Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 287 Nathaniel's POV I wrapped up the call quickly, assuring the Turkish client I'd handle the issue once I was back in the office. As I approached the clinic door, I was just about to step inside when I heard Annie's voice-soft, raw, and filled with an emotion that made my heart tighten. "...I like Nate a lot. A lot. More than I ever thought I could like someone. But I'm scared I'm wasting time again... getting involved with someone who doesn't want to build a real future.

Someone who doesn't want marriage or kids..." `I froze in the doorway, her words echoing through my mind, mixing with a vivid memory of that first conversation on the plane, when she'd mentioned wanting children. Back then, it hadn't meant much to me. I never imagined that the panicked woman convinced she was dying in turbulence would become the love of my life. But now... "I don't want to wake up five years from now and realize I wasted the best years of my life with someone who didn't share the same dreams.

I don't want..." My foot knocked against the doorframe, making a dull thud that broke the silence inside the clinic. Annie turned quickly, her eyes meeting mine in the dim light. Even with just the glow of her phone, I could see the flush rising in her cheeks when she realized I'd arrived. "What did you hear?" she asked, her voice smaller than usual. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for a conversation I knew was inevitable. Kids. It was something I'd always filed under someday, a vague thought for a distant future. At least, until Annie.

"Annie, I..." I began, but footsteps pounded across the yard. "Guys!" Sarah appeared in the doorway, breathless with excitement. "It's snowing!" The tension between Annie and me dissolved instantly. Sarah darted back toward the house, shouting about the snow, and moments later we heard excited voices inside. "Snow?" Annie repeated, standing quickly. "Really?" Before I could answer, she was already heading for the door. When we stepped outside, delicate flakes drifted from the dark sky, glowing under the lights that had come back on in the house.

the golden windows. Oliver and Sarah were already in the middle of the yard, arms stretched wide, trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues like kids. My mom had come out the back door, smiling warmly, while my

Her joy was contagious and completely unfiltered-pure Annie, open and honest, living the emotions as she felt them. "So this is what it feels like, touching snow for the first time?" I asked, stepping closer. "It's like...tiny cold kisses," she said with a laugh at her own words. "Sounds ridiculous, I know." "It doesn't," I said, holding out my own hand to feel the flakes. "It sounds poetic." Annie crouched down and scooped up a handful of fresh snow

immediately warned me of her intentions. "You wouldn't..." I began, but I didn't even get the words out before she threw the snowball straight at my chest. rst snowball of my life!" she declared, laughing when she saw my mock-surprised expression. so now you want a war?" I asked, crouching to gather my own

that!" she yelped, already sprinting across the yard as I shaped a snowball significantly bigger than hers. I ran after her, laughing as she tried to hide behind the tree in the corner of the yard. When she reached it, I launched my snowball, hitting the trunk right beside her and sending a shower of snow into her hair. "You missed!" she taunted, peeking out from behind the tree. "I missed on purpose," I said, slowly closing the distance.

between giggles. "I surrender!" - "Too late for that," I said, still holding her but more gently now. Oliver and Sarah watched us from a distance, clearly amused by our private snow war. Even Tori had stopped worrying about her shoes

her lashes and hair, her cheeks flushed from the cold and all the laughter. "Your hair is full of snow," I said softly, brushing my fingers through the strands to