“Mama, we need to make a plan for what we’re going to buy the baby.”

  Mia has been dying to go to the store and shop for baby presents, but that’s been another stress on my mind. Discretionary spending gives me a stomachache. Alice knows I’ve lost my job, and she’s assured me that Lia and Leo, their friends who are expecting the baby, won’t even notice if I don’t bring anything. She suggested I bake some cupcakes instead, but after Crow very gently suggested we not bring anything homemade, I got the message. I’ve never been a good cook or baker, and giving the baby shower guests food poisoning would be worse than showing up empty-handed.

  I sit up and tug Mia close. “You can pick out one thing at the store, okay? I don’t want you going bananas, little miss.”

  “I promise, no bananas.” She skips off to her room to pick out an outfit while I head downstairs to make coffee.

  The last week, my headaches haven’t been anywhere near as frequent as they were before my trip down the stairs. I don’t want to draw any faulty conclusions. It’s possible that being happier, even though my stress level is not much lower, is helping dial back the frequency and intensity of the episodes.

  But I don’t want to fool myself into thinking a new relationship is the cure. Stress makes my head worse, but it didn’t create the condition. I still need to figure out getting in to see people and navigating the maze of insurance questions, especially now that my insurance is set to expire in a couple of days.

  But those are worries for tomorrow. Today, I’m going to meet more of Crow’s friends. My little girl is going to play with her new best friend. And maybe, just maybe, this will be the night that Crow sleeps over.

  I try not to get ahead of myself, but I shower and shave, pluck and primp every inch of my body. Mia is knocking on the bathroom door before long, asking if she can have a special hairstyle for the baby shower.

  By the time we’re both dressed and ready, there’s a knock at the door, and Mia, if possible even more excited than she was when she woke up, flies to answer it.

  “Mia. Wait for me,” I remind her.

  I check the peephole, and my breath catches when I see Crow standing there. I twist the lock, and Mia yanks open the door.

  “Crow,” she greets him and grabs his hand. “Come in. I have a lot of ideas about the baby gift.” She drags him inside, talking a blue streak.

  As he walks past me, Crow reaches out a hand to me, and I grab it. We hold hands for a moment, and then, like lovestruck teenagers, giggle and let each other go.

  Mia doesn’t know there’s anything going on between Crow and me. For now, he’s a good friend helping with projects at the house and driving her to school while I’m limiting my time behind the wheel. I’ve never brought anyone home to meet Mia, so I don’t know exactly how to navigate that terrain. I’m sure when the time is right, I’ll figure it out, but since it’s early, I figure I can keep this close to my heart, at least as far as my daughter is concerned.

  We head out to the store and let Mia run through the infant aisles, making lists in her head of things she’d like to get. I told her she can pick three things, and we’ll choose only one to buy and take to the baby, so she’s very seriously considering what her top three choices are.

  Crow and I wander the “boring” aisle, browsing the infant formula and bottles while Mia heads straight for the toys. Once we’re alone, I lean close to his ear.

  Crow’s wearing a shirt I’ve never seen him in before. A blue button-down with a pair of black jeans. His hair is styled, swept back from his face and held into place with a light gel or something. His glossy hair is so dark, it suits his nickname perfectly. I breathe the stronger aroma of aftershave, the now-familiar scents of citrus and wood making my knees weak and my core run lava-hot.

  “Hi, sexy.” I lightly kiss his ear, and he shudders visibly. “You look gorgeous today.”

  “Woman,” he growls. “This is a place to shop for babies, not to make ’em.”

  “Shop for baby stuff,” I tease. I lace my fingers through his, kiss the pretty bird on his hand, and then release him. “I’m looking forward to meeting your friends today,” I tell him. “Will it be a lot of bikers?”

  He nods. “I expect the whole crew’ll be there.” He chuckles. “This is definitely not the club parties I expected to come back to.”

  He tucks two fingers under my chin and just looks at me when Mia comes running down the aisle. “Mama. Crow. Look.”

  I expect Mia to have all three things she wants us to choose from, but to my surprise, she’s only got one thing in her hand.

