.

A tall man stepped out of the driver's seat. He was wearing a sharp, tailored cashmere coat that emphasized his broad shoulders and insanely long legs.

I couldn't make out his face in the dim light, but his silhouette alone was striking.

But the next second, the air caught in my throat.

He shut the car door and started walking toward us. His stride was steady, carrying an aura of effortless authority.

As the streetlights illuminated his face, the shadows shifted, and his features began to look terrifyingly familiar.

My fingers tightened around Lauren's arm, my entire body freezing up.

*No way,* I screamed internally. *It’s been four years. The world is huge. There’s no way...*

He stopped right in front of us. He was so close that I could see the sharp angle of his jaw and catch the faint, crisp scent of cedarwood radiating from him.

Then, he looked up and locked eyes with me.

Time slowed to an absolute crawl.

Those sharp, piercing eyes, the deep-set brow, the firmly set lips.

Every single detail dragged a buried memory right back to the surface. That chaotic night... the burning heat of his skin in the dark, the roughness of his palms, his heavy, ragged breathing in my ear...

My heart hammered violently against my ribs.

It was him.

It was really him.

The stranger from the bar four years ago—the man whose name I didn't even know, but who had given me my beautiful daughter—was standing right in front of me.

Lauren's brother, Logan Miller, was Nina's father.

My one-night stand.

Right then, the phone in my pocket began to vibrate furiously.

The FaceTime ringtone sounded deafening in the quiet night.

"Is that Nina?" Lauren mumbled, leaning heavily on my shoulder and squinting at the screen. "It’s so late... pick up..."

My fingers trembled violently as I reached into my pocket.

Logan stood there, his towering figure practically casting a shadow over me.

I swiped the screen, and Nina’s chubby little face filled the display.

"Mommy!"

Her bright, sweet voice cut through the tense air like a knife.

I saw Logan’s brow twitch ever so slightly.

"Nina," I turned my body away, lowering my voice to escape the gaze that felt like it was burning a hole through my skull. "Why are you still awake, sweetie?"

"I missed you, Mommy! Where are you?" Nina peered curiously at the screen. In the background, I could hear my mom, Lisa, telling her it was bedtime.

"Mommy's outside, I'll be home soon," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, though my throat felt like it was closing up. "Go to sleep with Grandma, okay?"

Even without looking, I could feel Logan's eyes locked onto the side of my face.

"Okay... Goodnight, Mommy." Nina blew a kiss and hung up.

The moment the call ended, the silence returned.

But this time, it was tighter, heavier, and charged with something dangerous.

Lauren was now practically draped over her brother, mumbling nonsense. Logan held her steady with one arm, but his gaze never left my face.

"Sophia," he said suddenly.

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

My heart leaped into my throat as I looked up to meet his eyes.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asked.

"No..." I gasped, desperate to escape. "I can manage. Thank you."