I smile even now, thinking of my former home. “I worked a ton of random jobs, lived in shitty apartments, and made a really bad choice dating a guy who showered me with attention but who wouldn’t be there in the long run. But to answer your question, no. I’m kind of sorry to admit it. I got swept up in the romance of being wanted. But that’s all it ever was until Junie. Because of her, I have zero regrets.”

  I smooth her sweaty curls back from her face and hope I’ve told him enough but not so much. I mean, I know my story is a lot, and there are still details I haven’t shared. But he wanted to know my story and the situation, and that’s it.

  Most of it, at least. The bits I can share.

  “Did you want to come in for a bit?” I ask him. “I think she should sleep for about another hour if I can get her inside without waking her up.”

  Vito is quiet, but he unfastens his belt and runs around to the rear doors to grab Junie’s diaper bag.

  I perform a feat of acrobatic wonder, sliding my hands under Junie’s butt and setting her on my shoulder in such a smooth movement. She does wake up but then blinks those long lashes and mumbles, “Mama,” and falls right back to sleep.

  Vito locks the car, and I ask him to grab the keycard to my hotel room from a zipped pocket in the diaper bag. He unlocks the door and holds it open for me. I immediately go into the bedroom, where I have a pack and play set up for Junie. I tuck her in and wait to make sure she is going to stay asleep, then I quietly close the door behind me and head back to the living room.

  I half expect to see Vito awkwardly standing by the door, just waiting to bolt after the miserable story I shared in the car. Instead, he’s sitting on the couch, and he’s spread out all the glossy listing sheets from each house we saw on the coffee table. He’s looking over each one, but when I come back into the room, he stands.

  “So, I sorted these in price order,” he says, pointing to the sheets. “Maybe we go through each one and make a list of pros and cons. A couple of them I’d scratch off the list completely, but I want to know which ones you liked because if I saw red flags in a place you’re thinking of buying, I got a buddy who can do a real home inspection for you. Figure out the cost to fix the problem, maybe get some money off the asking price so you can make the repair before you move in.”

  I’m staring at him, not saying a word, just taking in everything he’s saying. I realize I’m staring when he comes around the table with a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay? Am I being too pushy? If you want to make this decision on your own, I’ll butt the fuck out, I just…”

  I shake my head. “It’s not that. I expected you to run after I told you all that shit about Junie’s father. About my upbringing.”

  Vito cocks his chin and lifts one of those perfect, deep brown brows at me. He steps closer, and I can smell the same sensual aroma of his cologne.

  “Eden.” His voice is low as he reaches for my chin. He cups it in his hand, and his lips curl into a grin. “What you told me only makes me believe even more strongly that you’re a fucking amazing woman. From everything I’ve seen, you’re a totally dedicated and loving mom. You’ve had a hard life, and you’re here for your fresh start. Why would I run from the strongest, sexiest, most resilient woman I’ve ever met?”

  He releases my chin and chuckles. “Just don’t tell Gracie I said that.” He jerks a thumb toward the couch. “Come on, you got a house to buy and a home to make for yourself and that little girl.”

  He plops down onto the couch like this is something we’ve done a million times. I pull a pen and some paper from the hotel kitchenette and start making notes about the homes.

  “While we’re on the subject of this house, are you sure you want to buy?” he asks. “You’re thinking you’re going to stay in Star Falls?”

  I nod. “Aunt Shirley’s been after me to move here since my mom died.” I toe off my shoes and shrug out of my wrap. It’s getting warm in the late afternoon sun, but the windows in this all-suite extended-stay hotel don’t open. If I want to cool off, I have to click on the air or lose a layer. “I figure if I buy a house now, I’ll have enough equity by the time Juniper is grown to either sell if I need to or pull money out of the house. That’s one thing I really want to do with my life,” I say, admitting what I want more than anything.

  “I never grew up in a house. Never had a savings account. Never knew how to manage money because there was literally never a spare penny. I want to have the life I always wanted. Of course, for my daughter, but not just for her. I want something good that we can share. I want more than what I’ve had.”

