We stayed like that for a long time afterward as our bodies recovered from the intensity. She moved first, swallowing hard and slumping forward to rest her face against the crook of my neck.

“Well, that was a nice welcome home,” she said softly, chuckling.

Home. This was her home. The thought should have scared me, but it didn’t. In fact, it made me feel warm somewhere deep down inside.

I wasn’t about to ruin our first night completely alone with questions or pressure on either of us. Right now, things were perfect. This didn’t require a label or some major declaration. Tonight, I just wanted to be with her and wake up with her next to me in the morning, then see how things unfolded.

“What do you say we eat some of this roast and then spend the rest of the night in bed, watching movies and . . .” I trailed off and let my gaze drift to her still bare breasts. Her nipples perked up instantly, making my cock twitch in response, and I wished I hadn’t mentioned the roast at all.

“I’m definitely in for all of that. Especially the ‘and’ part,” she said with a saucy wink.

I pulled back and helped her down from the counter, feeling better than I could ever remember feeling in my entire life.

If this was love?

I’d take it.

Chapter Twenty

Addison

“Monkey,” I said, pointing to the baby baboon staring at us through the glass enclosure. “Can you say monkey?”

Dylan smiled and pressed her face to the glass with a squeal of delight.

“She was making monkey noises this morning when we were getting dressed,” Max said with a chuckle. “I think she’s just playing hard to get.”

“Yeah, well, wait until I bribe her with ice cream.” I swept her into my arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead before settling her back into her stroller. “I’m starving. Are you?”

I shot a glance at Max and tried not to melt. It was a warm day for late September, and he wore a faded Army T-shirt that bared his spectacular forearms and biceps, along with a pair of faded jeans. The other moms strolling by didn’t even try to hide their swooning, and I couldn’t blame them.

Other moms. You’re not a mom, dummy.

Shit, I had to stop doing that. Over the past three weeks, though, it was getting harder and harder to separate fantasy from reality. That night after the counter sex and pot roast had been the first sleepover of many. In fact, now that I thought about it, we’d spent all but one night since then wrapped in each other’s arms, and that one night had only been because I’d caught a milder version of Max’s dad’s stomach flu and hadn’t wanted to infect the rest of the house with it.

We’d fallen into a rhythm, almost naturally alternating who got up with Dylan in the middle of the night, and then Max got up a few minutes before me to start our coffee. I’d even started making him lunches from our dinner leftovers, and it all felt so right.

“I could definitely eat,” Max said, casually slinging an arm around my hips as we wound our way through the zoo.

This was my life now, and some days I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

Now if only I don’t have to wake up.

“What do you want, chocolate or vanilla?” Max asked, stepping into line at one of the vendor trucks.

“Dylan and I will split a twist cone,” I said, already missing the familiar weight of his arm around me.

It was like a fever, the need I had for him. No matter how many times we made love, it felt brand new. It had gotten to the point that I could have happily stayed in that house with just him and the baby forever and die happy. Which was exactly why I’d made plans with Lara for that evening, which was technically my night off. I didn’t want space. If anything, I wanted to get even closer to him. To be able to say the words that were filling my heart to bursting.

I love you.

Which meant I definitely needed a little time away from them to get my head right, or I was at risk of rushing things and ruining what could be the best thing that had ever happened to me.

“M’lady,” Max said, handing me the paper-wrapped sugar cone.

We made our way over to a little bench and sat together thigh to thigh as we ate and chatted. Dylan wound up wearing almost as much of the ice cream as she ate, but Max and I didn’t care. It was lucky that our child-rearing style was so similar. Messes could be cleaned, and children should be allowed to be children.

I stroked Dylan’s hair gently and my heart swelled. She was the center of our worlds. I never realized how much I could love a child until she’d come into my life, and for the first time, I knew I wanted a big family. Baby sisters for her to play with and baby brothers to tease her.

I pushed aside the thoughts before they dug in too deep. We were living for the moment. And right now, things were great. No point borrowing trouble or pushing things.

“Do you plan to stay in the city, or are you coming back home tonight?” Max asked, popping the last of his cone into his mouth.

“I was going to come home, unless you’d rather I didn’t?” I shot him a quick glance, my stomach flopping.

“Oh, I definitely want you to come home. I just didn’t want to assume.” Max bent and gave me a hard kiss, a familiar light burning in his eyes. “I’ll wait up.”

• • •

As Lara and I caught up at our favorite sushi restaurant later that evening, those words replayed in my head, a sensual reminder of what I was going home to.

“Anyway, I told him that I didn’t care if his divorce was almost final. He could call me when those papers were signed, you know?” Lara said with a snort. “I’m not interested in any of that type of drama in my life.” She picked up her chopsticks and hoisted a massive piece of dragon roll into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk as she continued. “So, enough about my pathetic love life. Tell me, what’s going on with Mr. Sexy Boss?”

I swiped my Alaskan roll through a little pool of soy sauce and then popped it into my mouth, buying some time as I tried to formulate how to explain things. Luckily, wasabi filled my nostrils and made my eyes water, which bought me an extra twenty seconds as I gulped some lukewarm tea.

“Um, yeah. So, we’re together. Pretty much,” I said, setting down my chopsticks and trading them for my cup of sake.

“Pretty much? What does that mean?” Lara frowned. “Either you’re together or you’re not together, right?”

“Well, we’ve been sleeping together. In the same bed. And we spend most of our weekends and free time together.”

She nodded, smiling. “Are you exclusive?”

The question caught me off guard, and I settled back into the booth with a sigh. Were we? I thought we were, but we’d never actually had the conversation. For all I knew, he could think we were still in the casual stage but just really enjoying each other’s company.

“I don’t really know,” I said, hoping my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. “We’re just, you know, taking it slow.”

Lara’s eagle eyes narrowed on my face and she gasped. “Holy fuck. You’re in love already. Like, for real.” She set her chopsticks down with a clatter and took my wrist, squeezing it urgently. “Don’t try to bullshit me, Addison, we’ve known each other too long. You’re crazy over him, aren’t you?”

I didn’t bother to deny it. Lara was right. From the day we met and she found me crying in the corner at the ice skating rink, we’d been besties. She’d sat down next to me, and we both froze our buns off while she pep-talked me like a pro. I waited now for that same signature pep talk, but something inside me quivered as I saw the worry lining her brow.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, tugging my wrist away.

“Oh, honey. When I see your face light up every time you talk about him or that baby, it makes me so excited for you. But it’s been a month, and you guys are living together and playing house. You’re head over heels in love, yet you have no clue where you stand. Weren’t you the one who told me this whole thing started with a conversation about this being casual and fun? No commitment?”