“Really, Eddie? A Pinterest board?” She seemed willing enough to entertain him on this front, though, and disappeared below deck to grab his computer. He shouted down instructions to her on how to reconnect the Internet; by the time she resurfaced, he had steered the boat into a spot where he felt safe enough to idle while they spent some quality planning time together.

  “See? We can go gender neutral, if you like,” he mentioned as he clicked open his browser. “There’s pastel yellows, greens...hell, we don’t have to stick to any sort of heteronormative idea of what our baby colors should be.”

  Margot smiled as she settled in on one of the deck cushions beside him. “Such a way with words,” she commended. Then: “I’m not worried about colors, Eddie. But you know most of this stuff won’t fit inside my apartment.”

  “Of course,” he agreed. He was eager to troubleshoot now that she had voiced a personal concern, and he was proud to have an easy answer for her. “All this will go in the classic six.”

  “What do you mean?” Margot stared at him, uncomprehending, and Eddie closed the laptop slowly.

  “I meant to surprise you officially last night,” he explained. “Margot, I bought the classic six for us to share. I thought maybe you suspected that’s what I…” He cut himself off when he saw the look of horror that passed across her face. “Surprise,” he concluded weakly.

  “Eddie. You didn’t.”

  There it was again: that flare in his chest, that feeling of wanting to get into an argument and knowing he had to suppress the urge. “Of course I did. I bought it for the three of us. Did you think I wouldn’t plan for us to live together? Maybe the old Eddie wouldn’t have–“

  “I don’t care about the old Eddie!” Margot exclaimed. She leapt to her feet with incredible agility for a boat-bound pregnant woman, and Eddie followed suit with a hand ready to stabilize her. She recoiled as if his touch was enough to sizzle her flesh; the way she wrenched her arm away from him was like a punch in the gut. “Did you think I would be happy to hear you made such a massive decision for us on your own? That you didn’t even think to consult with me seriously about where I should live?”

  “You should live with me, Margot!” Eddie exclaimed. “I didn’t think it was that big a leap that you might want to live with your husband!”

  And the man who loves you more than anyone. There was that voice again, that unfamiliar mental cadence that had appeared like a lightning bolt that morning and seemed insistent on stunning him again and again with the revelation that he had fallen for his childhood friend.

  And there was said childhood friend, glaring at him like he had betrayed her worse than anyone to come before him by even attempting to put his money where his mouth is and provide for her and their child. Had he been wrong to purchase the apartment without her consent? He had thought Margot liked the classic six. But maybe this wasn’t a matter of like, or love. It was a matter of something else...and it was something he had just fucked up royally.

  “Turn the boat around,” Margot said. “Please, Eddie. I need to get off now. I need to think.” She pressed a hand to her forehead and turned away. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to go to her, to wrap her in his arms as he had the night before and physically enfold her.

  Only he couldn’t. He had tried to do everything right, and still somehow managed to push her away.

  When Eddie looked at Margot now, he felt lost at sea.

  Chapter Eleven

  Margot

  “That was a total dick move by Eddie,” Trinity said. “Of course you freaked out and panicked. I definitely would have done the same.” She slid the pastry plate toward Margot. “Here. You get full dibs today. I promise this will improve your mood.”

  Margot picked up her fork and toyed with the chocolate muffin, but her stomach was too busy doing flip-flops to signal her brain that she was truly hungry. She still wasn’t sure why she had called Trinity about Eddie’s apartment purchase. Margot knew Trinity kept busy with her work at the Jameson Agency, and had been surprised when Trinity isolated a block in her immediate schedule to devote to her. They had agreed to meet at a coffee shop near the firm Margot worked for – Trinity had been very enthusiastic about the muffin selection.

  “So what’s wrong with it?” Trinity asked as she sipped her coffee. “Does the view make it unlivable? Kitchen need to be completely redone? Did Eddie already section off a spot for his man cave?” She chuckled at her own mental image, and Margot couldn't blame her. It certainly seemed like something the old Eddie would do.

