If I had been confident in how he felt about me in the romantic sense, if I believed he felt even a shred of the attraction to me that I felt to him, I might have taken the few steps in his direction at a running pace, launched myself into his arms, and kissed him squarely on the mouth.

  I could think of nothing that would be more enjoyable to do today than what he’d just suggested. Well, other than perhaps kissing him. That could be very fun.

  “I’d love to do that,” I bubbled, feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement and giddiness.

  Brock grinned at me. “Which movie are we watching first?”

  There wasn’t a question in my mind about which I wanted to watch first. “Crazy, Stupid Love.”

  Sweeping his hand out in front of him and toward the door, Brock urged, “Lead the way.”

  With a smile on my face and a pep in my step, I scurried out of the room ahead of him. And within minutes, we were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, watching one of my favorite movies. As much as I loved the movie, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at Brock throughout.

  Brock

  Could a man and woman just be friends? Was I Harry Burns?

  The credits had started rolling on When Harry Met Sally, and I felt a connection to a fictional character like I never had before. Or, well, maybe only in one very specific area, considering I wasn’t entirely like Harry.

  Mia felt like my Sally.

  I was going to give it to her.

  The same as I knew I’d wake up and brush my teeth tomorrow morning, I was that confident I was going to give Mia what she needed.

  What happened last night solidified it for me.

  I hadn’t wanted to get short with her; I hadn’t even realized it could happen. But when I learned that she’d gone over to ask Russ for help instead of coming to me, something came over me. It felt completely foreign, and it led to me losing control.

  I needed to understand why, when I thought everything that had been happening over the last several months between us was an indication we’d developed a deeper friendship, Mia wasn’t feeling the same.

  But she was.

  She just hadn’t wanted to place expectations on anyone. And after hearing her explanation, after taking a step back and realizing the situation she was in, it wasn’t difficult to understand where she was coming from. Her ex made it clear that she wouldn’t be able to rely on people if she did put her faith in them, so it was easier not to expect anything.

  Mia was scared, even if she seemed the opposite on the surface. So, I had to be sure I didn’t screw this up. It was a painstakingly slow process, but I thought it was necessary to do it this way. Plus, if I was honest, I was loving just about every second of it.

  We’d had a great day today. I liked spending time with her, helping her out and feeling needed. I liked feeling useful. Most of all, I liked learning new things about this gorgeous woman.

  Now, I was sitting here on her couch with her, the second of her two favorite movies we’d watched today had just ended, and I glanced over in her direction.

  My heart squeezed at what I saw. Mia had fallen asleep. It had to have happened within the final twenty minutes of the movie, because I’d looked over at her then, and her eyes had met mine before she smiled at me.

  To know that she wasn’t on edge, that she was comfortable enough with me to let her guard down to the point she could fall asleep with me here, felt good. It reinforced that I was doing the right thing by taking this slow.

  And as I watched her sleeping, all I could think was how much I wanted this. All of this. Just like Harry had said, I wanted the rest of my life to start as soon as possible, because I’d found the person I wanted to spend my life with.

  I’d had months of getting to know her and spending time with her. There wasn’t anything about her I didn’t like or want in my life on a day-to-day basis. All that came with her—even her baby.

  My eyes drifted down her body and over her sleeping form. God, she was beautiful. I could have stayed right where I was all night long and watched her while she slept. But since Mia and I were technically still just friends, I didn’t think that was the wisest idea.

  So, I gave myself another ten minutes to just sit there with her and imagine what my life would be like, what our life could be like, if things went the way I hoped they’d eventually go.

  When I hadn’t gotten quite enough, but knew I wouldn’t leave if I stayed any longer, I turned off the television, stood, and lifted Mia in my arms. Whether it was divine intervention or that she was truly that exhausted, Mia didn’t wake.

  I climbed the stairs and walked to her bedroom. Instinctively, my eyes moved through the space. This was where she slept every night.

  Not wanting to get caught up in another ten or twenty minutes of fantasizing as I held this woman in my arms, I crossed the room toward the bed and gently placed Mia down in it. After making sure she was covered and settled, I left her room, descended the stairs, and grabbed the keys to her house. I found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote Mia a note letting her know I locked up and took her keys to do it, so she’d know where to find them tomorrow.

  Then I turned off the lights, walked out, and locked up.

  And as I made my way back to my place, I wondered if the time would come when I’d be able to spend the night with Mia instead of having to walk away.

  SIXTEEN

  Mia

  I felt like I’d been in a perpetual state of happiness all day.

  Technically, it had been days I’d been feeling so good, and it would have been difficult not to be so happy when I’d just had the best weekend of my life.

  It was all thanks to one man.

  The constant state of joy began on Saturday when Brock came over to my house to have lunch, build a crib, eat dinner, and watch movies with me. He had gone well beyond the call of duty that day, giving me far more than just a built crib in the end.

  The good vibes continued when I woke in my bed the next morning, knowing I hadn’t walked there myself. Of course, it was possible that pregnancy brain was impacting me, but that seemed a bit too far-fetched. And fortunately, I realized I wasn’t losing my mind entirely when I descended the stairs for breakfast yesterday morning and saw Brock’s sweet note waiting there for me.

