I gave him a peck on the lips, then another as I ran my hand down his cheek. “Good night.” I kissed the corner of his mouth and nipped at his jaw, feeling all kinds of victorious when his breath hitched.

“Shit, Paige . . . if I don’t go now—”

“I know. Good night.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips as he nodded and strode through the door.

I crept over to my window, and watched him traipse down the steps. He stood at the curb, rubbing his neck as he glanced up at the night sky for a moment. He shook his head, opened the door of his truck and got in. I darted away from the window once the engine started.

I ran my finger across my swollen lips and smiled to myself. My phone buzzed in my purse as I strolled back into my living room.

Evan: You shouldn’t watch people from your window. It’s a little creepy.

Me: The eyes you have in the back of your head is what I find creepy.

Evan: I’m glad I didn’t kiss you before we went out tonight. I never would have stopped and you would have gone hungry.

Me: I wouldn’t have minded. At all. I had a great time tonight.

Evan: Me too. You were definitely worth waiting for.

Me: I don’t stand a chance against you, do I?

Evan: Not if I can help it. Sweet dreams, Daisy.

When I got into bed and closed my eyes, I did have sweet dreams. Sweet dreams of excitement and an emotion I didn’t normally allow myself to feel—hope. I tried to suppress the dread of disappointment. Maybe things would be different this time. Maybe Evan was right, and we were exactly where we were supposed to be at the time we were supposed to be there. I let myself hope for a future, and prayed all the optimistic flutters in my stomach weren’t too good to be true.

“Holy shit! This is like the Mercedes of carriages. Ellie, add this to the registry! Give me that scanner!”

Natalie was having a little too much fun helping Ellie choose items for her baby registry. Over the past couple of months, Jack and Evan had been working non-stop and she’d been postponing a trip to baby superstore for too long. I asked Natalie to come with us since she had the most recent baby experience compared to my nil.

“Ellie, come here! Look, the brake is on the handle, do you know how freaking convenient that is? And the handle switches from back to front. Plus, it’s a jogging stroller! Just picture you and little Jack Junior running the track at Pelham Bay Park. This place makes me want to get knocked up all over again because all this baby shit gets better and better every year!” Ellie snuck a look at me and raised her eyebrow. The Mercedes of strollers was priced accordingly, and I could see our family up in arms about not having any big gifts on their list that they could afford.

“Okay, Natalie, go ahead and scan it. Let’s see if we can find one a little more reasonable to add along with it¸ so I don’t look like I’m giving birth to one of the Kardashians.” Natalie pouted, which cracked us both up.

“Fine, fine. We can move onto the bouncers.” Natalie moped to the next aisle, making us laugh even harder. I felt my phone buzz in my purse and reached in as Ellie squatted down to compare the jungle animals and Winnie the Pooh mobiles.

Evan: Hey Daisy! I miss you. Sorry it’s been so crazy.

The diner was the start of a long string of big jobs. Evan worked almost seven days a week, but still texted and called all the time. We had only had coffee and lunch dates since he was always working late and up early, but they always ended with mind-blowing kisses that left me wanting to beg for more. I’d been sneaking visits to their office under the pretense of all the extra advertising they’d been doing. Promotion planning for Taylor’s Flooring meant sitting on Evan’s lap and making out like teenagers before anyone came back to their office. It sometimes felt like an illicit affair, and hell if that didn’t make it hotter. I’d become well acquainted with the definition of a ‘lady boner’—as I was sure what I’d been feeling on a regular basis was a bad case of blue balls. I never had to actually take a cold shower before Evan.

Me: I miss you, too. I understand. No worries.

Evan: Of course I still worry. I have amazing plans for us soon.

Me: You have me intrigued, Mr. Jacobs.

Evan: Not saying a word. Lips are sealed. That is unless you’re stopping by today. I think we need a new logo. And we need it BAD.

I laughed and stuffed my phone back in my purse.

“Look at the goofy grin. That was Evan, wasn’t it?” Natalie nudged me in the side.

“Yes. That was Evan. To tell me he missed me and wanted me to stop by later. Happy?”

“Does that mean he wants to grope you in the supply closet again?” Ellie smirked at me as she scanned a box of baby bottles.

“Jesus, Jack has a big mouth!” I had never been so mortified in all my life. I was innocently looking for a pencil when Evan came up behind me and ran his tongue up and down the shell of my ear. Jack came in just as he put his hand under my dress and backed me up against the Post-It shelf.

“Stop it, Paige. I think it’s adorable. You deserve each other, and it’s nice to see you happy.”

“Yeah, yeah. Happy. Wonderful. Supply closet? You have been holding out on me, big fucking time. I knew this would happen.” Natalie plopped down on a glider and rocked back and forth as Ellie moved on to crib sets.

I folded my arms as I glared at her. “Knew what would happen?”

“This is like that cleanse you made us go on when you joined that damn gym. Did she ever tell you about this one, Ellie? For one week we were supposed to drink protein shakes, and in between drink vinegar. I don’t even like that shit on salad and we were drinking it straight. My stomach felt like it was eating itself, and Paige almost passed out from starvation. We lasted three days and ended up at White Castle.”

Ellie held her big belly as she shook from laughter. “You actually drank vinegar?” She scrunched her face at me.

“They said we’d lose ten pounds in one week.”

“And our smart girl here didn’t see what could be wrong with that,” Natalie chuckled and shook her head. “Of course, she caught me at a desperate enough time that I was willing to try. Anyway, you’ve been on a sexual cleanse for over six months. And that man is a White Castle ten-pack.” She leaned back, nodding her head.

“Evan is a White Castle ten-pack? Is that what you just said?”

“Yes, honey. Delicious, but you need to pace yourself. I never had you pegged for public sex. I have to say I’m a little impressed.”

“We weren’t having sex, Natalie. We kissed.”

“With his hand up your dress. So hot.” Ellie pretended to shiver as I groaned with my face in my hands.

“Ellie? I thought that was you!” A tall woman with straight, jet-black hair strutted over to Ellie. She was the only woman in the store wearing a leather mini skirt and six-inch stiletto heels. I assumed she was here for someone else.

“Hi, Jenna. How are you?” Ellie gave her a forced smile. I was surprised since she usually loved everyone, but I could tell this girl rubbed her the wrong way.

“I’m great.” Jenna replied as she twirled the crimson ends of her hair. It was an odd color combination, but Jenna was beautiful. I could live on the climbing machine 24/7 and not have legs and an ass like that. “I heard Evan is back, and he works at Taylor’s Flooring now. I have to go see him.” Fuck. My stomach dropped when I heard her say his name. My intuition said this was an old girlfriend, because that was usually how my luck ran. Why did the universe hate me?