  Trinity was a few years older than Margot, but they had been fast friends since their first meeting at a Jameson Agency Christmas party. Margot respected Trinity's judgement implicitly in all matters Eddie: she was maybe the only person who had learned to keep him in line over the years, and that was usually by just letting him be himself.

  Margot shook her head in response. “That’s the problem,” she mumbled. “It’s perfect. It’s exactly as Eddie guessed: I do like it. I like everything about it.”

  Trinity fixed her with a measured look, and Margot quickly doubled-down on dismantling her muffin. She had the strangest intuition that Trinity had been fishing for an approval of the place, as if she had known Margot’s true feelings all along. “So what’s the problem?” Trinity inquired nonchalantly. “Aside from the obvious fact that Eddie went ahead without asking you. You guys can acknowledge that and move on, right?”

  “I’m afraid it’s symptomatic of how things are going to be.” Margot sighed. “I don’t want him making every important decision on his own. He may make them with me in mind, but he’s still making them without me. I feel...left behind.”

  “You aren’t being left behind,” Trinity assured. “Eddie will come around. He’s just freaking out a little bit right now. He wants so badly to show everyone what a responsible adult he is...and he wants to show you especially. He’s just going about it in a slightly immature way.” Trinity chuckled. “He thinks he can make a complete shift overnight, when the reality is he’s making everyone around him, himself included, totally stressed out and miserable.”

  Margot’s cheeks heated. “I don’t want him to change himself because of me,” she whispered. “And I definitely don’t want him to change himself because of the baby. I agree he needed to learn some responsibility, but the Eddie I’ve always known...that’s who I want to be the father of my child.”

  Trinity reached across the table and took the fork from Margot’s hand. She gave her empty fingers a reassuring squeeze. “It sounds like you have to trust yourself on this one, Margot. You know how fond I am of Eddie—but is he right for you? At the end of the day, that's something only you can know. But it's something you have to consider, if the two of you have any chance of being happy—together or apart."

  Margot's heart raced at Trinity's words. It was a silly reaction, she knew. It's not as if she needed to make a decision right here and now… but she realized her heart was beating so fast at the thought of losing Eddie. He may have gone about it in the densest way possible, but he had just gifted her with a dream apartment. Bigger than even the classic six was the gesture behind it: he was thinking of her. Looking out for her. Taking care of her. This wasn't a threat to her independence at all: it was an invitation by the man she loved to coexist as that same independent being alongside him.

  "I love him," she blurted. She dropped her forehead into her free hand with a moan. "God, I don't know why it's so easy to tell you that, and not Eddie. I think that's why all this has got me so freaked out."

  "It's finally becoming real," Trinity said. "Margot, if this is really what you want, then I can't express how happy I am for you. But you deserve to give all this as much thought as you need to. The two of you are making a big decision…"

  "…and we're the only ones who can know if it's the right one," Margot finished for her.

  Trinity nodded happily. Then she grinned. "Although, I don't mind being the deciding factor on another muffin. What do you say?"

  "Of course I say yes," Margot said as they rose together. "I'm eating for two these days, remember?"

  There was a knock at the door to the classic six.

  Eddie stirred from where he lay stretched out on the couch. He massaged his forehead and blinked. “What time is it?” he muttered as he glanced around. He had managed to practically blanket himself in work papers and wedding receipts before dozing off. A glance out toward the patch of sky visible from the roof deck told him it was probably early evening; a rumble from his stomach told him he had already missed dinner.

  He maneuvered himself into a seated position, blinked, yawned, and rose. He tapped his phone to check the time, and to see if he had received any texts from Margot while he was out, only to find it dead. She had been avoiding his attempts to contact her all week, and the entire wedding process had practically ground to a halt as a result. Not that Eddie couldn’t handle all the planning himself, it was just that...

