Sabrina tried not to get her hopes up about the possibility that Dylan may have lingering feelings for her. “You were as angry and upset as he was.”

  As they stepped off the elevator on the ground floor of Sabrina’s father’s six-story office building, Kiara asked, “Why can’t you believe Dylan loves you?”

  “What are you talking about?” Sabrina tried to douse her hysteria with laughter. “I never said he didn’t love me. I know he does.”

  “Yeah, as a friend. But why can’t you believe he loves you the way a man loves his soul mate, the one woman he can’t live without? I’m telling you, I’ve known Dylan a long time. I’ve heard the way he talks about you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. That’s the way he loves you.”

  Sabrina wanted to escape to the safety of her car. She couldn’t stand hanging out in the middle of a crowded parking lot during the lunch rush, dissecting Dylan’s feelings for her. “This is a conversation for another day. Where do you want to have lunch?”

  Kiara walked to Sabrina’s car with her before grabbing her friend’s wrist. “Maybe he loves you enough to compromise. Have you ever thought of that?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t want to get married. Maybe you don’t have to. Maybe y’all could just live together?”

  Sabrina had considered the possibility of meeting Dylan halfway, but she feared they’d both end up feeling they hadn’t really gotten the life they’d envisioned if they met in the middle. “It’s not the piece of paper I’m opposed to.”

  “What is it then?” Kiara asked, leaning against Sabrina’s black Porsche Cayenne.

  “It’s having to check in with someone every time I want to work late or have to take an impromptu business trip.”

  “But you’d also know there’s a sexy guy waiting on you when you do get home.”

  “There is that,” Sabrina said with a rueful smile. “But he isn’t just any guy. This is the guy who coaches kids’ football and donates a boatload of money to the Christmas Wish program every year so no kid in his hometown goes without a gift on Christmas morning.” Every time she thought about how big Dylan’s heart was, she fell just a little deeper.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing. He’s an amazing guy. He would be an incredible dad.”

  “But I don’t want to be a mom!” Sabrina closed her eyes when she realized she was being overly emotional again. That had been happening a lot lately. The girl who hadn’t even cried during Terms of Endearment suddenly needed to buy stock in Kleenex. “You know that, so why do you keep pushing this issue?”

  “Because I love you, and I want you to be happy. Dylan makes you happy.”

  Sabrina wanted to deny it, to turn away and pretend that conversation had never happened, but she couldn’t. She was getting tired of running away from the truth. “I do love him. He does make me happy, but that doesn’t mean we’re right for each other. He needs someone who wants the same things he does, not someone like me.”

  “Okay, tell me what kind of girl you think would be right for Dylan.”

  Sabrina reached for the door handle. “I am not having this conversation in the middle of a parking lot. Get in the car.” She waited until they were inside with their seatbelts fastened and the engine running before she spoke. “He needs someone who loves kids, who wants a houseful. You know I’m not very good with kids. They don’t like me. I feel awkward around them.”

  Kiara laughed. “That’s just because you don’t have any experience with kids. You didn’t have any younger siblings, and you never baby-sat. Besides, I’ve heard it’s different when it’s your own. The maternal instinct kicks in.”

  Sabrina inched out of the parking lot into the midday traffic. “I’m not so sure about that. Some people just weren’t cut out to be parents, you know. I think I’m one of them.”

  “You think or you know?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re throwing away a chance with the guy you love because you think you wouldn’t be a good mom. But you don’t know that for sure.”

  Kiara had a point, but Sabrina felt compelled to remind her, “It’s not like getting a puppy. You can’t find them a good home if you decide it’s not working out.”

  Kiara laughed. “No, I guess you can’t. But what if you take one look at that little face and feel love like you’ve never known before?”

  Sabrina swallowed when a lump rose in her throat. An image of a baby giggling and kicking his chubby little legs popped into her head, and she felt… a stirring. What the hell was that about?