  “This,” she says, thrusting a box at me. “It’s so cute.”

  I take the box from her, and as I’m inspecting the contents, it hits me how absolutely perfect this gift really is.

  “Honey,” I ask her. “Do you know what this is?”

  She nods. “Yeah, of course I do. It’s a giraffe.” She looks up at Crow and smiles. “The baby will have one just like mine.”

  The giraffe isn’t exactly like Mia’s. It’s a smaller version, and it’s called a binkie buddy. The giraffe itself is super soft, and it’s built to connect to a pacifier so the baby can hold on to something while the binkie is in their mouth. As the infant gets older, the connective strap converts and can clip to a car seat or stroller, even a backpack. And to my surprise, the gift is even less than I expected to spend. My heart nearly breaks not only at the fact that I can spend under what I’d budgeted, but that the gift is so perfectly meaningful to us.

  I kneel down and look my daughter in the eye. “Honey, this is perfect. This is what you want to get?”

  She looks up at Crow and takes the box from me, extending it for him to inspect. “What do you think?” she asks.

  He presses his lips together for a moment. “You know what the worst part about being a giraffe is?” he asks.

  She shakes her head.

  “The sore throats,” he says seriously.

  Mia cracks up and turns back to me. “So, can we get it?”

  I nod. “Let’s find a card so you can explain why you picked it. That will make the gift even more special.”

  She leaves the box with me and darts off to look for a card. She’s already reading at grade level with the kids in second grade, so I leave her to pick out whatever card she wants.

  “Seems like you’ve made quite an impression on both of us,” I say quietly.

  “I might need to buy Mia a new stuffed animal,” he admits. “There are only so many giraffe jokes on the internet.”

  I lace my fingers through his until we’re in sight of Mia. She’s got her face pressed close to the cards to read what they say, but when she sees us approach, she picks one out and we pay for the gift. On the drive to the shower, I let Mia assemble the gift in the gift bag we picked out.

  I’m oddly excited to meet Crow’s friends. These people are more his family than his biological relatives, and if Alice and Morris are anything to judge by, I’m going to have a great day.

  As soon as we park, Mia takes off running.

  “I swear,” I tell him, “my daughter is not normally a roadrunner, racing from A to B.”

  He holds the gift bag while I climb out of the car, then he hands the bag to me to carry. “Mind if I add my card to your bag?” he asks. “I got them an, uh, evergreen gift…”

  I chuckle and slide his card inside the gift bag just as Zoey runs out to greet Mia. The girls head into the house, and we follow close behind.

  The next few minutes are a whirlwind of introductions. Alice greets me first, giving me a huge hug.

  “How are you?” she asks. “You look fantastic.” She points to my eyebrow but then looks me over from head to toe. “Poor Crow,” she says, shaking her head. “Or should I say lucky?”

  I flush and shake off the compliment. “How are you?” I ask, lowering my voice. “Do you want any help?”

  “Nope. Everything here is done. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone. Are you okay with dogs?”

  “Do you have dogs? Mia is going to lose it.” The only thing my daughter wants more than siblings and friends is a puppy.

  “Not ours,” she explains. “Lia, the mommy-to-be, has a whole pack of them. They’re all very friendly, though.”

  I can hear dogs barking outside and Mia squealing, which means she’s already met the pups. Alice leads me into the backyard, where the party is already in full swing. An enormous man is sitting in an Adirondack chair, a beer in his hands.

  Mia and Zoey are running around chasing dogs, and a very pretty, very pregnant girl in a boho-style maxi dress is barefoot as she sits and talks to two very, very handsome guys.

  “Birdie,” Alice says. She stops first in front of the giant man. “This is Tiny, president of the motorcycle club and Lia’s dad.”

  Tiny grunts, and Crow lets out a belly laugh. “Come on, old man.” He holds out a hand and yanks Tiny up from the chair.

  “Nice to meet you,” Tiny says, holding out a hand to me. “I hear you’re risking your house so Crow over here can put together a résumé of construction projects. I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or thank you.”