  He found he didn’t want to. When he had thought he was taking work off Margot’s plate, it had been different. Now, he felt like he was marrying a ghost rather than a prospective life partner. It was all too easy to feel unmotivated to prep the wedding now that he didn’t even know if there was going to be a bride.

  The knock at the door sounded again, rousing Eddie from his stupor. “Coming!” he called. He smoothed his rumpled hair and hopelessly stroked at the wrinkles in his shirt. He padded to the front door and pushed it open.

  Margot stood on the mat, nervously trading her weight from one foot to the other. Eddie blinked. “Margie? I thought – “ But what he thought didn’t matter the next instant.

  Margot rose up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him full on the lips. Eddie grabbed her waist to affix her in place, letting his own lips roam over hers, until they shared a sigh of contentment and both drew back at the same time. He was so relieved to see her he felt like melting, and stopped just short of doing it when he remembered he was supposed to be the pillar of support in their relationship.

  Still.

  “It’s so good to see you,” he breathed. “I thought...I mean, I didn’t think…

  “Shhh.” Margot placed a gentle finger to his lips, and he clamped them shut obediently. They still felt kiss-starved, and even the most feather-light of her touches made him crave her mouth against his once more. “I wanted to apologize to you in person, Eddie. I’m sorry I reacted so negatively when you were trying to surprise me with such a wonderful gift. As much as I always thought I was ready to share my life with someone, the reality is that I never stopped to think about what that might actually mean. It means letting someone in, and inviting them to make important decisions that will affect you. It means trusting them.” Margot shook her head. "I'm sorry I didn't see that."

  “You really think the apartment's wonderful?” he asked hopefully. Margot drew her finger away and nodded. “Did I do good?”

  “You did good.” She smiled, and Eddie loved the way her adorable cheeks lifted. Any pregnancy weight she had managed to put on only made her look younger, and more beautiful; she looked well-rested and radiant today. “I didn’t want to just come by and apologize,” she added as she eased herself in against his chest. Her belly brushed his, and Eddie felt butterflies erupt within him. “I wanted to come by and thank you for taking so much on for us. And I wanted to invite you to go on a series of dates with me.”

  Eddie’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”

  Margot laughed and shook her head. “Well, I went ahead and booked us both for some classes on child care basics. I thought we could get some hands-on parenting training.”

  Eddie’s heart fluttered. For a moment, he almost couldn’t believe that this go-with-the-flow iteration of Margot was once again taking such an active interest in the preparation side of things. She was starting to act like her old self again, and he…

  God, he was relieved to see her. This was a bad sign. The Eddie Margot needed most was the one who was responsible; who could assume control easily. She didn't need the boy who had always been relieved to let her handle things. He needed to be better than this; still, he couldn't resist letting his happiness at seeing the old Margot resurface go unvoiced.

  “Is it gross that I find that impossibly romantic?” he asked her.

  She laughed. “Absolutely!”

  “Great. Want to double down on the evening’s romance and order a pizza?” he inquired.

  She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. Is it on the recommended food list?”

  “Screw the recommended food list,” Eddie said as he slung his arm around her and steered her inside. “My child’s going to learn to appreciate a good New York-style pizza from the womb.”

  Margot’s laughter filled the apartment as the door swung shut behind him. For now, Eddie decided, it was the only furnishing he absolutely required to be happy.

  The rest would come in due time.

  Chapter Twelve

  Eddie

  Where are you?

  Eddie stared down at the text from Margot. It was a week since what he had come to think of as the Forgiveness Pizza Party, and he had no idea what she was talking about. For a moment, he simply couldn’t wrap his head around her question.

  “Eddie?” Trinity asked him. “Is everything all right?”

  Eddie glanced up. Sam and Trinity sat across from him at the conference room table. Sam had his finger poised above the conference call phone.

  “Jonathan Daley’s about to be on the other line,” Sam mentioned. “He’s going to know it if he doesn’t have your full attention.”

