But just as I’m walking up to my mother, hoping she’ll take the baby from me, Juniper grabs everyone’s attention by ripping out a belch so big that everyone in the room starts cracking up. Everyone but Eden.

  “Oh no,” she says, her arms out. She’s moving toward me, her eyes fixed on her daughter as if she knows what’s about to happen.

  I’m still laughing in shock at the man-sized belch from the little kid when my shock turns to horror. Little Juniper looks up at me, her little lower lip trembles, and then she projectile vomits all over my dress clothes.

  2

  Eden

  This is not the reunion I’d imagined when my auntie invited me to her best friend’s house. First of all, I was promised a ladies’ brunch.

  I know Auntie Shirley has a group of friends she’s been tight with since high school. But nobody mentioned that any of those friends had hot sons. And the last thing I want anything to do with is a man. Any man. And especially a hot man.

  Vito Bianchi is gorgeous. He had this heart-melting, youthful look about him when he was being playful with Juniper, but now, as he shrugs off the shirt that Juniper inconveniently threw up all over, it’s like the gods of love and sex are tormenting me. He’s got muscles for days. I can almost hear angels singing as he strips off the orange-splattered dress shirt.

  I stare, stunned, while Lucia and my aunt grab Juniper and go wash her face in the kitchen. That leaves me with a whole bunch of people I don’t know, including him.

  “I’m so sorry,” I blurt out. “She’s not sick, I promise. She gets a little carsick sometimes, and I gave her some cold water with a tiny bit of orange juice in the car, but apparently that did not help.”

  Once the shock of what’s happened wears off, I go immediately into damage-control mode. I rush toward the man and try to help him ease off the shirt so none of my daughter’s throw-up touches his skin.

  He shakes off the dress shirt and stands before me wearing just a sleeveless white tank and gray dress pants. My mouth opens a little at the sight of his sculpted chest dusted with a tiny hint of dark hair. His arms look so smooth, my fingers itch to touch the well-defined muscles.

  “It’s all right,” he says, his voice sounding sincere. We’re almost the same height, so when I lift my chin, our eyes meet. “I, uh… I’ll just… I should change.”

  I’m holding the sticky shirt in my hands like it’s yesterday’s garbage while my traitorous eyes take in the length of him. “Your pants,” I say, biting my lower lip.

  He bends his head down to look, and he must see the big wet spot on the front of his pants, right over the zipper.

  I want to die.

  “I’m so sorry,” I say again. “I’ll have them cleaned. I’ll replace them. I’m so sorry.”

  For a second, a look that is almost heartbreakingly sad passes over his face. He closes his eyes, then pulls his phone from his pocket. He’s got a magazine and a set of keys in one hand, and with the other, he punches in a number on his phone.

  “One sec,” he tells me, then he turns his attention to the call. “Chief? Yeah, I’m going to be about fifteen minutes late. I got puked on. Thankfully by a child, but I’ve got to change.”

  He’s quiet for a minute, then ends the call. He faces me with a smile that seems to spread across his whole face. “Could be worse. I could be the one who did the puking. At least I can still make my meeting.”

  “Oh God.” The reality of what’s going on hits me. He’s dressed up. He was running out the door. And now, we’ve made him late. “What can I do? Do you have another shirt? Can I iron something?”

  Vito looks at me for a second and laughs so hard, I am tempted to join in.

  “Iron?” A woman who looks like a female version of Vito is laughing with him. I just met her a minute ago, but I can’t for the life of me remember her name. “My brother wears pajamas and house slippers twenty-four seven. He doesn’t have another dress shirt.”

  Vito takes the dirty shirt from me and thrusts it at his sister. “Go stuff this in the laundry. Help your brother out.”

  She gives Vito a look but then holds out a hand. “Am I washing your pants too?”

  For a hot minute, I hold my breath, wondering if he is actually going to strip off his pants right here in front of us all. But he just flicks his sister in the ribs and then takes the stairs two at a time.

  While the hottie goes up to change, I head into the kitchen to see how my daughter is.