  I shake his hand and look at Crow, who’s shaking his head. He flicks Tiny on the shoulder and hisses, “Asshole.” But the grins on their faces let me know the ribbing is well-intentioned.

  “Congratulations,” I say, then Alice whisks me off to meet the guest of honor and the guys she’s chatting up.

  “Lia,” Alice interrupts. “There’s someone here I want you to meet.”

  Lia stands up, huffing a breath from the exertion. “No, no, no,” she exclaims. “I want to meet you. Are you Mia’s mom? Because all I have heard about for the last few weeks is Mia this, Mia that. Zoey’s already planning all the ways your daughter is going to help her babysit this little egg.” She rubs her belly.

  I give her a hug and wish her congratulations, a tiny spark of longing filling my chest. I’m not jealous. But I never had a shower like this, loved ones and friends and dogs and happiness spilling over. While Mom and I were overjoyed with Mia once she arrived, the pregnancy wasn’t something we really had time to celebrate.

  “Come on,” Lia says, walking over to the two gorgeous men talking in low voices. “Meet the baby daddy. This is Leo.”

  Leo greets me, and I recognize him as the newest member of the motorcycle club, from what Crow has told me. Crow and Leo clasp arms in a warm bro-hug, but I notice a definite chill when Crow greets the other guy.

  “And this is Arrow,” Alice says.

  Arrow doesn’t look like the other guys. He’s smoother, more refined in a way, even though colorful tattoos line his well-defined arms. While the other guys have a relaxed, almost rowdy air about them, Arrow is more reserved.

  “Glad to see you, man,” he says, holding out his hand to Crow.

  There’s a lot to interpret in their greeting, and I’m hoping I’ll get the lowdown from Crow later. Before I know what’s happening, there are more introductions, Tim and Juliette, Leo’s brother and his girlfriend, and a few more guys with names like Dog and Eagle.

  The backyard is colorfully decorated with streamers and balloons, and the cake is a work of art. Crow and I eat and talk, and I enjoy the company of these friendly strangers.

  As the sun starts to sink in the sky, Alice sidles up to me and puts an arm over my shoulders. “Soooo,” she says, a grin on her face. “How would you feel about leaving your little angel here for a sleepover? Mia and Zoey haven’t left each other’s side all afternoon. Between chasing and feeding the dogs, they haven’t been inside at all, and I bet after all this running, they’ll actually sleep.”

  “Alice,” I say, “are you up for an overnight guest? You have all this cleaning to do, and…” I don’t say it out loud since I know she and Morris were holding on to the news about their baby until after this shower.

  She shakes her head. “Tiny’s already got the guys on it. I won’t have much to do but supervise. And honestly, it’ll be great for Morris and me. I can put my feet up and relax and know that Zoey’s not bored. Besides—” she gives me a sisterly nudge in the shoulder “—if you’re feeling up to a date night…”

  I brush the hair away from my face. “It is that obvious?”

  “Honey, I know you and Crow came here together, but he’s been looking at you all afternoon like he can’t wait to leave with you.” Alice’s words are teasing but sincere.

  I look over at Crow, who hasn’t been out of my line of sight all afternoon. He’s chatting with Arrow, a thoughtful, almost dark look on his face. I’ll have to ask him what the deal is later. Even though he looks deep in conversation, he glances up and sees me watching him, and the corner of his mouth curves into a smile. The darkness of his gaze lightens a bit. Even Arrow notices the change and follows Crow’s eyes to me.

  Arrow nods and claps Crow on the shoulder, then walks away to talk to Tim.

  “If you’re sure…” I say. “Will you call me if it’s too much? If she’s up late or anything? What about dinner? Can I give you some money for food?”

  “Are you serious? We have enough of these leftovers to feed the whole club.” Alice swats my arm and shoves me toward Crow. “Zoey!” she yells. “How would you like Mia to sleep over tonight?”

  The girls’ response is predictable—excitement mixed with begging.

  “No, Zoey. Absolutely not.” Alice shakes her head before they get too carried away. “Lia’s dogs are going home with her. You know Dad’s rules. No dogs inside the house.”