  Eddie glanced back down at Margot’s text. His head hurt; his vision blurred; and no matter how hard he squinted, he couldn’t make her question ring out with any sense. He hadn’t slept at all last night, and he had barely managed four hours the night before. He knew he was running on fumes, but there was no way he had missed anything in his schedule. She had probably texted the wrong person, or mistaken the day, or…

  Then it hit him, as hard as if he had just rammed Annabella right into the dock. The fucking class! He had completely forgotten about the class Margot had signed them both up for, the one on parenting basics.

  Eddie gripped the arms of his chair, heart hammering in his chest. He must have looked like a spooked animal about to bolt. Trinity’s smile died, and her face, tan from living almost full-time in California, drained slightly of color. Sam watched and waited; then, when he clearly decided he couldn't wait anymore, he punched the button.

  "Hello?" Jonathan Daley's voice came through the phone. "Eddie? You there?"

  "I'm here." But I should be somewhere else! his mental voice shouted. Where the hell am I supposed to be?

  "Trinity and I are here as well, Mr. Daley," Sam mentioned. His icy blue eyes were fixed on Eddie, but they were live now. Eddie didn't know how to convey to them that he had to go.

  But he had to do something.

  "Mr. Daley, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to reschedule our meeting." It felt like someone else had taken hold and was speaking through his lips. "Something's come up."

  "I beg your pardon?" Jonathan asked. "I set aside a whole two-hour block this morning to discuss your latest plans for my company's ad campaign, Eddie. If we want to launch next month, then time is of the essence. Isn't that what you told me?"

  "Yes. I did tell you that." Time is of the essence. Eddie looked down at his phone. "But I think… I might have a personal emergency to attend to this morning."

  "You might?" Jonathan's voice was cool and furious. "You better be sure of it, son. Because if you walk out of this meeting, then I might be forced to take my business to someone who knows how to prioritize with my best interests in mind."

  Eddie wanted desperately to look to Trinity and Sam for backup. He wanted either, or both, of them to jump in and save him from having to make this decision. But if they could, they would have already done so. They were sitting at the same table, but Eddie was on his own.

  "I do have your best interests in mind," he said quietly. "And that's why I have to go, Mr. Daley. It's Margot. She needs me."

  "You've already shown your commitment to Margot. You're going to marry her like we agreed," Jonathan growled. Trinity's eyes bulged. She looked at Sam, but Sam looked just as surprised as she did by the news. Eddie closed his eyes against their incredulous faces, but he couldn't wince himself into nonexistence no matter how hard he tried. "Eddie? Do you hear me? She's my little girl, but whatever it is, it can wait."

  "No. No, it can't wait. I'm sorry, Mr. Daley, but I have to go. I'm going to have to ask Sam and Trinity to take over this meeting for me." Eddie rose. "And if you need to reschedule, please talk to my secretary."

  "Eddie, this had better be a fucking—"

  Sam muted the call and turned to Eddie. "You're really taking off?"

  "I have to," Eddie said. "I'm sorry to you both, but… Margot. I have to find Margot.” He knew he was rattling on, that he wasn’t making any sense, but her name was the ticket he needed to get out of the room. He sprinted down the hallway, thumbing open his schedule as he rushed for the next elevator. Why hadn’t his reminder popped up? Had he even remembered to set one?

  On my way, he texted Margot in the elevator. Then he leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes.

  His ride through the city was a complete blur. By the time he arrived at the building across town hosting the class, he was exhausted. He had forgotten how many cups of coffee he’d had already to keep going. Had he had any espresso since yesterday evening at dinner?

  “Fuck,” Eddie whispered below his breath. The cab halted, and he piled out of the back. He hadn’t had the time to wait for someone to bring his car around back at the agency. Margot was sitting alone on the stone steps leading up to the building’s front entrance. When her eyes lifted, and she saw Eddie, she grabbed the railing and hauled herself unsteadily to her feet.