  “Well, don’t we make a fine first impression,” I say, shaking my head. My aunt Shirley’s meeting my daughter for the first time ever, but they seem to be getting along just brilliantly.

  Juniper is sitting on the kitchen counter, her own shirt miraculously free of any signs of the mess. Her face is clean, and her hair has been smoothed back from her face. She’s got a small bowl of water in front of her and one of those baby washcloths with a soft gray elephant attached to it. She’s following my aunt’s instructions and gently dabbing at her own cheeks with the cloth.

  The sight breaks down a wall I have built around my heart, and I immediately burst into tears.

  “Honey, it’s okay.” My aunt’s friend Lucia is comedically short, so she comes over to comfort me but can’t reach my shoulder. She rests a comforting hand on my lower back and just pats me. “Throw-ups happen. We have a lot of kids coming through this house. Believe me, we’ve seen worse.”

  My aunt has her hands firmly on Junie’s waist, so she is secure, even sitting on the counter. “No more tears,” my aunt insists. “We’re family. Cleaning up messes comes with the territory.”

  But that’s what Auntie Shirley doesn’t understand. This is uncharted territory for me. I’ve had to hide Juniper for so long that having someone love her on sight is foreign to me. I just don’t know how to accept this kind of love. This is why I left Los Angeles. I had no idea what I was getting myself into moving here. I had very few options left, though, and if this is how things are going to go, I can’t imagine making a better decision.

  Lucia wraps her arm around my waist. “You know, honey, how old is Juniper? One? She could be teething too. It might not just be carsickness. Those baby teeth are a real pain.”

  I wipe away the tears for the second time today and chuckle. “They are awful,” I agree.

  And she’s right. Junie’s been chewing and drooling so much lately, I’m sure that red spot I noticed on her gums the other day is another tooth about to break through.

  “What do you say, Junebug?” I walk over to my aunt and rest a hand on Shirley’s shoulder. I don’t want to pull my daughter from her great-aunt before they have a chance to bond. Junie’s only had me as a caregiver for most of her life. I’m thrilled she seems so interested in all the new people that she’s not clinging to me.

  “Mama, elephant.” Junie dunks the washcloth into the water, sending a small sprinkle of water onto my aunt’s sleeve.

  “I see it,” I say, grinning at my baby.

  “Juniper is gorgeous,” Lucia says. “What an angel. You know who’s going to love her? My granddaughter. She loves her cousin Ethan, but…” Lucia waves a hand at my daughter’s curls. “Look at that hair. She’s going to want to play princess and dress-up. I hope you’re ready for playdates and lots of willing babysitters.”

  I cover my mouth with my hand to hold back any words that might come out. There’s nothing I can say to this. I can finally see why my aunt was so insistent on my moving here. After everything that happened back in Los Angeles, I believe that I can start over here in Star Falls. When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought my big, exciting life was over. And then, when Juniper’s father made his feelings about the matter clear to me, I thought my life itself was over.

  My aunt lifts Junie off the counter while I take the bowl of water and dump the contents down the drain. I’m facing the sink and window when a sexy voice calls into the kitchen.

  “Ma, I’m going for real now. See you for dinner.”

  I turn to follow the voice and see Vito Bianchi standing in the doorway. The waves of his brown hair have fallen loose from their careful style, and in place of the perfect dress shirt and pants, he’s wearing a pair of dark jeans and a casual cotton button-down.

  “Do you really only have one dress shirt?” I blurt out. As soon as I say the words, I shake my head. No freaking filter. I never have had one. “I mean, you look great. I was serious about replacing your shirt and pants. If, you know…” I’m rambling.

  Lucia raises up on her tiptoes to kiss her son’s cheek, but over his mother’s shoulder, his eyes are laser-focused on me. “See you, V,” she says. But then Lucia cocks her head as if putting something together in her mind. “Are you going to work? I didn’t think you were on today?”

  Vito’s intense chocolate eyes move from mine to his mom. “Ma, it’s something else. I’m meeting with the chief, but it shouldn’t take long. See you for dinner.”

  “Vito, are you in trouble? Honey, is everything all right?” She sounds worried, and right away, I pick up on the smallest details in Vito’s reaction.