  Kiara said, “I’m just saying, I think you should consider the possibility that maybe you’ve rushed to judgment. Plenty of women have kids and successful careers. If your career is the only reason you don’t want to have a baby with Dylan, I think it’s a cop out.”

  Was her friend right? Was she looking for excuses because she was afraid of disappointing Dylan and herself?

  “Now that Dylan’s staying with you for a while, it’ll give you a chance to try this ‘living together’ thing on for size. You’ve never lived with a guy, at least not officially. You might like it a lot more than you thought you would.”

  That was what Sabrina was afraid of. What if she didn’t want him to leave when he decided it was time?

  ***

  Dylan was having lunch at the bar at High Rollers when Brett walked in looking happier than he’d seen him in a long time. “Hey,” Dylan said, accepting his friend’s outstretched hand. “I guess I don’t have to ask how things are going with Carly. If that stupid grin is any indication, things couldn’t be better.”

  “You can say that again.” Brett slapped Dylan’s back. “Your receptionist said you were here having a quick bite between meetings, so I thought I’d come down and give you the good news in person. This isn’t the kind of thing I wanted to share over the phone or in a text. I haven’t told the rest of the guys yet.”

  “Okay.” Dylan nodded his thanks when the bartender placed the club sandwich he’d ordered on the bar. “Now you’ve got me curious. What happened?”

  “Can I get you anything, Brett?” the bartender asked.

  “No, I’m good, thanks.” Brett turned back to Dylan. “So it’s about Carly.”

  “I figured as much.”

  “I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.”

  “Wow.” Dylan pushed his lunch aside as he faced Brett. “I didn’t expect it to happen so fast.” When Brett frowned, Dylan realized he’d probably expected a more enthusiastic response from his best friend. Dylan offered his hand. “I’m sorry. That’s amazing, man, congratulations.”

  “I know this is kind of weird, you know, given all that’s been going on with you and Carly lately, but that was part of what helped me to realize how much I want her in my life.”

  “Glad I could be of service,” Dylan said, not even trying to mask his sarcasm. He wanted his friends to be happy, but he wanted his own happy ending too, preferably with Sabrina.

  “Are you okay with this?” Brett asked, crossing his arms while observing Dylan. “For real. You know you can be honest with me. This isn’t going to make things weird between us, is it?”

  “No.” Dylan shook his head when Brett shot him a skeptical look. “Seriously. I love Carly as a friend. I think she’s a great girl. But you were right when you said I was looking for someone to help me get over Sabrina. I realize now that I’m not over her. Truthfully, I don’t know if I ever will be.”

  “Anything new on that front?”

  Dylan couldn’t talk to anyone about what Sabrina had been through, not even his best friend, but he did feel comfortable saying, “We’re getting closer, as friends. We’ll see if it goes anywhere.”

  “Don’t give me that,” Brett said, striking Dylan’s arm. “You’ve been down that road with her before. You want to be more than friends, so why not just lay your cards on the table? All or nothing.”

  If only it were that easy. “It’s complicated. We’ve been through a lot the past few months.”

  “Because you think she cheated on you? Man, I still find that hard to believe. Sabrina’s not like that. If she was with you, I can’t believe she would’ve hooked up with someone else. You guys have too much history, too much respect for each other for her to do something like that.”

  “Turns out you’re right,” Dylan admitted, grateful he could clear up that misconception. “She didn’t mess around on me.”

  “Ha!” Brett said, thrusting a finger in Dylan’s face. “I knew it! I told you you were crazy to think that. Didn’t I tell you?”

  “Yeah, you told me. Too bad I didn’t have the good sense to listen. I could’ve saved myself a lot of heartache.”

  “So how’d you find out the truth?” Brett snagged a handful of fries off Dylan’s plate. “Did she finally set the record straight?”

  “Something like that.” Dylan slid his plate closer to Brett, inviting him to help himself. He lost his appetite every time he thought about what Sabrina had been through. “Listen, I need to tell you something. It sounds weird, but I have to ask you not to ask a lot of questions I can’t answer.”

