If I heard that stupid song one more time, I was going to scream. I dragged a hand roughly through my knotted hair, wincing as my fingers caught in the strands. Taking a deep breath, I tried to ignore the fucking badger song as I finished putting my sons’ lunches together. I grimaced as I licked mustard from my fingers - morning was just not the right time for mustard. Chocolate? Yes. Coffee? Please, God, definitely. But mustard… I sighed and leaned my head against the chipped cabinet in front of me when I heard a thud followed by dual screams.

“Mom!” Calvin came tearing into the kitchen, tears streaming down his face, his Paw Patrol pajamas a twisted mess. I took a deep breath before kneeling at his feet, begging myself for the patience I couldn’t seem to find this morning through the fog of sleep deprivation and a lack of caffeine.

“Cal. What happened?” I kept my voice calm, hoping to in turn calm him.

“Jake stepped on my house! He crushed all of it!” His bright blue eyes were swimming with tears, his pale blond locks mussed and falling over his forehead. Mental note that we needed to do haircuts this weekend…

“You can build another one, Cal. Right now, you need to get ready for school.” I gently shoved him towards the staircase, crossing my fingers behind my back that he would actually listen rather than retaliate as his mumbling indicated. “Jacob!” I called my middle child as I did a quick check that everything was in the correct lunch boxes and backpacks were by the front door. I swear getting the kids to school was just as hard as being back in it myself. I had to practically drag them kicking and screaming some days. I knew today would be especially difficult. With only a few more days left in the school year, all three of my children were ready for the start of summer and the escape from responsibility. I couldn’t blame them. This year had been difficult for all of us.

Jake slunk into the kitchen, his shoulders hunched as he kicked at the floor with his bare feet. Catching a glimpse of the bottom of his feet, I heaved a sigh. How had they already gotten dirty again? He had just showered this morning. I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to breathe deeply. “Yeah?” His voice was sullen, and I mourned my cheerful boy. Unlike his brother, he was already dressed for school in his favored orange and black.

“Jake, you know how your brother gets about his buildings. Stop knocking them down just to stress him out.”

“Blocks are baby toys,” Jake scoffed as he kicked more at the floor, still not raising his head. His dark locks covered eyes the same baby blue as his brother’s.

I turned back as if rechecking the lunchboxes so that I could roll my eyes. “Then it shouldn’t be a problem to leave them alone, should it? Go brush your teeth. You’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.” He grumbled as he left but didn’t argue thank goodness. I was definitely kicking myself for forgetting coffee when I hit the store last night.

I grabbed sweats from the laundry pile at the base of the stairs, and after a quick sniff and minor wince, tossed them on over my pajamas. At six, Cal still insisted that I take him to the bus in the morning. Jake grumbled about being embarrassed to be seen with his mom every morning, and I think he was grateful he would be starting middle school next year despite having to leave earlier.

“Come on guys!” I yelled up the steps, too tired to run up them and drag the boys down at the moment.

“But mom!” Calvin’s voice was whiny. “We’re—”

I cut him off, using my best mom voice. “Calvin Daniel. I don’t care what you’re doing it is time to leave for school. Get down here now.” Grumbles proceed the rapid fall of feet as both kids nearly tumbled down the staircase, pushing against each other. I winced, closing my eyes at the near freefall. I had been a mother for seventeen years at this point, and though I should be used to the daily accidents—or near accidents—it still pulled my heart into my throat to see them act so carelessly. Cal hadn’t given up his Paw Patrol, simply switching pajamas for pants and a shirt patterned with his favorite characters. My boys grabbed their backpacks and I shooed them out the door.

“Mom! There are only two days of school left!” Calvin was bouncing on the toes of his tennis shoes, nearly falling over in his excitement as he waited, not so patiently, for the school bus.

“But then we’ve got to go to California.” Jake mumbled the words beside me and I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could rub at the ache in my forehead but attempted a light-hearted smile instead.

“Just think how much fun it will be,” I encouraged. Cal had stopped jumping, a troubled pout forming on his lips as he studied his brother and me.

“I don’t want to go to California.” His words were soft and I squeezed my eyes tight. “You could come too.” The hopeful tone tore at me, rending my heart into vicious shreds.

I knelt in front of them, heedless of my sweats as I ruffled their hair. Tears misted Cal’s eyes and Jake’s lip was trembling slightly. “You’ll both be together. Brooke will be there.” Jake snorted at the mention of his sister.

