“Not this relaxed, dude.” Trevor rushed a hand through his hair. “Look at yourself.”

With his hands tucked in his pockets, leaning casually against the wall, Gavin smirked. He found Trevor’s nervousness amusing. “You think I’m going to hurt him?”

“I think you’re going to do some kind of number on him, yeah.”

“Right,” Gavin chuckled. “It’s called the ‘Dillon, go fuck yourself. I’m the father’ number.”

Before Trevor could blink, the elevator doors slid open. Smirk holding steady, Gavin strolled out, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene of brokers pacing. Not only did Gavin ignore the stares from Dillon’s coworkers, he ignored Dillon’s secretary. When her jaw dropped open, Gavin found himself amused for the second time in less than two minutes.

“Gavin!” she yelped, shooting up from her chair. Fumbling in her mountainous stiletto heels, her breath was a ragged mess when she caught up with him. “You can’t go in there.”

Gavin placed his hand on her shoulder, a grin softening his face. “Hi, Kimberly. How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good, Gavin.” She sighed, her tone nothing short of begging. “Please don’t do this to me. I was told to call the cops if you ever show up here.”

It was Trevor’s turn to place his hand on her shoulder. “Hi, Kimberly. How’ve you been?”

She rolled her eyes. “Hi, Trevor. I’m fine.”

“You’re not going to call the cops on Gavin.” She rolled her eyes again, and Trevor smiled. “You know how I know you’re not going to do that?”

She dug her hands into her hips. “How do you know I’m not going to call the cops on Gavin, Trevor?”

“Because a little birdie from this very office called me the other day and let me know that not only is Dillon… sweetening you up in his bed, but he’s also sweetening up Pricilla Harry from Sheller Investments on the seventeenth floor. They also mentioned he really isn’t digging the little mermaid outfit you wear for him as much as he makes you think he is. “ As Kimberly’s eyes narrowed, lighting up like searing coals, Trevor gave a leisurely shrug. “Am I wrong when I say you probably want Gavin to go into Dillon’s office right about now?”

Kimberly whipped her head in Gavin’s direction, her voice seething. “You have five minutes.”

“Not a minute longer,” Gavin replied as smooth as silk, feeling somewhat bad for the girl. He swung his blue eyes in Trevor’s direction. “Why don’t you keep Kimberly busy while I tend to business? She looks like she needs some comforting.”

Trevor nodded and Gavin turned, heading right for Dillon’s office. Not even bothering to see where the asshole was positioned, Gavin reached for the handle and swung open the door. There was one thing he did the same as last time. Yeah. He made sure to lock the door.

Let the second motherfucking game begin.

With widened eyes, Dillon surged to his feet.

The shock and nervousness on his face forced a barking laugh from Gavin. “Whoa, whoa.” Gavin held up his hands in mock surrender. “Caught you a little off guard, I see.”

“Fuck off, Blake. You can’t just walk in here like that,” Dillon pointed out, his body language showing he was braced for a fight. “You were supposed to call with Emily’s next doctor’s appointment. That was the fucking agreement when you left the message saying she wouldn’t make her last one.”

Slight tension crackled through Gavin’s nerves as he stepped toward Dillon. “Calm the fuck down.” Gavin held up a small, blue envelope and tossed it onto Dillon’s desk. With a slow grin twisting his lips, Gavin stared at Dillon’s hand resting on the phone. No doubt he was getting ready to pick it up. “I didn’t come here to physically hurt you, Dillon,” Gavin continued, attempting to hold in a chuckle. “Today, I’m the bearer of… good news. Emily no longer has any more doctors’ appointments.” Gavin paused, his grin widening. “Well, not prenatal appointments.”

Still appearing as if he was about to yell for help, Dillon’s eyes piqued with curiosity as he reached for and tore open the birth announcement. Gavin wasn’t sure how long Dillon took to scan over the teddy bear-riddled card highlighting Noah’s July 5th entrance into his life, but somehow, Gavin wasn’t filled with the joy at witnessing any of this the way he thought he’d be.

“Emily had the baby?” Dillon questioned, his face bleeding confusion. “This was over a fucking week ago. How come I’m just finding out?” After crumpling up the announcement, Dillon chucked it into the garbage pail. With a smirk, he rounded the corner of his desk and walked up to Gavin. Their bodies were less than a foot apart when Dillon spoke up again, his voice as cold as a snowy winter morning. “It’s all good. Just tell me where I have to go and what I have to do to prove I’m this kid’s father.”

Remaining silent, Gavin didn’t know how long he stared into Dillon’s lifeless, dark eyes. The eyes of a man he’d once considered a friend, a buddy. The eyes of a man who hit the woman Gavin loved, adored, and couldn’t live without. The other half of his soul. It was then Gavin realized not only was he wasting oxygen, he was also wasting precious time away from two people that no piece of shit in the world should ever come before. The battle was over, and Gavin knew he’d won in more ways than Dillon would ever be lucky enough to experience. Sword down, no longer needing to see Dillon’s reaction and feeling like an asshole for leaving Emily and Noah, Gavin handed him the envelope holding the paternity test results. Dillon’s confused expression was the last thing Gavin saw before he turned and walked out of the office. The sound of Dillon opening the envelope was the last thing Gavin heard as he walked out of Dillon’s life for good.

Time. Emily never looked at it the same way after her mother died. Her perception of what life should mean and how it could be taken at any second was forever changed the day she watched her mother’s cherry wood coffin slowly descend into the rain-soaked earth. With her mother gone, vanished like a swirling vapor, time held new meaning for Emily.

As she closed the penthouse door behind her, Emily found herself wondering where the last seven months had gone. Time slipped through itself, a black hole sucking in memories, leaving behind Noah’s beautiful fingerprints. Like shooting stars in her sky, Noah left his beautiful mark on Emily’s life in so many magical ways. Emily’s loving gaze fell on Noah, sitting up like the big boy he was turning into, as he reached out his tiny hand to Gavin’s. After smothering a block with his sweet saliva, Noah chucked the block at Gavin’s head. Laying on the floor next to Noah, a chuckle belting from his mouth, Gavin mocked sadness as he looked at his son.

Giggling, a few thoughts flew around Emily’s mind. One: Gavin was lucky he was wearing his Yankees hat. Two: Gavin was even luckier the alphabet-speckled block was made of cotton. Three: Surrounded by an array of toys from one end of the living room to the next, Gavin looked completely edible, wearing nothing but that Yankees hat and pajama pants on this fine, Sunday afternoon. Yeah. Though time was disappearing faster than Emily could blink, faster than she could catch her next breath, each second was nothing short of magnificent.

“Look who’s home, Noah,” Gavin announced, sliding from the floor to the couch. He grinned at Emily and adjusted his baseball cap. “And she came bearing gifts for us. Will we be fed, Mommy?”

Smiling at Gavin and Noah, Emily plopped two paper bags of groceries onto the counter. “That depends.” She pulled out a loaf of rye bread. “Is the laundry folded?”

Gavin quirked a brow. “My brother was right. You’ve domesticated me beyond belief.”

“I take that as a yes.” After shoving a head of lettuce into the refrigerator, Emily dug her hands into her hips. “And don’t lie. You love being domesticated.”