  “Sounds like this’ll be good,” Brett said, wiping his mouth on a paper napkin. “So don’t keep me in suspense. What is it?”

  “I’m staying with Sabrina for a while.” Before Brett could ask for more details, Dylan said, “She’s going through a tough time and needs a friend.”

  “Don’t you think you’re just asking for trouble living under the same roof with her without knowing where this is going?”

  Brett was right, but if Carly was in the same situation, he would camp out on her doorstep all night to ensure she felt safe. “Maybe, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take.” Dylan sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know if we can go back to the way things were before all this shit went down between us. She’s been hurt, so have I, and a lot of the problems that drove us apart are still there. They’re not going away.”

  “You mean the fact that y’all want different things?” Brett nodded. “Yeah, I talked to her about that a bit the night I ran into you at her place. The only thing I can tell you is that I thought Carly and I were in different places too until I realized if I didn’t man up, I would lose her. Could be Sabrina had the same epiphany. You think that’s why she reached out to you?”

  “She didn’t reach out to me. I reached out to her.” Dylan wanted to confide in Brett, to get his take on the situation, but he couldn’t betray Sabrina. “I don’t know how long I’ll be there. Could be a few days, maybe a few weeks.”

  “So you need to make the most of the time you have there.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Sabrina’s not sold on a life of domesticity, right? Because she thinks it’ll interfere with her career?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “Prove to her that she’s happier when you’re there than she is when she’s alone.” Brett smiled. “Think about it. This is a perfect opportunity to tip the scales in your favor. You’re living in her house—all you have to do is convince her she never wants you to leave.”

  What I wouldn’t give... “You know Sabrina. She’s headstrong. It’s gonna take a lot more than a few nice meals to make her want to trade her freedom for a wedding band.”

  “She loves you.” Brett slid a fry through ketchup before popping it in his mouth. “Carly and I were just talking about this over breakfast. She got the same sense about Sabrina that I did. That girl is in love with you. I can’t claim to understand her reasons for holding back, but it’s your job to figure it out if you think she’s worth the effort.”

  There was no question that Sabrina was worth the effort, and Dylan had more insight into her problems than Brett realized, but that didn’t mean he could wave a magic wand and expect her to suddenly see things his way. “She’s definitely worth it.” Dylan sighed. “Man, you know better than anybody how I feel about her, but am I crazy to think she’s gonna come around? I feel like I’ve been waiting forever, and I just have to wonder if that day will ever come.”

  “For years she said she didn’t wanna mess up your friendship by sleeping together, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She changed her mind about that. Maybe she’ll change her mind about the whole marriage-and-kids thing too.”

  “What if she doesn’t?”

  “You tell me.” Brett looked him in the eye. “What if she decides she just wants to continue dating you, maybe make your living arrangement permanent? Would that be enough for you?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know.” Dylan had thought of that possibility, but every time he considered telling her he didn’t need kids or a commitment, his gut told him that he would be settling for so much less than he wanted with her. He didn’t know how to reconcile what he wanted with what she wanted.

  “Maybe you need to figure that out.” Brett gripped his shoulder. “It sounds like you might be getting another chance with the woman of your dreams, Dyl. Are you really gonna throw that away?”

  Dylan swiped a hand over his face. “I want it all with her. I want to marry her, have a few kids, and have the security of knowing she’s not going anywhere. Is that too much to ask?”

  “Maybe it is, for her.”

  Not the answer Dylan had been hoping to hear. “I don’t know, man. I don’t know where this is going or where we’ll end up. I just know that right now, it feels good knowing I’ll be going home to her tonight.”

  “And maybe that should be enough,” Brett said quietly. “Don’t try to change her. Love her for who she is. Accept her for who she is. Maybe she’ll come around to your way of thinking, and maybe she won’t. If she doesn’t and you love her enough, maybe it won’t even matter anymore, given time.”

