Stop Running Love, I Found Our Child novel Chapter 3

As evening fell, the delicious aroma of a home-cooked dinner drifted through their cozy, spotless two-bedroom apartment.

Ivy plated the mouthwatering food, wiped down the kitchen counters, and finally pulled out her phone to text her boyfriend.-

[Cole, are you almost home? Dinner's ready. I'm waiting for you so we can eat together.]

The moment she hit send.

She heard the familiar click of a key turning in the front door.

Ivy practically jumped out of her chair. Seeing the man step inside, her eyes lit up with joy. "You're back."

He dressed in a sharply tailored suit. He exuded an aura of mature, refined elegance. His features were flawlessly handsome, though he looked somewhat aloof and unapproachable when he wasn't smiling.

He had always been a man of few words.

But Ivy had experienced his deep tenderness and fierce care firsthand.

So his stoic demeanor never bothered her in the slightest.

Seeing her, the corners of Cole's mouth twitched upward into a faint smile.

"Is everything okay at work?" Ivy stepped closer, naturally looping her arms around him and leaning against his solid frame.

"It's a little complicated." Cole glanced down as he kicked off his shoes, instinctively resting a hand on her waist. "But nothing I can't handle."

"Are you going to lose your vacation days?"

"No."

"Let's eat first." Ivy pulled him over to the dining table, flashing a radiant smile before bustling off to grab him some fresh juice.

He was incredibly picky.

He refused to drink store-bought beverages; everything had to be freshly squeezed.

Ivy placed the glass in front of him, served him a plate, and sat down across from him.

Her mind was still racing, trying to figure out the best way to break the baby news.

Suddenly, she caught Cole staring at her with an intensely somber gaze.

He was watching her in absolute silence.

Ivy let out a soft laugh. "What's wrong?"

He frowned slightly, his expression heavy with an unreadable tension. Seeing his troubled look, Ivy's own brows furrowed in concern.

"Did something happen?" she pressed.

Though the finish had a bitter bite to it.

He ended up downing two glasses.

He had wanted to stay longer, but an urgent work call forced him to leave. Unable to find the cashier, he slapped a hundred-dollar bill under his glass and headed for the door.

To his surprise, Ivy had chased him out into the street. "Sir, your change."

He stared down at the young girl's slender fingers gripping the cash.

Her nails were neatly trimmed, her skin radiant under the streetlights.

He took the leftover twenty bucks, turned around, and walked away.

He ended up returning to that bar several times, with Ivy always waiting on him politely. It wasn't until a different server took his order one night that he finally asked the owner where she was.

That was when he learned her name was Ivy.

A student at the nearby language university.

She was swamped with finals and had taken time off from her part-time gig.

Sensing his obvious interest, the owner slid him her phone number.