Hate the Player: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romantic Comedy(106)

“Promise.”

Her beautiful brown eyes stare into mine, and it takes everything inside me not to stand up from this fucking chair and pull her into my arms.

I miss her. So fucking much.

And I just…I need to tell her all the things I should have told her in Memphis. I need her to know how I really feel. I need her to understand that the way I feel for her is more than sex. More than fun. That I’m so far deep in love with her, I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from losing her.

There are so many things I want to say, but mostly, right now, I just want to hold her in my arms and take some of the stress off her plate.

Fuck it, my mind whispers, and I stand up from my chair. But just as I’m taking my first step in her direction, the maternity ward doors swing open and Luca steps out, a giant, beaming smile on his face.

“I have another princess,” he says, and happiness rings out in his voice. “It’s a girl, and momma and baby are healthy, happy, and doing great.”

“It’s a girl?” Birdie exclaims. “I have a niece?”

He nods. “You have a niece, Aunt Birdie.”

In an instant, the stress on her face dissipates, and only relief in the form of happy tears takes over. She wraps Luca up in a big hug. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you guys,” she says, and he hugs her right back.

“Thanks, Birdie.”

When she steps back, I don’t hesitate to do the same, wrapping up one of my best friends in the whole fucking world in a tight hug. “Congrats, man. So happy for you.”

“Appreciate it.” He smiles at me. “Do you guys want to meet her?”

“Are you kidding me!” Birdie shouts. “Take me to my niece!”

Luca laughs and leads us both through the doors and into Billie’s hospital room.

I can’t deny it’s a beautiful sight, Billie sitting up in the hospital bed with her brand-new baby girl in her arms. And when Luca moves around the other side of the bed to stand beside his family, it’s enough to make my chest ache.

But when Birdie holds her niece in her arms, everything comes into focus.

My past. My present. My future.

And I know, I just fucking know.

That, right there, is everything I want in life.





Birdie



I am officially an aunt to the most beautiful baby girl in the whole world.

My sister is healthy and happy and, somehow, looks gorgeous despite the fact that she had to deliver an eight-pound baby without a freaking epidural, and her fiancé looks like a man whose whole world sits on the hospital bed at his hip.

Andrew congratulates Billie with a soft kiss to her forehead and kind words. And I waste no time picking my niece up into my arms.

“I am certain I will spend the rest of my life spoiling you rotten, little lady,” I whisper down to her, and I watch in fascination as her tiny lips open wide in a yawn and her big blue eyes stare up at me.

God, she’s gorgeous. I’m sure I’m biased, but I don’t care; she is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.

“If you want a scoop of ice cream,” I whisper down to her, “I’ll get you two scoops. If you want to bitch about your mom to me because she’s being annoying—” I glance up at a grinning Billie and wink, before looking back down at the baby “—I’ll be there to listen. If you want a pony, you got it, girlfriend. Anything you want, you just let me know, and Aunt Birdie will make it yours.”

“Uh oh, sounds like you two are already going to be a problem,” Luca teases, and I just stick out my tongue at him.

“Don’t listen to your daddy,” I whisper to my niece. “He’s just jealous that we’re going to have all the fun.”

Both Luca and Billie chuckle, but when I look up from the baby and meet Andrew’s gaze, I’m taken aback by the tender expression on his face. He’s just looking at me, watching me, glancing between my face and the baby in my arms, and I have no idea what he’s thinking, but God, it makes my chest ache.

The discomfort starts to spread into my throat, but I swallow it back and focus on my baby niece. “So, what are we naming her?”

“Daisy,” Billie answers, and my breath catches in my lungs.

Our momma’s name.

My heart fills with bittersweet emotion, and I grin at my sister. “That is the most perfect name for our girl.”

Billie smiles, her heart in her eyes. “I thought so too.”

Andrew walks over toward me and stares down at a now-sleeping Daisy. “She’s a beauty, guys,” he says and reaches out to gently touch her soft cheek with his finger. “Welcome to the world, Daisy.”

The tenderness in his voice and the sweetness of his words make me feel oddly sad. Like, it’s painful to see how wonderful this man really is. Like, deep down, I made a mistake the way I handled things in Memphis.

Pretty sure you mean you shouldn’t have given a fuck about the media and just followed your heart.

“I’m so glad I got to meet you, sweetheart,” he whispers down to my niece. “But I’m going to let you and your mommy and daddy rest now. They’ve had quite the day.” He glances up at my sister and a smile brightens his eyes. “I’m pretty sure your mommy is going to be telling you about this day for the rest of your life. Especially when you’re a teenager with a sassy attitude.”