  “Aw…” Zoey’s only momentarily discouraged by that, but then Mia runs up to me.

  “Mama, we didn’t pack anything for a sleepover. I don’t have a toothbrush or pajamas.”

  “We have extras,” Alice assures us. “You don’t need a thing unless your mom says you do.”

  Once we work out the logistics, we start the process of saying our goodbyes. That takes a solid half hour, even with Crow abruptly cutting short the hugs and nice-to-meet-yous. After a last goodbye hug to Mia with reminders to mind Alice and to call if she needs anything, Crow and I walk through the house and toward my car.

  The whole night is ahead of us. And we get to spend it however we want.

  Back at my place, I start to fade fast.

  “Hey.” Crow walks me to the front door, but he hesitates as I unlock it. “You look exhausted, Birdie. I don’t have to come in. You have the night off. You should rest if you need it.”

  I open the door and loop my hand through his arm. “Get your hot ass in here.” I lock the door and drop my purse and keys. “I could use a little rest, for sure. Today was awesome, but I’m feeling it. A lot of activity, a lot of stimulation. Mind if we chill on the couch a bit?”

  He shakes his head. “I’ll get drinks. You want sweet tea?” he asks.

  “Only if you make it,” I reply.

  He chuckles and takes a few minutes in the kitchen while I get comfy on the couch. I close my eyes and think through all the people I met today. None of them were what I expected. Lia and Leo are so adorable, so touchy-feely and so completely in love. Dog and Eagle and Tiny are brawny bikers, but sitting around drinking beer and eating puppy-themed cupcakes, they seemed nothing like what I imagined Crow’s biker brothers would be.

  There was only one person at that party who gave me pause in any way.

  “Here ya go.” Crow sets two tall glasses filled to the brim on the coffee table, then joins me on the couch.

  He sits in the position I’ve come to expect, his legs spread open and stretched along the length of the couch. I tuck in between his legs and rest the back of my head against his chest. I close my eyes while he strokes my temples.

  “So,” I start. “What’s the deal with you and Arrow? Every time you talked to him today, you seemed…uncomfortable.”

  I can feel Crow take a big breath of air and then slowly release it.

  “That bad?” I chuckle. I keep my eyes closed, giving myself a little time to wind down while I run my hands over the black denim that covers his muscular thighs.

  “Nah, it ain’t bad,” he says. “Arrow wants me to come work for him.”

  I nod slightly, intensifying the pressure of my fingertips on his legs. “Good thing? Bad thing? Fill me in?”

  Another of those deep-chested sighs before he says, “Little of both. He used to be a bail agent but now is a private investigator. Running down insurance scammers and cheating spouses.” The gentle pressure of his hands on my scalp intensifies just a bit as he talks. “I don’t know. The money would be good, and obviously, that’d be good for me, for us. But something about ratting people out, spending my days digging up dirt on people doing shady shit…”

  “It sounds a lot like being a cop or law enforcement,” I say. “But without the police powers.”

  “Shit…” He sounds surprised, and I turn to look at him. “Birdie, do you think that’s it? I’ve been racking my brain to figure out what the big deal is. It’s not illegal, it’s not immoral. He gets paid by clients for information they need. It shouldn’t be a problem, but every time I think about doing it, my gut just…” He shrugs.

  “Could be,” I say gently. “After what you’ve been through, I could see you feeling a lot of things. Fear, hesitation. In some ways, you’d be putting yourself in the position of power over people who, I don’t know… Maybe are people whose circumstances you can relate to a little too closely. I can see why you’re torn.”

  He lowers his head so his chin rests lightly on the top of my head. “This makes a hell of a lot of sense. I don’t know why I didn’t see it that way. It’s good money, though, babe.”

  “Babe?” I wiggle from under the gentle weight of his head and face him. “I like how that sounds.”

  “Better than Birdie?” he asks, smiling.

  “I like it all,” I admit. I lean forward and give him a light kiss on the cheek, not ready to end the conversation just yet. “Money is only one reason to take work,” I remind him. “If it doesn’t feel right, you shouldn’t feel pressure to do it.”