Nadia's POV
The apartment AC struggled after three days straight above ninety. Elise turned one in two weeks, and we’d booked the rooftop for a small party, family, Marcus’s team, and a few neighbors who’d become friends.
Julian flew in from London on Thursday night. I met him at the door in shorts and one of his old T-shirts, hair up in a messy knot. He dropped his bag, pulled me close without a word, and kissed me like he’d been counting hours.
“Missed you,” he said against my mouth.
“Missed you more.”
We didn’t make it far. His hands slid under the shirt, palms warm on my back. I tugged at his tie, loosened it, and yanked it free. He backed me toward the bedroom, door clicking shut behind us.
Elise was at Elena’s for the night, her first full sleepover since the ear infection. We
