I found myself standing by the expansive glass wall of my office on the thirty-fifth floor of the De Angelis Inc building, right in the heart of the city. I watched the people below, moving like ants, as my thoughts drifted back to the past and the events that led me to this point.
This morning, the company’s board had finally voted in my favor, naming me CEO. Before this, Lucian, my older brother, had been acting as the interim CEO until I felt ready to take the reins. But Lucian had his own business to run—his law practice with Aidan—and I knew I was asking a lot of him.
Lucian never complained, though. That was one of the things I loved about him. He would do anything I asked, no questions asked. But now, he had even more on his plate.
Ever since Lucian got married about seven months ago, I’d been inspired to take charge of the company in a way I never had before. I was thrilled that my efforts were finally paying off.
Speaking of Lucian, I was so happy he’d finally settled down with Aria. She was not only a businesswoman like me—owning the Cinnamon bakery and cafe—but also a sweetheart. She complemented my brother in ways I never thought possible.
Lucian had always been a heartbreaker, never serious about settling down, but meeting Aria changed all that.
At one point, I thought Aidan Callaghan—my brother’s best friend and business partner—was the one for me. But after he left me on my twentieth birthday, he’d been making a concerted effort to avoid me, even though we kept running into each other.
I thought his cold shoulder would have turned me off by now, but there was always something there, a spark in the air whenever we were close.
A knock at my door pulled me out of my thoughts.
I turned to face the door. “Come in.”
The door opened and, as if on cue, my sister-in-law walked in, her face lighting up when she saw me.
“Hi.”
“Aria!” I rushed past my chair to hug her, surprised by her visit. “What brings you here?”
She was dressed in her usual bakery uniform—a black tee and skinny jeans—and held a paper bag and coffee cup in her hand.
“Are you here to see Luc?” I asked before she could answer. “The board meeting ended an hour ago, but I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”
Her green eyes sparkled at the mention of her husband’s name. Then she shook her head, making her ponytail sway.
“I’m not here to see Lucian. I brought you a macchiato and a chocolate croissant.” She placed my favorites on my desk. “You haven’t been to the bakery in a while. I missed you.”
Aria and I had become fast friends since we met over a year ago, but I’d been so busy with work that I’d put my social life on hold for the past few months.
I sat down next to her and took her hand in mine.
“I’m sorry,” I told her sincerely. “I know I’ve been MIA, but I’m so glad you stopped by.”
The door opened then, and my brother walked in without knocking. Sometimes, it was like looking at a male version of myself. Lucian and I had the same dark hair and sapphire blue eyes, but his muscular frame was evident even under his three-piece suit.
“What did I miss?” he asked, leaning over to kiss his wife’s temple.
“Nothing,” Aria said quickly, standing up to join him. “I was waiting for you.” She squeezed his hand.
Lucian automatically wrapped an arm around her waist, a look of pure adoration on his face.
I looked from one to the other, confused by their behavior. “What’s going on?”
“Luc and I…we’re going to have a baby,” Aria blurted out, barely able to contain her excitement.
My eyes widened in shock, and then, as the news sank in, I let out a squeal of excitement.
Rick, Lucian’s bodyguard, rushed into the room, then walked back out when Lucian laughed as I hugged them.
I kissed Aria on the cheek, then turned to my brother, my eyes filling with tears of joy.
He pulled me into a hug. “Congratulations, Aunty.” He kissed my forehead as I laid my head on his chest.
“I’m so happy for you, Luc,” I told him when he let me go. “For both of you.”
“You two are making me cry,” Aria sniffled, watching us.
“Off with you.” I playfully pushed my brother toward the door. “We have girl talk to do. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Luc raised his hands in surrender and, after one last kiss for his wife, left as quickly as he had come in.
“How long have you known?” I asked Aria when we sat down again.
She gave me a sheepish look. “About a week.”
When my jaw dropped, she quickly added, “It was so hard keeping it from you. But we wanted to make sure everything was okay with the baby before we told anyone.”
I nodded. “How far along are you?”
“About fifteen weeks.”
She seemed nervous, I noticed.
“Are you okay?” I asked her. “I know there have been some big changes for you over the past year, and now this.”
She let out a breath, then smiled. “Yes, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Well, the morning sickness I could do without, but other than that…” She looked at me. “I wish you could be this happy, Cat.”
I took a sip of my macchiato before responding. “Don’t worry about me, Aria. I’m fine.”
She gave me a dubious look. “I hope you’re not still holding out for Aidan,” she said carefully, aware of my long-standing crush on my brother’s best friend. “You know his lifestyle, Cat.”
I met her gaze, my expression thoughtful. “Speaking of which… I’ve never asked, and you’ve never told me whether you, Luc, and Aidan…” My voice trailed off as images flooded my mind.
Her eyes widened. “Of course not, Cat!” she gasped. “I would have told you.”
I released a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. Then, I noticed the blush creeping up her neck.
“But we almost did…once,” she admitted, avoiding my eyes.
“Almost,” I repeated.
She exhaled deeply, searching for the right words. “When Luc and I first got together, I was scared I wasn’t satisfying him because of my…inexperience,” she began. “So, I told him I could do anything he’d done before.”
“Including a threesome,” I finished for her, amazed.
She nodded slowly. “But I couldn’t go through with it,” she confessed. “And honestly, I don’t think Luc wanted me to either.”
Considering Lucian’s protective nature toward Aria, I could believe that.
“Because you were different from the others. I get that,” I agreed, locking eyes with her.
“So why can’t I be that for Aidan?”
Her face softened as she grasped my point, turning sympathetic. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t judge you. You’re right. Not too long ago, Luc’s lifestyle was pretty similar to Aidan’s.”
Feeling the need to lighten the mood, she suddenly blurted out, “Anyway, we should go out. Have a girls’ night! It’s been ages since we had one.”
I stared at her as if she’d sprouted horns. “You just announced your pregnancy, Aria. Do you want my brother to murder me?”
She dismissed my concern with a wave of her hand. “Luc’s flying to Europe tonight. Let me worry about him,” she said with a smug smile. “I want to go dancing.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve really changed since meeting my brother, haven’t you?”
She just responded with a secretive smile.