  I thought I’d get a reprieve on Sunday afternoon from the utter bliss I’d been feeling and have some time to try to settle down, but apparently, I wasn’t done receiving all that I was meant to have. Because once I walked over to Brock’s to get my key after I ate breakfast yesterday, we had a chat about the movie I’d fallen asleep during. That discussion led to Brock reminding me he didn’t have any side work that needed to be done that day and ultimately asking if I’d like to spend the day with him.

  It didn’t seem to bother Brock that I needed to get some grocery shopping done, quickly volunteering to be my chauffeur, and taking me wherever I needed to go.

  So, that’s what we did.

  We also had lunch together while we were out, went for a walk around the neighborhood when we got back, enjoyed dinner on my deck afterward, and closed out the evening by watching one of Brock’s favorite movies, which was a clear departure from the romantic comedies from the night before.

  The entire day had been unbelievably fun, and best of all, it was casual between us. I hadn’t felt one ounce of awkward tension between us, and I really did my best to just lean into how great it felt to have someone in my life with whom I enjoyed spending my time.

  And now, it was Monday, and I’d just turned onto my street after leaving work. Even without having seen Brock all day today, I hadn’t managed to come down from the high of the weekend.

  Maybe that was the result of the weekend being just that good, or it could have been the prospect of seeing Brock when I got home. It was entirely possible it was a combination of both, but I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Brock was responsible for the way I’d been feeling lately.

  As I made my way down my street, I saw Brock’s truck at the end of his driveway. My heart started beating a little faster, and the smile on my face grew.

  When I pulled my car to a stop at the end of my own driveway and got out, I was even happier that Brock seemed just as thrilled to see me as I was him.

  “Hey, Mia. How was work today?”

  “Great. Very productive. How was your day?”

  As I made it to my mailbox, where Brock had also stepped closer to, he answered, “That’s a great word to describe it. Productive.”

  I smiled brightly at him. “Can’t complain about that, am I right?”

  “Absolutely. Are you still up for a walk today?”

  Even if I wasn’t physically up to going for a walk, which thankfully, wasn’t the case, there wasn’t a chance I was going to turn him down. I wanted to spend as much time with Brock as I could.

  Nodding, I confirmed, “Yep. I’ll just need to get myself a snack, and I’ll be ready to go.”

  “Perfect. Hey, by the way, I wanted to ask you about something,” he said.

  I tipped my head to the side, eyeing him with curiosity. “Sure. What’s up?”

  “We can talk about it on the walk, but Izzy finishes school this week. I talked to her and my brother while I was on my way home from work, and when I asked her if and how she wanted to celebrate it with me, she said she wanted to take a trip to the beach this weekend. Of course, she asked if you would be free to go with us, so I told her I’d find out. Do you happen to have any plans for Saturday? And if not, would you like to join Izzy and me on a trip to the beach?”

  “Yes. Yes, I’d love to go,” I bubbled, the excitement spilling out of me before I could contain any of it.

  Brock laughed, and I wondered if he thought I was being silly, or if he thought I was too eager. He never indicated either way. Instead, he returned, “Izzy is going to be thrilled when I call back to let her know.”

  “Well, you tell her that I’m just as excited as she is,” I urged him.

  “I will.”

  I inclined my head, grabbed my mail out of the box, and said, “I just need five minutes to get inside, get changed, and grab a snack. Then we can go for this walk and plan the fun for this weekend.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Without another word, Brock and I returned to our vehicles and did what we had to do to get ourselves ready for our walk together. Five minutes later, we met outside and took off.

  And by the time we returned to our homes, it had been determined.

  I was going to take care of packing sandwiches for the beach trip, and Brock would be responsible for the snacks. And together, we decided that we’d use this trip to reveal the news of my pregnancy to Izzy.

  It was safe to say, I might have been more excited about Izzy’s final week of school than she was, because I couldn’t wait for another weekend of fun.

  When the knock came at my door early Saturday morning, I was practically bursting with giddiness.

  I darted from the kitchen to the front door as quickly as I could and pulled it open to reveal two faces I adored smiling back at me.

  “Are you ready for the beach, Mia?” Izzy asked, her jubilance unmatched.

  I beamed at her. “I can’t wait. I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since your uncle asked me to go with you.”

  “Uncle Brock and I got everything packed in the car, so we’re ready to go,” she informed me.

  “Well, I don’t want to delay us any longer,” I replied. “Do you want to come in and help me carry the things I packed to the car, so we can get out of here and get our toes in the sand as soon as possible?”

  Izzy didn’t hesitate. She stepped inside and moved right past me. I lifted my gaze to Brock’s and found him looking as happy as Izzy and I felt.

  “Good morning, Mia.”

  There was something sweet and slightly seductive about the way he said those three words. I could feel the flush creep over my skin.

  “Good morning, Brock.”

  Before he had the chance to say anything, Izzy’s hand reached for mine and gave it a tug. Brock and I sprang into action, and before I knew it, we were on the road and heading out for a day of fun.

