Ava’s POV

Six days to go. I stare at the date circled on my phone’s calendar, my thumb brushing over the screen. Six days until I find out if I’m going to be a mom, or if my whole world needs a new plan.

Since Sophie inseminated me last week, it’s all I can think about. Jake’s betrayal, his smug voice, those damn smoothies, sits like a bruise in my chest, but I haven’t had the energy to process it. Not when every quiet moment pulls me into daydreams of a baby, tiny hands, soft gurgles, a future that’s mine. I catch myself humming as I pull on my coat, a silly little tune I used to sing in foster care, and head to work.

The Upper East Side brownstone where I nanny is straight out of a movie, limestone facade, iron gates, the kind of place you’d see in Gossip Girl. It’s a world away from my Brooklyn walk-up, but the kids make it home. “Ava!” Elliot and Mia shout as I step inside, their voices echoing off the marble foyer. Elliot, five and full of energy, barrels into me, while three-year-old Mia wraps her arms around my knees.

“Morning, you two!” I laugh, returning their hugs. “Ready for the museum?”

“Yesss!” they yell, darting for the door without their coats. It takes ten minutes of coaxing to bundle them up, Elliot in his puffy blue jacket, Mia in a pink pom-pom hat that makes her look like a marshmallow. We head out into the snowy morning, aiming for the Natural History Museum.

Elliot races ahead, his boots crunching on the sidewalk, while Mia’s tiny legs struggle to keep up. I scoop her up, settling her on my hip. “You’re getting heavy, kiddo,” I tease, poking her nose.

“Nope!” Mia giggles. “You’re just small.”

She’s not wrong. At five-one, I’m built more for cuddles than heavy lifting, though I’m stronger than I look from chasing these two. “Cheeky,” I say, tickling her.

I glance up to check on Elliot and freeze. He’s stopped dead on the sidewalk, right in front of Liam Carver’s condo, a sleek, modern tower that screams money. And Liam is outside right there, his dark overcoat dusted with snow. His blue eyes fix on me, penetrating and intense as though he is staring straight into my heart.

My breath ceases. Up close, he is far more astounding: tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that falls precisely as though he stepped out of a perfume commercial. Still, his appearance is not all that counts. Something about him, seductive and authoritative, makes my skin tingle.

Mia waves. “"Hello, Mr. Carver!" she says, as brave as usual. Liam's expression mellows, and he kneels down to see her eyes, a smile developing on his mouth. "Hi, Mia. Where will you be off today?"

"Dinosaurs!" she cries, arms outstretched. He says, his tone warm.

"fortunate you," and I twist. Sophie’s words echo, Liam’s samples at the clinic, his health scare. He’s great with kids, and I wonder what it’s like to want a family and not be able to have one. I understand, more than he could ever realize.

Elliot, in the meantime, is displaying his new toy car, a glossy red model he can’t get enough of. “Check this out!” he exclaims, cranking it up and watching it dash along the pavement. It rolls excessively, sliding into the street, directly into the way of a yellow cab speeding along Fifth Avenue.

“Elliot, no!” I shout, my heart lurching as he darts after it. Just as I'm about to place Mia down, a streak of motion zips by. Liam darts like a flash, grabbing Elliot and pulling him away just as the taxi halts abruptly, horn honking.

My knees tremble as Liam places Elliot next to me, his expression serious yet gentle. "That was risky, my friend," he remarks. "You need to check both directions before entering the road."

Elliot’s lip trembles. ““I apologize.” "I didn't want my vehicle to be crushed."

"You’re much more valuable than any vehicle," Liam states confidently, tousling his hair. He looks at me, and I could swear his eyes become gentler. "Are you alright? That must have terrified you.”

"I'm okay," I respond even if my heart is still thumping. “Thanks, Liam. I can't believe how swiftly you arrived here.”

He raises his shoulders a little and gives his mouth a little grin. “Just instinct. Glad he’s safe.” He nods to Mia, still in my arms. “Have fun with those dinosaurs. And Elliot, stay out of the street, alright?”

“Yes, sir!” Elliot says, clutching his car.

I grab Elliot's hand and tighten my grip as Liam leaves and his coat flutters in the wind. "Please don't frighten me like that again.”

I beg softly. "Sorry, Ava," he says, bending closer to me.

That evening, I'm stretched out on Sophie’s sofa, drinking tea as she walks back and forth in her small Midtown place. I tell her about the near-accident, still shaken. “It was unreal, Soph. One second Liam was there, the next he had Elliot out of harm’s way. Like something out of an action movie.”

“Thank goodness Elliot’s fine,” she states, though her expression is strained, her fingers intertwining.

I rise, placing my cup on the table. “What’s the matter?” "Don’t claim it’s nothing; I'm aware of that expression."

She exhales deeply, collapsing onto the sofa. “It’s about Liam Carver. You know his sperm sample I mentioned? The one from his health scare?”

“Yeah?” I say, my stomach knotting.

“It’s gone,” she says, her voice breaking. “Missing. I was the last one to handle it, and now it’s nowhere. Ava, I could lose my job over this. If they investigate, I might even lose my license.”

“What?” I gasp. "How can anything like that simply disappear?"

Her gaze brimming with tears, she answers, "I'm not sure. It’s locked in a secure lab. Someone must’ve taken it, but there’s no proof. And Liam’s a huge donor to the clinic. He’s furious, and they’re pinning it on me.”

I pull her into a hug, my mind racing. “They can’t do this to you. It’s not your fault.”

“They can, and they will,” she says. “Liam’s got enough pull to make heads roll.”

I think back to Liam today his quick save, his kindness to the kids. He didn’t seem like the type to ruin someone without cause. Maybe, just maybe, he’d listen if I explained. Sophie’s been my family since we were kids in foster care. I’d do anything for her, even face a billionaire like Liam Carver.