  As soon as I say the words, I remember that Vito’s ex-wife left him because she wanted the finer things in life.

  I hope he doesn’t think I mean that. I don’t know what she wanted, and I sure don’t want to judge a woman I don’t know.

  I don’t think having some stability in my life and making sure I don’t screw up the chance I’ve been given to make a normal life for my daughter is hard to understand.

  But the smile he gives me washes away all my worries like a sudden storm on a sunny day. “You’re going to do it,” he says. “I can feel it. I got a good sense about you, Eden. You’re a smart cookie.”

  I point to the listing sheet and think back to Robert’s house. “Smart enough to make this work?”

  “Is that the one?” he asks. His voice is low, and I’m suddenly aware of his knee gently touching mine.

  I don’t move away. “Yeah,” I say. “I feel like it is.” I look into his eyes. “I just hope I’m putting my trust in the right things this time.”

  “Things?” He scoots closer to me, until he’s so close I feel the heat radiating from his arm beside mine. “Things are going to break, Eden. Dishwashers and roofs and sinks.”

  My heart starts hammering in my chest, and my palm gets sweaty. “I’m talking about the stuff that’s harder to fix once it’s broken.”

  His fingertips push my hair away from my neck, and he leans down to murmur against my ear. “Hearts,” he guesses. “Broken hearts can be fixed too.”

  All I can focus on is the pressure of Vito’s thigh alongside mine and his sweet, light breath as he whispers against my skin.

  “I’m a trained professional, you know. First aid, basic lifesaving. If you’re going to put your trust in anyone, it might as well be me.”

  I shift a little and lift my face so our noses nearly touch. “I’m sure you’ve stopped plenty of hearts too,” I say with a grin.

  He snakes a hand behind my neck and slides his fingers into my hair. “You’ve got my heart and some other parts of me going haywire right now.”

  He tightens his fingers lightly, the slight tug on my roots sending a wave of arousal from my head all the way to my toes. I close my eyes and shiver, feeling the tiny hairs on my arms stand at attention. “Vito,” I breathe.

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “Remember when you gave me permission to kiss you?”

  “Uh-huh.” He growls a laugh. “You’ve got an open invitation with me. You want it, you take it.”

  “Oh, thank God,” I say, then I turn to him, lift one thigh, and straddle his lap.

  9

  Vito

  The minute Eden settles into my lap, I slide my fingers under her hair, grip her neck, and pull her close.

  I kiss her lightly at first, tasting her lips and getting used to the soft feel of her cheeks against my stubble.

  Unlike when she kissed me in the car, she’s not shy now. She closes her eyes and opens her mouth, nibbling my lips and panting sweet breaths against my mouth.

  She opens her lips and flicks her tongue against mine, and that’s when I know I’m fucked. A goner.

  Her tongue dances against mine, and I swear I see sparks behind my eyes. A feral groan slips out of me. As if my arousal gives her permission to give in to hers, she laces her fingers behind my neck to pull me even closer.

  She wiggles her hips against my lap, the denim of my jeans providing so much friction, I’m starting to get uncomfortably hard.

  I pull my head back to catch my breath. Her cheeks are flushed, and her lips look swollen and bright red. I lower my face to her neck and nibble kisses along the sharp corner of her jaw.

  She tips back, but I tighten my arms around her back and pull her toward me. I want to pick her up and lay her on this couch and do unspeakably dirty things to her, but I’m getting way too close to the point of no return.

  She’s sweet, she’s smart, and she’s seen some shit. She’s got plans and priorities, and if her thick curves didn’t have me hooked, everything else I’m learning about her would seal the deal.

  “You’re fucking hot, and you’re all mine,” I say.

  “All yours?” she echoes.

  I don’t care if calling her mine is too much, too soon. She’s mine right now. I’m not about to let anything come between us. Definitely not memories of my stripper ex who has no business fucking up our good time.