  He visibly winces and kind of pulls away, but then he quickly composes himself and reassures his mom. “Ma, it’s nothing.” Then he breaks into a grin and lowers his chin to look at Junie. “Bye, Juniper. You sure know how to make an entrance.” Then it’s my turn. “Nice meeting you, Eden.” His voice is softer when he addresses me.

  I don’t have the energy to apologize again. I’m starting to feel overwhelmed by the emotions of the day, and I’ve only been here for like twenty minutes.

  I nod at him. “Nice meeting you,” I say quietly, then I turn away.

  Hot guy or not, I can only let so many things get close to my heart right now. Bringing an aunt and a bunch of new friends in is more than enough and maybe even more than I can take.

  By the end of brunch, I’ve laughed so hard and eaten so much, my stomach is turning. My aunt has convinced me to call her Aunt Sassy, because she said every time I say Shirley, no one knows who I’m talking about.

  And honestly, the Aunt Shirley I expected is nothing like the aunt I’m seeing. Sassy fits her so, so much better.

  It has to be around one thirty when Gracie puts her son down for a nap in her old bedroom upstairs. She yawns and asks her mom to wake her by 2:30 if she isn’t up so she can get on the road to pick up her older kids.

  Bev hurries back to the shelter, and Carol has a job she’s got to get back to as well. Lucia doesn’t have a full-time job, and Aunt Sassy doesn’t have to be at work where she’s a waitress until three. After Grace lies down with Ethan, Lucia and Aunt Sassy put away the leftover food but then retreat to the couches.

  “Are you allergic to dogs?” Lucia asks.

  “Not at all. I love dogs,” I tell her. “I’ve actually been planning on getting one now that we have a little house.”

  “Oh, Eden, don’t tell Lucia you want a dog. She’ll have every rescue from that shelter on your doorstep if you let her.” Aunt Sassy leans back on the couch, crosses her legs, and plops her bare feet up on a pretty ottoman.

  “Well, my Chihuahua isn’t friendly,” Lucia warns. “But she loves Gracie. I’m going to send her upstairs. But my Venus is the sweetest. She’s been out in the yard plenty for one day.” Lucia opens a patio door, and an aged lab-mix-type dog wanders in, wagging her tail so hard it’s difficult not to grin. After loving on the lab for a few minutes, Lucia scoops up the Chihuahua and carries it upstairs. “Be right back, girls.”

  Once my aunt and I are alone, I get down on the floor with Junie and introduce her to the dog. “See, Junie?” I hold my hand out, fingers down, letting the dog sniff me. “Hold Mommy’s hand.”

  I clasp Junie’s hand in mine and let the dog sniff her fill. Once she seems satisfied that we’re good people, she licks Junie’s hand and flops down on her back, legs up.

  “I think that means we can pet her,” I say, scratching the silvery fur with my nails.

  “Venus is an angel,” Aunt Sassy says over a yawn. “I never worry about the kids around that one. The Chihuahua, on the other hand…”

  Lucia returns and drops onto the couch next to Sassy. “You girls want some more coffee or water?”

  “Lucia, I’m stuffed. I’m not going to be able to make it through my shift without a bottle of Tums.”

  I look at my aunt. “Auntie, are you okay?”

  Aunt Sassy pats her belly. “Baby, never better. Don’t you worry about me. But just you wait. You hit fifty, and nothing works the same anymore.”

  Lucia cackles her agreement. “What I wouldn’t give to be fifty again,” Lucia says. “I’m just grateful I have grandchildren while I’m still young enough to enjoy them.”

  “Amen.” Sassy yawns again. “Lucia, I don’t know where you get the energy. One afternoon with the kids has worn me out.” She looks at me. “And you. You’ve been doing this all alone.”

  An awkward silence fills the room. I don’t know what to say to that. I assume my aunt’s told her friends about our family. My aunt is my dad’s sister, but calling the man my dad would be… Well, let’s just say calling him that would be generous.

  He left my mom when I was three and didn’t bother to parent beyond sending child support—late, and usually less than what he owed—and cards on my birthday and holidays.

