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"I have an idea I'd like to share with both of you, and all I need is your honest thoughts. I promise I won't take offense, and I still have some details to work out. This is just the broad concept I have for now. I've been mulling over this book for years, but I've never had the courage to dive in. Every time I start, I end up scrapping it and moving on to something else."

"Destiny, please calm down," Anakin laughed, cutting in as our writer spoke rapidly, her nerves evident with beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Whatever this book is, she clearly cares deeply about it, but her fear of rejection is holding her back, as it often does for writers. "Just take a deep breath and share your idea with us." Anakin checked his watch for the time before giving her his attention once more.

"Don't stress so much," I chimed in. "You're incredibly talented, and I'm sure we're going to love whatever it is you've created."

She took a deep breath, nodded, and tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear as she pulled out a notebook from her bag. Setting it down, she opened it and began, "The title is either Violet or The Hunt for Violet—I'm still deciding on that." She paused, swallowing hard. "To give you a brief overview of what I have so far: the main character, Violet, is one of over two dozen people who were ripped from their normal lives to be part of a government experiment. The scientists needed a diverse group for their illegal study, and out of all those injected with this strange extraterrestrial substance, only one person survived—her."

"Extraterrestrial substance?" I questioned curiously.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Imagine a meteor crashing down, and from it, they discover this strange violet liquid. A curious scientist, driven by madness, decides to inject it into humans, not expecting much to happen except the string of deaths that follows. But to his surprise, one person survives and becomes extraordinary." She began flipping through her notes, "Her eyes turned a permanent violet, and she gained incredible powers, the most significant being telekinesis. I'm still figuring out what else she can do, but I have a feeling she might be able to communicate with others in their minds."

"What's the main storyline?" Anakin asked, leaning in with interest, resting his elbow on the table. "Will she be stuck in a facility the whole time or—?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "The story kicks off with her escaping from the government facility. Once she breaks free, soldiers from the army are called in to track down this dangerous escapee. During her escape, she gets injured and can't go far, so she hides in an old, abandoned building. That's when one of the soldiers searching for her finds her." I could see where this was leading, and I was intrigued, "Hayden Dean, the soldier, sees her with his weapon drawn, but instead of a monster, he sees a terrified woman who looks like she's been tortured and abused. He feels sympathy and lowers his weapon and signals to his team that everything was clear. After he leaves for awhile to ensure no one would come to him and find her, he returns, he finds her still there and helps her by tending to her injury. She's skeptical of him at first, but eventually grows to trust him. I haven't worked out all the details yet, but they will end up on the run from the government together, he basically takes on the responsibility to protect her. And just to clarify, her real name isn't Violet; that's just a name given to her because the experiment caused her memories to be erased, leaving her unsure of who she was before." Destiny closes her notebook and lets out a deep breath, her eyes shifting between us both nervously, "You hate it, don't you?"

"Absolutely not," Anakin interjected before I had a chance to speak, "It's intriguing, but we should really look at it as a book first before we share our final opinions. Concepts are one thing, while the actual outcome is another." I side-eyed my boss, wanting to smile to myself about how far he's come in his position. He started off as some moron who could barely tell the difference between a child's book and a strong literary masterpiece. Now—well he's still a moron, but at least he knows what he's doing and what he's talking about, rather than reading off of flash cards I wrote out for him.

Her anxiety seemed to fade away as a smile blossomed on her face, "I can send you the first five chapters once I'm done with them."

"Great," Anakin said, visibly relaxing in his chair, his posture shifting as he spun a pen between his fingers, a habit of his that always seemed to surface when he was deep in thought. "Do you have any other ideas in that little notebook of yours?"

Her smile shifted into a playful smirk, a glint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "Plenty, but let's stick to one at a time, Mr. Skywalker."

Anakin let out a soft laugh, his face lighting up as he leaned in closer, clearly interested. "Okay, one at a time then. But I have to say, I'm curious about what else you've been writing." His voice was smooth, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was flirting with her. Part of me wanted to spoil his fun by mentioning that she was actually engaged—to a woman. He would know that if he took the time to learn more about her beyond her writing. But I held back; she seemed to notice his not-so-subtle advances and looked a bit amused.

She shrugged lightly. "I guess I could share a few ideas with you. Just don't get too attached; they're still just rough drafts after all and may never really see the light of day."

"I wouldn't even dream of it."

I cleared my throat to remind him I was still part of the conversation. They both turned to me as I carefully slid a few papers toward them. "I have the sales figures from Verboten if you want to see how well it's doing. It's been quite a success."

She released a deep, contented sigh as she picked up the paper, her eyes drifting over the numbers. "You both have really turned my dream into a reality, haven't you?" After placing it down, she reached for her purse and stood up, "I should get going, I have a book to write and an instant meal in my freezer that's been calling my name since yesterday."