  We’d barely departed from the neighborhood when I turned in my seat, looked back at Izzy, and said, “Congratulations on finishing school. Are you excited for your summer break, or are you already missing your friends?”

  “Hmm. Well, I’m really excited about summer, because Daddy said he has a lot of fun things planned for us. And I know Uncle Brock will do fun things with me, too. But I am a little bit sad about not being able to see my friends, especially Billy.”

  Brock growled his displeasure at his niece’s response. I glanced at him and felt a jolt of sympathy for him. He adored this girl, and she was certainly testing him, even if she didn’t realize it.

  Returning my attention to Izzy, I insisted, “I’m sure the summer is going to fly by, and before you know it, you’ll be back at school with all of your friends again.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. Oh, can you turn this song up? It’s one of my favorites.”

  As I turned around in my seat again, Brock turned up the radio. And for the next few minutes, we drove along listening to the music and the sweet tender sounds of Izzy’s singing.

  And it was during those moments when it hit me.

  I wanted this.

  I wanted what this day represented.

  Sure, I was merely on a friendly day trip with my neighbor and his niece, but I liked how it felt.

  My mind drifted, and I quickly found myself dreaming of a future with Brock, imagining what it could be like. Would we have this? Would we have impromptu days of fun at home like we did last weekend, or would we plan trips out to places like the beach like this?

  The sense of longing that washed over me was almost enough to have me bursting into tears. At one point, Brock looked over at me, and there was a clear look of concern in his expression. Whether it was because Izzy was there or he already knew what was going through my mind, he didn’t ask me to elaborate on what I was feeling.

  Instead, he sent a sweet smile my way as he reached across the center console, curled his fingers around my forearm, and offered a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

  I had no verbal confirmation that Brock understood what was happening inside my head, but his physical gestures indicated he knew enough to know I needed something. And he didn’t hesitate to give it to me.

  Yeah.

  It was no surprise I longed for this.

  For a man like him.

  Or maybe, just him.

  Someone who cared more about the person they were with than themselves. I’d made a lot of choices in my life. Many of them were good, some were great. And I’d made some not-so-great choices, too. I didn’t like to think about having regrets in my life. Things happened the way they did, and overall, I believed I was precisely where I was supposed to be. But if there was one thing I could unequivocally say I had no regrets about, it was Brock. My life was much richer having him in it, even if I’d never have him in all the ways I wished I could.

  My thoughts, Izzy’s singing, and a few fun conversations later, we’d arrived at the beach. It was a gorgeous day—not too hot, but still too cold to find ourselves needing to cool off in the water. Plus, being right on the coast, there was a nice breeze, which made it feel like the perfect spring day.

  For the first two hours after we stepped onto the sand, the three of us simply relished being where we were. Izzy was keen on finding shells and running toward the water. We all stood in the wet sand, allowing the waves to crash at our ankles before the water drifted back from the shore. Izzy got the biggest kick over our feet sinking into the wet sand.

  Eventually, we made our way back to the area where Brock had set up a chair for me and a big beach blanket for him and Izzy. They played in the sand for a while, building castles and using the beach toys he’d brought along for her. And when lunch time had arrived, we were all eager to fill our bellies.

  “So, what do you think, buttercup? Has this been a fun day so far?” Brock asked her as I worked on pulling out the sandwiches I’d prepared.

  “The most fun. I wish we could come to the beach every day,” Izzy declared.

  Brock chuckled. “I can’t say I disagree with you on that. We’ll have to plan another trip here later this summer.”

  “I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself here, Izzy. I hope I can make this day even more fun with some surprises I’ve got for you,” I said, joining the conversation.

  “I love surprises!”

  Pulling the sandwiches out of the bag I’d packed, I held them up and said, “I made special peanut butter sandwiches. There’s no jelly on them, but I did add something special. I hope you like it, but if you don’t, I packed a regular one for you just in case.”

  “Did you cut it into a shape, too?” Izzy asked.

  “I did. I knew how much you liked that, so I got some cookie cutters earlier in the week. I didn’t find any butterflies, though.”

  Izzy took the sandwich from me, while Brock took the other. She inspected it and announced, “It’s a seashell.”

  I smiled brightly at her.

  “What about yours, Uncle Brock? What shape did you get?”

  Although I didn’t doubt Brock knew exactly what it was the moment he saw it, I loved the response he gave to his niece. “I’m not sure. What do you think it is?”

  Izzy didn’t need much time to figure it out. “Those are sunglasses.”

  “Oh, you’re right. How could I have missed that?”

  “And here’s mine,” I said, holding it out for Izzy to see.

  With a bright smile on her face, she said, “It’s the sun. These are perfect for our day on the beach.”

  “I’m glad you think so. Now, tell me what you think about what’s on the inside,” I urged her.

  Izzy didn’t hesitate to lift her sandwich to her mouth to take a bite. It was clear to see she immediately recognized there were slices of banana in her sandwich, but it took a few extra seconds for her to realize there was something else there. The moment it happened, her eyes widened in disbelief. “It’s peanut butter and bananas and chocolate.”