“Exactly! He can go months without a word, and then one of those. Usually just when I need it most. Who’s your letter sender?”

“My dad’s brother, my uncle Ted. My mom always jokes that he’s an old bum, but he sails all over the world. Or he did. He worked on crews on every boat imaginable. He’d send the family these letters. Once every six months or so a packet of them would arrive filled with sand or shells, these small-town news stories, drawings and sketches. It was like Christmas when that packet arrived.”

They talked, shared and laughed for some time. Long enough that Ella forgot anyone else was around but for the moments they’d been jostled by their friends getting in and out of the booth. He’d stayed so close, reaching out to touch her often, leaning in to speak quietly in her ear as he explained something.

Cripes, she was going to combust at this rate.

On one of those rare moments when she took the time to look around at their friends gathered, she caught sight of Erin. Ella wanted to stay and talk with him more, but Erin was looking tired. She tried to hide it, but Ella saw through it. Ben and Todd would soon enough too.

“Erin looks tired. Back me up when I suggest we go back to Brody and Elise’s,” she murmured, and Cope squeezed her hand quickly in answer.

“Why don’t we go back to Brody and Elise’s? Getting loud and warm in here. We forgot the cupcakes over there anyway. They’re in my car, and it would be a sin to let them go to waste.” Her car was back at the house because they’d taken a limo to dinner and then to the club.

Elise turned to look at Erin and then back to Ella, nodding. She stood, and Brody with her. They were so beautiful together, Ella thought, right, in synch. “You know my opinion on cupcakes.”

“I want pizza.” Brody joined with the others of his tribe—the tribe of giant men—and they eased the way out of the club onto the sidewalk outside. She breathed deep, letting the relative silence and the freedom from the crush of people slide through her, calming her.

“Wait.” Cope touched her to stay her movement. “Now I want to look at your ink. I wanted to do so at the house, but you got rushed off.” She bit back a moan when he circled her, tracing the blossom on her shoulder. “It’s so beautiful against your skin. I can’t wait to see the whole thing.”

She blushed, gripping her coat tight against her belly. Taking the shiver of pleasure as a sign she was cold, he chuckled and helped her shrug into her coat. Something like that from another man might have bothered her. It might have felt like manhandling. With Cope, from Cope, it was nurturing without feeling coercive or paternalistic.

“Limo is going to be pretty full,” Cope said casually as they walked toward the lot next door. “I drove. You want to catch a ride back with me? I haven’t had a drink in hours, so I’m fine to drive.”

Had they been talking for hours? It seemed like ten minutes. And did she want a ride from him? Really? Was that a trick question?

“Ella, get out of the cold!” Elise called to her, waving at the limo. “The boys will meet us back there.”

Damn.

The men moved to Cope’s SUV and began to pile in, so she smiled at him. “Thanks anyway, I guess they have it handled.”

He walked her to the limo door and helped her in. “I’ll see you back at the house. Save me a cupcake.”

She waved as he shut the door, and the limo pulled away.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Elise said. “I thought after I spoke that you might want to be alone with him in the car. You two seemed to really be, um, wow, with each other tonight.”

“He was just being polite.”

“He’s never that polite to me,” Elise said, one of her eyebrows sliding up.

“That’s different. He’d never flirt like that with a friend’s girlfriend.” She was insulted on his behalf. He’d never do anything like that!

“Exactly! You’re a single woman in his eyes, and I can only say it’s about time.” Erin leaned back with a smirk. “And don’t think I don’t know you called it an early night because of me.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m too old for all that noise. I have presents in my trunk too.”

Erin’s face lit, making Ella laugh. “Presents! Wheee!”

“You’re a present whore.” Elise grinned.

“Totally.”

“We should have taken over Adrian’s house tonight,” Elise said as they got out once they arrived home. “Had a slumber party.”

“He would have loved that.” Erin snickered. “He has a movie theater and soda on tap. I would live in his house if I could. I also know Brody would be a grumpy butthead if he had to be separated from you tonight.” Erin looked up and caught sight of Todd as he waited on the porch. “I sleep better at home anyway,” she said, her voice fading at the end as her man caught her attention fully.

They were all going to have hot sex that night, and Ella was not. She frowned a moment until she caught sight of Cope, but he was on his phone, looking serious.

When he hung up and turned to face her, she knew he was going to tell her something she didn’t want to hear.

He caught up to her in the front hall where she’d removed her coat and pulled her boots off. In her bare feet, he nearly towered over her. She wondered idly if she’d have been nervous if it were anyone but him.

“Hi, there.” She smiled up at him, still slightly tipsy.