  “At least for this afternoon,” I say.

  She slips off my lap to sit beside me. I throw an arm over her shoulder and lift her face to meet my eyes.

  She grins and, twisting at the waist, grabs my face with both hands. “Yes,” she whispers, then runs her nose along the stubble on my jawline.

  She moans deep in her throat, and before I can stop it, my hand slides from her hip to her belly. She arches her chest against mine, and even though we are in the world’s most awkward position, I feel her full breasts press against me.

  I’m trying to figure out how we can get more comfortable while making an even more inappropriate scene on her couch when Eden shoves my chest lightly.

  “Lie back a bit,” she says, her voice thick and low.

  I lean back, and she straddles my hips, but this time, she braces her hands on the back of the couch behind me so we won’t tip off the front. She flicks her tongue along my lower lip while tugging the front of her V-neck top down a bit.

  I take that as my invitation, and I cup her generous tits in my hands.

  A whimper in her throat sends my dick into overdrive. She grinds her hips against mine, and we ravish each other’s mouths while I hold her breasts, and she claws the couch behind my shoulders.

  “I really want to kiss you here.” I grunt the words against her lips, tightening my hold on her breasts.

  She doesn’t respond, just releases the couch and holds her arms in the air. I grab the hem of her tee and tug it up to reveal her belly. She bends her arms and works them through the sleeves, then sets the shirt beside us on the couch. She’s wearing a dusty-pink-colored bra, the cups so thin I can see the sharp outlines of her hard nipples through the lace.

  “Jesus fuck, babe,” I pant. I swallow and just stare at her, taking in her body. “You are fucking unbelievable.”

  She looks down at her belly, pointing with a finger. “I’ve got a few stretch marks. Here…” She uses a finger to work a large circle, motioning over her abdomen. Then she lifts her hands to her breasts. “Here too,” she whispers, her voice thick. “No one has seen all this since I had Junie.”

  “Really?”

  I know her kid’s only like a year old, but the fact that I’m the first—the only guy to experience this version of her body—gets me.

  “Babe,” I hiss, thumbing one nipple through the pink lace. “Everything about your body is fucking perfect.”

  We look into each other’s eyes as I shove the fabric away to reveal her hard, copper-colored nipple.

  I thumb the peak gently and suck air as she gasps and slams her eyes closed. “Sensitive?” I ask.

  “Fuck yes,” she breathes. “Don’t stop.”

  I watch her lips part and her hips shimmy as I tweak both nipples between my fingertips. She throws her shoulders back and gasps, leaning into my hands and urging me to work her nipples harder.

  “So good,” she sighs, opening her eyes slowly. “Vito…”

  I lower my face and suck her whole right nipple into my mouth. I hold the weight of her breast in my hand and swirl my tongue over the sensitive skin.

  She gasps again and throws her head back, but my eyes are closed.

  I’m focused on the pressure she’s putting on my erection, the taste of her sweet flesh under my tongue, and the greedy noises that let me know she likes what I’m doing.

  Suddenly, I hear a small, muffled song coming from the direction of Eden’s bedroom. Juniper’s awake. She’s not screaming or crying. She’s literally singing, “Maaaamaaaa.”

  “Fuck.” I lift my mouth from her nipple and grin. “I’d almost be pissed if she weren’t so damn cute.”

  Eden’s grin is even bigger than mine. “Cutest little cockblock in Star Falls.” She sighs and leans back to smooth the cups of her bra back into place. “I am so sorry,” she says.

  I shake my head and rub my face hard. “No apologies needed.” I stand while she puts her shirt back on and adjust my cock in my jeans, praying it will go down quickly. “You need me to go?” I ask.

  She pulls me close for a hug. We’re nearly the same height, so when we’re nose to nose, I can plant another kiss on her lips. “No,” she whispers against my mouth. “Not until we’ve gone through the lists of pros and cons.”