  Dylan let Brett’s words sink in before he said, “It’s something to think about. Thanks for listening.” He grimaced. “You came here to share your good news, and all I did was go on about my own problems. Sorry about that.”

  “Hey, any time.” Brett slapped Dylan’s back as he stood. “That’s what friends are for.”

  ***

  Dylan had come home early to make Sabrina a nice dinner. She’d lost weight, and he was concerned she wasn’t taking care of herself. Now that he was there, he intended to make it his mission to ensure she had three square meals a day.

  He heard the front door open, followed by her voice saying, “Hey, I didn’t expect you home so early.”

  Home. He liked the sound of that, though he was trying not to get too comfortable with their arrangement. He was staying until she felt comfortable sleeping alone again. That could take weeks or months—he had no way of knowing—but it wasn’t a permanent arrangement. Sabrina valued her independence too much to allow a man to move into her territory.

  “I thought I’d surprise you.” He gestured toward the simmering skillet on the gas stove. “Chicken cacciatore. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Oh my God, that smells amazing.” She grinned as she headed straight for the stove. Reaching into the utensil drawer as she passed, she grabbed a spoon.

  He watched her fill her spoon at the pan and blow on it before popping it into her mouth. When a look of ecstasy crossed her face and she closed her eyes, he had to look away. Seeing her like that reminded him of the last time he’d seen that look on her face, and he could not go there.

  “You like?” he asked.

  “Are you kidding? I love it.” She replaced the lid. “Where’d you get the recipe?”

  “I went into the bar for lunch today. The head chef was there, and I asked him for a recipe that was simple to prepare but guaranteed to impress a special lady.”

  “Well, this lady is definitely impressed.” She removed her gray blazer before hopping onto the stool at the breakfast bar. “And is that fresh bread I smell?”

  “I wish I could say I made it from scratch, but I picked it up at the bakery. Just warming it up now.”

  “I can’t believe you went to all this trouble.” She gestured toward the seasonings littering the countertop and the pots in the sink. “This is way above and beyond. We could have just ordered a pizza.”

  I want to take care of you. That should be obvious, but he was cautious about crossing her carefully drawn line, so he said, “It was no big deal. How was your day?”

  “Well…” She slipped off the stool and headed for the fridge. “I had my first therapy session today.”

  When she took a bottle of white wine out of the fridge, he reached over her shoulder for it. “Babe, let’s stick to Perrier tonight, okay?”

  “You really do think I have a problem, don’t you?” She tipped her head back, looking at him. She released her hold on the bottle while her gaze fastened on his mouth. “You don’t think I can handle one drink with dinner, D?”

  He didn’t know how serious her drinking problem was, but until he was convinced she was healing, he didn’t want her to use alcohol as a crutch. “Don’t take it personally. I’m just looking out for you.”

  “I know.” She let him trade the bottle of wine for sparkling water before reclaiming her spot at the island.

  “So you found your own therapist?” he asked, pouring water into two squat glasses.

  “Actually, Kiara’s father recommended Dr. Hunt. Apparently she was a rape victim herself. I guess he thought we could relate.”

  “And?” Dylan recapped the bottle. “Did talking to her help?”

  “It did,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “She’s helping me to realize it wasn’t my fault.”

  “Your fault?” Dylan felt that same edginess that had been chasing him all day. He couldn’t shake the sense he had to do something, to exact his own brand of revenge for what had happened to Sabrina. “How in the hell could it be your fault?”

  She took a sip of water. “I invited him up to my room. I couldn’t help but feel if I hadn’t, maybe it wouldn’t have happened. But Dr. Hunt helped me realize men like that are predators. They don’t take advantage of opportunities—they create them. If it hadn’t happened in my hotel room, it could have just as easily happened in my office or an empty locker room or elevator or stair well.” She shrugged. “Point is, it could have happened anywhere. Where it happened was inconsequential. It did happen, and now I have to figure out how to deal with it.”