Jericho Haze has spent her life learning how to survive without roots. As an orphan, she’s mastered the art of detachment. Never staying too long, never needing too much, and never expecting anyone to stay. The only constant she’s ever allowed herself to have is Kaiser, her best friend and the one person who has always felt like home. Their bond is effortless, unshakable, and carefully defined. Untouched by the truth that they both refuse to name. Kaiser Carrington has built his life on the foundation of control. Control of his career, his responsibilities, and most importantly, his emotions. Loving Jericho has never been the problem. Pretending he doesn’t is. For years, they’ve danced around the tension and fear of ruining the one thing they can’t afford to each other. Until Jericho asks for the one thing that guaranteed to change everything. A baby. Not love. Not a relationship. Just a child. What starts as a logical, emotionless arrangement quickly unravels into something far more complicated. Lines blur. Boundaries dissolve. And the feelings they’ve fought so hard to suppress refuse to stay buried when faced with the intimacy of creating a life together. Because bringing a child into the world forces them to confront the truth they’ve been there’s nothing platonic about the way they love each other, and once that truth is exposed, there’s no going back to what they used to be.