“She’ll be on her phone there just like she is here.” I hated hearing the cranky bite to his voice, a tone that hadn’t been there before my divorce and the move back home to Pennsylvania.

“You’ll get to see Dad.” I poked their bellies trying to elicit a giggle. “You’ll get to go to Disneyland.” I dangled the promised gem, hoping the thrill of finally getting a chance to visit their coveted vacation destination would help to make up for some of the stress this was causing.

“Can’t we just go back home?” Cal’s words were quiet and I brushed a kiss over his forehead before standing back on my feet. These two were intent on breaking my heart this morning. It was always such a struggle as a parent to make sure they were doing the right thing. Add in the divorce and cross-country moves, and it seemed to my kids that their whole world had fallen apart.

“You guys like it here now, right? You’ve made friends at school and you like being able to see Aunt Jenna all the time.” The boys cheered slightly at the mention of their friends and my sister.

“Yeah, Aaron’s nice,” Cal murmured, thinking of his new “best friend” that he had met when we moved here in March.

“I like seeing Aunt Jenna.” Jake’s response was sullen. “I just hate living here. I miss Georgia.”

I sighed, a tug of relief hitting as I saw the bus rumbling down the street. “I miss Georgia, too. But this is our home now. We’re a team, guys, and we’ll make this work.” I prayed we would make this work. I waved as they ambled up the bus steps, Cal already lost in conversation with the boy he shared a seat with. Jake refused to look at me out the window, so I headed back towards the house, trying to brush my knotted hair out of my eyes. I wondered if it was worth the break in my schedule to do a quick run for coffee?

“Hey, neighbor.” The warm, deep voice had me swearing internally as I turned with a smile. Of course. Here I was in stinky, stained sweats, no make-up, my hair a rat’s nest, and without caffeine, and this was the morning that my super sexy neighbor decided to poke his head over my fence. All right, there wasn’t a fence, but the meaning was still the same. I shot a small grin to Alex, hoping my teeth weren’t furry since I hadn’t had a chance to brush them yet this morning.

“Good morning, Alex.” I tried to pump cheer I couldn’t quite feel at the moment into my voice. Alex stood near the end of his driveway, picture perfect in his dark, pinstripe suit nearly the exact same color as his dark hair. The shirt he wore matched the electric blue of his eyes and brightened his tanned skin. His smile was soft as he studied me with mild concern.

“That looked like a serious conversation. Everyone all right?” I knew the concern in his eyes was genuine, so I couldn’t help but pause for a moment to answer. Alex had been an amazing neighbor from the moment that we moved in. From helping me haul furniture to amusing the boys with a game of catch while I tried to sort boxes, he had never quibbled about helping in any way he could.

“The boys aren’t too psyched about going to California,” I admitted. Although Alex and I had chatted in the past about my divorce, the commentary had been brief. Mostly when we spoke it was about neighborhood things or him checking in on the kids. God help me, he was sweet as well as sexy as hell. I tried to keep my eyes on his, though they wanted to stray to the way his suit jacket fell against his hips. I knew from previous sneaked glances that his ass was amazing, and I hoped I’d get another peek at it today to help brighten my morning.

“That’s got to be rough. I’m sure you’ll miss them this summer.” He stepped up to me and I nearly took a step back, desperately hoping that he couldn’t smell me. Great job, Em. Note to self-when you have a sexy neighbor, never step outside unless you’re put together because that’s when he’ll be there. Not that guys like him went for women like me, but hey, a girl could dream, right? His piercing eyes and great body had made more than one appearance in my dreams, that was for sure.

“Oh definitely. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself while they’re gone for so long. I’ll probably spend way too much time at my sister’s inn, or maybe I’ll try and up my deadlines, that should keep me plenty occupied.” I knew my goals were already lofty for this summer, but that was one of the great things about being my own boss.

“You’ve got a new one coming out soon, right?” His head was cocked slightly, the light deepening the inky shade of his hair and my fingers itched to comb through it, to see if it was as soft against my skin as it looked.

I pushed my own knotted mess out of my eyes again as I nodded. “Yeah, the release is in two weeks. It’s crunch time over here. I’ve got to run out this morning since I can’t believe I forgot the coffee! What kind of self-respecting mom or author forgets her coffee? It’s not like I’ll get anything accomplished this way.” I knew I was rambling, but I couldn’t seem to unwedge my foot from my mouth. His lips quirked as he studied me, seemingly not bothered by my inability to keep my own counsel. “Sorry, counselor, I’ll let you get about your day.” I figured he was heading to court in that getup. “I’ve got alien invaders to kill, anyway. War waits for no woman.” I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth, but the words had a mind of their own. Not a problem on paper, but a major problem in front of Mr. Sexy here.