We stood with her and shook her hand, feeling the warmth of her gratitude. "We have a signing tour scheduled for you in about a month. Many Barnes and Noble stores are eager to host you as a special guest." The thought of her sitting at a table, surrounded by fans eager to get a glimpse of the author behind the words, filled me with pride. It's surreal to remember that her work was tossed in the rejection bin and now here she is; likely going to make her way up as one of our top authors.

She slung her purse over her shoulder, beaming with enthusiasm. "That sounds fantastic. Just send me the dates, and I'll take care of everything. I need to let my fiancé know to take some time off work—she can join us too, right?" The mention of her fiancé brought a smile to my face. I side-eyed Anakin and noticed his expression fell slightly.

"Of course. We can't wait to see you soon." We exchanged farewells as she walked out, her silhouette visible through the glass door.

Anakin let out a dramatic sigh, breaking the momentary silence. "It's always the attractive ones who are either taken or not interested." He glanced down at me, a teasing glint in his eye.

I shot him a look, half-amused and half-exasperated. "Regardless of her situation, Anakin, we don't date our authors."

He rolled his eyes, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. "Is that an actual rule, or are you just a little jealous?"

I laughed, shaking my head as I grabbed my bag from the table. "You wish. Now let's go. It's lunchtime, I'm starving and you promised me you'd get me Thai food."

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As I enjoyed my Pad Thai, my eyes were fixed on Anakin, who was completely engrossed in his phone. He barely paid any attention to his food, captivated by whatever was on the screen. I couldn't help but laugh when he missed his mouth a couple of times. I really hope our baby inherits some of his traits, like those gorgeous eyes and long lashes, but definitely not his brains. No way.

I cleared my throat to get his attention, and he finally looked up. "What?" he asked, setting his phone aside.

"It would be nice to have your attention."

He poked his fork into his noodles. "I said I'd treat you to lunch. I don't see why that means we have to talk." He grinned and took a slow bite, the fork scraping against his teeth, which made me wince.

"Well, just in case you forgot, we have a lot to discuss." I pulled out my notebook and set it in front of me. He looked at me with curiosity, and once again, he missed his mouth, this time hitting the side of his face. "You look like an idiot when you do that," I said, shaking my head, which only made him frown.

"An idiot you decided to sleep with on more than one occasion."

I chose to overlook his comment and clicked my pen thoughtfully. "Custody. How do we want to handle this?"

The playful smile he wore faded gradually as he set his fork aside and leaned back in his chair, his attention now fully on me. "I figured it would be split 50-50."

I nodded, "That makes sense, but how do we split that time? One week with me, then one week with you, and so on?"

"Exactly, and for holidays, we'll spend them together, no matter whose week it is. I don't want to miss out on anything, and I don't expect you to either."

"Alright," I noted that down, feeling a sense of relief. I had been anxious about the holidays, worried I might have to miss some, but it seemed we were aligned in our thinking. "Do you think we should involve lawyers and make this a legal matter?"

He shook his head. "I believe we're both mature enough to keep our word." He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "But I do have one request."

"Go ahead."

"After the baby is born, I'd like you both to stay with me for six months."

"Stay with you? For six months?" I asked, my voice filled with disbelief. Why would he want that? A few weeks I could understand, but half a year seemed like a lot.

He nodded slowly, "You'll need someone to help you after the baby arrives, and those first few months are important for both you and the baby. I want to be part of that too. Plus, I don't want to treat a newborn like a package, moving them around all the time. They deserve a stable environment at the start."

As he spoke, it began to make more sense to me. It showed he cared enough to read the books I had given him. I knew he cared, but it was one thing to say you wanted to be a father and another to truly understand what it meant.

"Before I agree to something so big, I need to be clear that nothing romantic will happen between us, and I won't be sharing a bed—"

He waved his hand to interrupt me, "My place has three rooms. One for the baby, one for you, and one for me. You don't have to worry about that."

I took a deep breath, trying to release the anxiety that bubbled up at the thought, "What about my apartment?"

He grinned, "It's in a great spot (y/n). I'm sure we can find someone to take over your lease for a few months until you're ready to move back."

I tapped my fingers on the table, deep in contemplation. It seemed like the best decision for all three of us. The environment would be stable, I would have support, and having him so close would be beneficial if anything went wrong during the delivery and I needed extra care or attention. Plus, it would be ideal and healthy for the baby.

With that understanding, I felt confident I was choosing what was best for her or him. "Okay, fine you have a deal."

Anakin reached out his hand across the table, and I took it, sealing our agreement. "Deal."

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