I cupped her face, planting a soft kiss on her beautiful lips. "Don't ever run from me, baby," I said softly, letting my thumb trace her jaw. "I love the chase." Her jaw tightened, her hands coming up to try and move mine. "Stop calling me baby, Ezra," she snapped, eyes flashing. I couldn't help but grin, dropping my voice to something low and dark. "Ohhh, now my baby has a problem with me calling her baby?" She shot me a glare, but I just tucked her hair behind her ear, pressing another kiss to her lips-gentler this time, lingering. "You don't get to tell me what to call you, baby." I leaned in closer, brushing my nose against hers. "You're whatever the fuck I call you."

Kyomi is a single mom, to a little girl, named Raya. Everything takes place in the 5-story apartments they live in. Well the daughter meets a certain friendly neighbor. She decides her Mama needs a friend, but will it end up as more than she dreamed? This story has been edited 6/5/2026 #12 on the bwwm list 8/15/25 #15 on the neighbors list 11/11/25 #2 father-daughter list 11/11/25

A California writer with a broken routine. A Southern contractor with steady hands and a slower kind of love. When Aeluna moves to Louisville to renovate an old house and find her words again, the last thing she expects is Maverick - patient, grounded, and dangerously intentional. What starts as dust-covered floors and one page a day turns into late-night dinners, back porch confessions, and a man who looks at her like she's already home. But falling in love is easy. Letting yourself be chosen is harder. And Maverick doesn't do anything halfway.

"Why do you want me?" "You want to know why I want you?" He exhales, like he's been holding this in for weeks. "I want you because I don't date for fun. I don't do temporary. I want you because when I think about marriage, your face is the only one there. I want you because if I ever have kids, I want them to have you as their mother. I want you because you're the love of my life." A beat. "And I want you because everything in me settles when you're with me."

𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦. © 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨， 𝐊𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝖱𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝖱𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽．

Milan Ren Vaughn and Kairo Benton have spent months turning their apartment hallway into a silent warzone. She's convinced he's loud, messy, and allergic to respecting her peace, while he swears she was born to complain about anything he does. Their neighbors know the tension. Management knows the tension. And Christmas is the only thing keeping the building from falling apart. So when the manager assigns them to co-run the annual Christmas charity event, neither of them takes it well. Still, the holidays won't wait, the toy drive needs saving, and someone has to hang the lights - even if it means working side by side with the one person they can't stand. But as the season settles in, something unexpected begins slipping through the cracks. Late nights of planning feel calmer than they should. Their banter softens. The glow of the holiday lights makes everything seem a little less harsh, and a little more... possible. Moments that should've meant nothing start to feel like something they can't explain. They promised their truce would end after Christmas. But the holidays have a funny way of revealing gifts you never knew you needed - especially when they're wrapped in the person living right next door.