“If this is you without caffeine I’m mildly concerned for the fate of our town if you were actually caffeinated. However, to help prevent intergalactic war, I could happily offer you some if you’d like.” He indicated the large, insulated tumbler I hadn’t noticed prior in his hand. I nearly drooled at the thought. Coffee I didn’t have to make myself, and more time at my desk doing what actually needed to get done rather than getting distracted by errands? Sign me up.

“I wouldn’t be putting you out, would I?” I prevented myself from grabbing the cup straight out of his fingers to get that first punch of life-affirming energy into my system.

He chuckled, the warmth of it sending tingles radiating from the small of my back. I wanted to lick up his spine… No. Bad Em. Work time, not sexy time. Not like sexy time had even been an option in—oh God, what, nearly seven years now? Ouch. Talk about a serious dry spell. “Would you like a cup or should I just inject it intravenously?” The amusement was clear as, apparently, my desperation wasn’t hidden in the slightest.

“Doesn’t matter the form, I’ll take anything you’ve got and be grateful. Thank you, Alex.”

“What are neighbors for, if not for helping to supply each other’s daily dose of caffeine?” He glanced back towards his door, considered for a moment, then turned that megawatt smile back my way. “Just, wait here a second. I’ll be right back.” He jogged off and I watched in awe, both at his ability to jog without spilling his coffee all over himself—pure sorcery—and at the way his ass looked in those tailored pinstripe pants. I didn’t know who that man’s tailor was, but he deserved every penny he was paid and more.

I twiddled my thumbs, debating on my book plot for a moment while I waited for him to return, waving as cars drove by with friendly honks. I had forgotten how friendly everyone was here, despite being accustomed to southern hospitality. Moving back to Pennsylvania had been a tough choice, for both myself and my kids, but I hoped it would end up being the right move.

We had no family in Atlanta and had only lived there due to Ian’s job. I was lucky that my writing career had taken off and I was able to write wherever we landed. I had debated following Ian to San Francisco so that the children could stay near their father, but it hadn’t felt like the right move. He was leaving to be with his boyfriend, and I was happy for him, I really was. I needed to find support for myself, too, though.

When my sister had offered for us to move back to my hometown of Oakview, into one of the properties she rented there, it seemed like a sign. I would have Jenna’s help with the kids and be back somewhere familiar, moving my life in a circle back to where it had begun so that I could start anew. With my parents dead and no other family, Jenna was all I had, and I wanted my children to know their Aunt. We had been far too isolated in Georgia.

Alex jogged back out, free of his own mug and the paper, his hands nearly overflowing, and I couldn’t help but giggle. He carried not only a large black thermos but an entire container of coffee and, if I wasn’t mistaken, a box of donuts as well. I shook my head as he gave me a sweet grin. “I figured if you were out of coffee, you probably hadn’t had breakfast either. I know donuts aren’t the greatest, but I have to get to a client meeting and I couldn’t make you anything. Not that you’d probably want me to cook for you. My skills are in the courtroom, not in the kitchen. I’m a bit of a culinary dunce, honestly.”

He helped me balance the load and I grinned. “And the apparently full container of coffee?” From the weight, I was guessing it either hadn’t been opened or it had been barely used.

“Well, you said you needed coffee. I wasn’t quite sure how much, or how strong you took it. So I just loaded you up what was left in my pot so it didn’t go to waste, but I figured this way you’d have enough on hand to finish that alien war you were talking about.”

God, he was sweet. Any man who gave you donuts and coffee, especially one who didn’t make a comment about your size if he did it, was someone to be careful of. “Thanks, Alex. Really. I’ll get the mug back to you.” I winced as I glanced at it, taking in the Pittsburgh Pirates logo. “Yeah, I’ll definitely get it back to you.”

He laughed, waving me on as I headed to my door. “You do that. Have a good day. Don’t worry about California; I’m sure it’ll all work out. Those kids adore you, and they know you love them. Anyone can see it.” He saluted me before heading off to his own day, and I sighed as his well-dressed rear left my view. Well, that was one way to start a morning, that was for sure.