From Best Friend To Fiancé (Savannah and Roman) novel Chapter 283

**Dreams Folding Into Broken Time**
**Chapter 283**

“Hey, love, I completely forgot to tell you. She’s going to be staying over for a bit,” I called out, cautiously dipping my toes into the conversation.

Roman, busy cracking open a bottle of water, looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, that’s just lovely,” he replied, his tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.

“Yeah,” I said, a playful smile creeping onto my lips. “She’s here to sleep with Reese.”

The moment those words left my mouth, I heard a loud thud. I spun around to find Roman bent over, coughing violently, water spraying from his mouth like a fountain.

“Roman!” I rushed from the bathroom, half-laughing and half-panic-stricken. “Oh my God, are you alright?”

He was doubled over, clutching his chest as he struggled to breathe, his face turning a bright shade of crimson. “What the hell, Sav?” he wheezed, still gasping for air.

I quickly snatched the bottle from the floor and pressed it into his trembling hand. “Here. Drink this.”

He took a small sip, blinking at me as if I’d just confessed to committing a crime. “Are you serious, my love?” His tone was incredulous.

I nodded, trying to contain my laughter. “I’m serious.”

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, setting the bottle down with a thud. “What was she thinking? And what were you thinking, letting her come here for that?”

I shrugged, feeling a mix of amusement and defiance. “She’s an adult, Roman. I can’t exactly ground her for wanting to be with someone.”

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, the strands falling haphazardly. “Yeah, but it’s Reese. My brother. He’s not—he’s not the best choice for her, baby.”

I crossed my arms defiantly, a spark of irritation igniting within me. “Well, she’s not asking him to marry her. She just wants one night. That’s all.”

His expression twisted in disbelief, a mix of concern and frustration etched on his features. “This is concerning, my love. I can’t believe you’re okay with this. It’s crazy.”

“Why? Because your brother has a penis and my cousin has feelings?” I shot back, the heat rising in my cheeks.

“Because,” he said sharply, “my brother isn’t exactly… responsible.”

“And Lizzie’s not exactly a saint,” I retorted. “She knows what she’s getting into.”

“She’s a child, Savannah,” he insisted, his voice tinged with worry.

“She’s twenty-two, Roman,” I replied, my patience wearing thin.

He let out a heavy sigh, frustration crackling around him like static electricity. “Look, he’s going to hurt her. I know Reese. I know what he’s like, what he’s into. Regardless of anything that’s happened between us, he’s still my brother. I know what he’s capable of.”

“Roman, please,” I implored, softening my tone. “She’s not going to come out of this the same. Just talk her out of it. I’m begging you.”

But then my gaze drifted toward the closet, landing on the suitcase I had hastily shoved aside earlier. Beneath it lay three little test strips, waiting like tiny verdicts, poised to alter everything I had just laughed about.

“Savannah, you’re not joining me?” Roman’s voice floated out from the bathroom, low and teasing.

I forced a smile he couldn’t see. “In a minute.”

He hummed, the sound mingling with the splashes of water. I sat there for a while, listening to the rain patter steadily against the window, the occasional notes of a familiar song escaping his lips. For a heartbeat, it almost felt like normal again.

Almost.

But normal had been a slippery concept for some time now. Deep down, I understood the truth. Laughter wouldn’t last forever. Secrets had a way of creeping up on you. And when they did—when that little strip turned pink—Roman’s world and mine would collide in ways we couldn’t recover from.

We would either become blissfully happy parents, or we would become strangers.

Still, I smiled, because tonight wasn’t about the truth. It was about pretending that everything was fine, pretending that the air between us wasn’t thick with the weight of unspoken words.

So I stood up, peeled off my clothes, and walked toward the sound of his humming—toward the steam, the warmth, and the fragile peace we had created together. And as I stepped into the light, I told myself that tomorrow could wait.

For now, I just wanted to be his. Completely.