  I slip my hands into the back pockets of her jeans and give her ass a playful squeeze. “One condition,” I say. “We pick up where we left off sometime soon.”

  “Like, very soon,” she promises.

  She pulls away from me about as reluctantly as I let her go. She smiles at me, her hair mussed and her cheeks flushed as she heads to the bedroom.

  “Look who’s awake,” she says to Juniper.

  The hotel suite is starting to get dark, so I keep myself busy while Eden gets Juniper up by turning on the lights and grabbing a glass of water. I hear Eden call out that she’s changing a diaper and will be right out, so I pour her a glass of water too and then go back to the listing sheets.

  Eden and I spend the next couple of hours playing with Juniper and talking through the list of houses we looked at. There is a clear winner in both of our minds, and of course, it is the very first house we saw.

  “So, you think you’re going to make an offer?” I ask. I’m putting all the listing sheets into a stack while Juniper smashes a plastic cooking pot against the coffee table. I raise my voice a bit to call over the racket. “No more looking?”

  Eden’s in the kitchenette prepping some dinner for Juniper. “No,” she says, meeting my eyes across the suite. “I think I’m going to trust my gut this time.”

  I’ve never been a man to believe in things like the one before, but I do believe in trusting my gut. And right now, my gut’s telling me if there was ever a one for me, I’ve just found her.

  Three weeks later, it’s done.

  Eden made an offer on the house, Robert accepted it, and the house passed all the inspections with flying colors.

  Eden got approved for the mortgage, and since she was anxious to get out of the hotel, she was able to negotiate for a quick closing.

  During that time, work was intense.

  We had not one, but two unusually serious structure fires. For a small department like ours, one serious fire per quarter is not uncommon, but two in under a month put a strain on the team. Our captain suffered a twisted ankle at the first fire, so there was some shuffling of schedules while the cap healed up.

  Eden and I didn’t manage to fit in a proper date night, but we’ve had plenty of dates in, if you call dinner and heavy make-out sessions on the shitty hotel couch dates. By the time the week of the closing rolled around, Ma’s friends were taking charge like a well-oiled machine.

  “Vito, are you up yet?”

  I hear Ma’s voice and a noise like she’s banging on my door with the heel of a stiletto shoe.

  “Ma, fuck.” It’s not even eight in the morning if my phone’s to be believed. Way too early for this shit. “What is it?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Ma.” I toss aside the covers and stride to the door in my pajama pants. There’s a reason I don’t sleep naked anymore, and her name is Lucia Bianchi.

  I throw open the bedroom door and see the abominable noisemaker Ma was banging against my door. An industrial-sized tape roller that’s as big as my mom’s head.

  “Where the hell did you get this, and why are you banging it on my door?”

  Despite the early hour, Ma’s fully dressed and made up to the nines. I grab her hand and stare at the glittery-looking hearts attached to her fingertips. “Did you get your nails done this early?”

  Ma yanks her hand back and fake slaps me with it. “I got these done two days ago, Vito. I swear I could have little penises put onto my nails, and it would take you and your father a week to notice.”

  I blast a laugh through my lips and smooth my hair back. “I think Pops would notice dicks on your hands, Ma, but thanks for the visual. I just got a preview of my future nightmares.”

  I turn from Ma and grab a T-shirt from the floor. Ma shakes her head and snorts.

  “Son, what did I tell you about leaving clothes on the floor? Are you going to do that at Eden’s house?”

  My jaw falls open, and I turn to stare at my mother. “Uh, excuse me?”

  My mother rolls her eyes. “Oh please. It’s not like we haven’t noticed you’ve been gone a lot. Smiling all the time. And somehow, you seem to always leave the house right before Eden comes over for ladies’ brunch. You tell me what all that means. Am I wrong? Are you or are you not seeing her?”

  I shake my head and try not to smile. “You and your friends, Ma. You got to stop playing Sherlock Holmes with other people’s lives. I thought you agreed to butt out of your kids’ love lives after Franco and Chloe?”