  If Aunt Shirley hadn’t made an effort to stay in touch with me my entire life, I wouldn’t know anyone on my dad’s side of the family.

  And then there’s my mom. That’s a whole different kind of story, and it’s even sadder than being abandoned by my dad.

  “How you doing, honey?” Lucia asks warmly. And somehow, even though I’ve only just met her, I get the sense that she really does care.

  “What I want to know,” Sassy interrupts, not letting me answer Lucia’s question, “is what’s up with Juniper’s father? What is it with these men who abandon their kids?” Sassy shakes her head and looks at Lucia. “You know I don’t condone the kind of father my brother was. But it really pisses me off that my beautiful niece had to go through this not just with her own father, but with the father of this beautiful angel.”

  Lucia and Sassy look incredibly worked up, and while I appreciate their interest, this is not a conversation I’m comfortable having. No, correction. It’s not a conversation I can have. There’s a whole legal contract that prevents me from saying just about anything more than the rehearsed line I’m about to repeat.

  “We reached an amicable agreement,” I say quietly. “I want to raise my daughter on my own. I didn’t want to raise her in Los Angeles. It’s better for all of us this way.”

  The answer is close to the truth of the situation. Close enough, but I still get a very sad look from Lucia and a shade of stink-eye from Aunt Sassy.

  My aunt frowns. “Well, that asshole doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

  “Ma, seriously. You going to ground Sassy for that kind of language?”

  I look up from my perch on the floor to see Vito leaning against the living room doorway.

  And sweet Jesus…somehow, he looks even better than he did earlier.

  “V, baby, I didn’t even hear you come in. You hungry? We got loads of leftovers. Let me make you a plate.” Lucia jumps up before he can accept. She passes by him, and he gives her a kiss as she heads to the kitchen.

  Then he strolls past me and takes Lucia’s seat next to my aunt on the couch. “You know she wouldn’t listen if I told her no,” he says, grinning at my aunt. “So, who’s the asshole?”

  Sassy shakes her head and frowns. “Nobody that matters, that’s for sure.”

  “Fair enough,” Vito says. He kicks up his feet and shares the ottoman with my aunt. The gesture is so comfortable, so familiar. I can’t believe this is the life my aunt’s lived all these years. A pang of longing hits me deep in my chest, and I do what I always do now when the hard feelings close in. I shake them off.

  I crawl over to Junie’s diaper bag and pull out her favorite toy, a little fabric book with large felt pieces that can be stuck to the pages of the book. I focus on my daughter but address my question to Vito.

  “So, uh, how was your meeting?” I settle Junie in my lap and cross my legs to form a chair for her little body. She tears the fabric teddy bear and carrots and cars off the book and then sticks them back on in different places. I avoid making eye contact as I ask the question, but I peek up at him as he answers.

  “Good, I guess.” He’s quiet, his full lips pressed together. He studies my face, and for a moment, I feel like he’s going to say more, but then he just says, “Thanks for asking.”

  I fix my attention on Junie while Lucia comes back in with a plate of food for Vito. “Oh honey, I didn’t grab you anything to drink. What do you want?”

  Vito takes the plate from his mom and motions to the couch. “Ma, sit. I’ll get myself a water. Take a load off, will you? You’ve been running all day. Hang with your friends.”

  He takes his plate and wanders off toward the kitchen. I can’t even help myself. As he passes by, I check out his ass.

  And man, that was the wrong thing to do. It’s a really, really nice ass.

  I drag my eyes away just as Sassy and Lucia settle in for their next pointed question.

  “So, Eden,” Lucia asks. She rubs her hands together gleefully while Sassy rolls her eyes and groans. “What kind of dog are you thinking?”

  I chuckle and kiss the top of my daughter’s head.

  Welcome to Star Falls.

  I have a feeling I’m going to like living in a small town a lot more than I ever dreamed was possible.

  3

  Vito

  The one bad thing about living in a small town is sometimes you have to go far outside your comfort zone.

  One thing that was never in my comfort zone was school—specifically, college. But ever since our meeting last week, the words of my chief keep echoing in my ears.