“Have I told you how fantastic you look in that dress?”

Zeke’s eyes gleamed with the kind of appreciation a girl felt all the way down to her toes, and my whole body hummed with the awareness of his attention.

I smiled across the table at him wine glass in hand, and even though I hadn’t had a sip, I was drunk off his words. “Only about a thousand times, Zeke. You look nice too.” He did indeed, in his black jeans and slate gray button up shirt, like a lone bad boy that was every girl’s wet dream. At least mine, anyway. “Really good.” Even though I promised him that I would give this date a real chance, I didn’t think I could.

“This old thing?”

But when he was being his charming, funny self it was hard to remember why I felt that way. “You mean that old shirt with the crisp lines in it?”

“Hey, I could have ironed it!” His lips twitched at with the effort of not laughing.

“You could have, but you didn’t.”

His deep brown eyes rolled and he gave a boyish shrug. “No, I didn’t. I bought it new, just for you.”

“It’s nice, but I think it’s a little big for me.” When he smiled again, my breath caught in my throat. Why did he have to be so good looking on top of everything else?

It really wasn’t fair. Luckily, I didn’t have to think about it for long because the server stopped at our table to refill our wine and drop off complimentary appetizers.

“Goodness, I am starving!” There were two small bowls, one with gumbo, and the other filled with étouffée along with a small platter of oysters en brochette and boudin balls. “It all smells so delicious!” There was no point in pretending, with these curves, that I didn’t have a weakness for proper creole and Cajun food, and there was no place better than where we were now. New Orleans.

We dug in and ate in silence for a few minutes, arranging a bit of this and that on our plates in the dim dining room. “All right Maddie, are you ready to listen?”

My gut churned and I shook my head, not at all ready to listen to this. “You want to talk about this, on our date? Seriously?”

He nodded, expression deadly serious. “I want to clear the air, and we have about twenty minutes before the show to starts. So?”

I sighed and took three big gulps of wine and nodded. “So, ready or not here we go?”

“Exactly.” Zeke’s nerves were on full display as he finished his wine and set the glass down, letting out a long slow breath. “Shayla and I weren’t been together for more than a year. Well before anything ever happened between us.”

“Except that kiss?”

“She was recently single again and hoping I was too so we could get together to do what we do and before I could tell her that wasn’t going to happen, she planted her lips on mine.”

It sounded reasonable, but it also sounded just plausible enough to sell the story. “And you stayed right there, ready to accept her kiss with no problems, Zeke.” The only other time I’d ever felt so humiliated was when Max’s sperm donor, Preston, had kicked me to the curb on the day I told him I was pregnant.

“It sounds dumb as hell. Nash gave me a hard time when I explained it to him. But I really didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She’s a nice woman, and I didn’t want to humiliate her in front of the entire restaurant.”

The bite of gumbo turned sour on my tongue. “So, you decided to humiliate me instead? Good to know.” Somehow his explanation was worse than watching him kiss that woman. “Listen, Zeke. We should just enjoy this amazing meal and the upcoming show, whatever it is. But I think we should keep things as they are.”

“Why?”

“Because you didn’t take even one second to think about how I would feel when the whole fucking town saw you kissing someone who wasn’t me! You never even spared me a thought, and you probably wouldn’t have told me if I hadn’t come in that day.” I shook my head, feeling like a fool. Once again. “I guess it was my fault for thinking you might want a nice little picnic in the middle of all the upgrades.”

“Ah, dammit, Maddie. It was a mistake, I admit that. But don’t I get any credit for the fact that it wasn’t what it looked like?”

“Yes, unfortunately you committed a far worse sin. You prioritized another woman’s feelings over my own. And not just any woman either, but one of your former lovers.” Whatever hopes I had that we might be able to salvage whatever the hell we were, circled the drain and disappeared altogether. I’d already been found wanting by one man, the last thing I needed was another experience like that.

Zeke looked so disappointed and I’m sure tonight didn’t go how he imagined he would. Then again, he probably imagined I’d be so bowled over by his charm and sex appeal, which I was, that I’d ignore the most important part of the story. “So, that’s it?”

I nodded slowly, suddenly needed more wine and less food. “I guess so. And I understand if you’d rather head back to Belle Musique.” It had been so long since I’d even gone to New Orleans for any kind of adult fun that I really hated to leave but it would be too awkward to stay.

Zeke’s eyes were hard and cold but his shoulders fell in disappointment. “The show’s about to start.”

I guess that was sort of an answer.

“So, it was really terrible?” Vivi sat on my sofa with her feet propped up . “Damn, I thought this was going to be the beginning of something truly amazing.”

I sighed, struggling for the right words to explain things to her. “It wasn’t terrible, actually. It was awkward after he told me about his ex, but luckily the show started and the food was the highlight.” Zeke had been a perfect gentleman all night even though I could tell how angry he was that I wasn’t willing to budge. “It was nice to have a grownup night out, though.”

“Look at you being all optimistic,” she teased, pushing her blue and pink toes into my side.

“That’s me, always looking on the bright side of life,” I sang with a little sofa shimmy. “And keep those little piggies still, they’re still wet.”

“Ugh,” she groaned and fell back against the arm, flinging one arm over her face. “I am officially too fat to paint my own toenails. Come on out baby, we’re all anxious to meet you.”

I envied Vivi for being brave enough to go after what she wanted, for getting the guy and the happy ending. As much as I wanted to be that brave and reach out for something amazing, I was too hesitant. Too scared and too scarred by life to take those kinds of risks.

“There’s a whole town of people waiting to spoil you, especially your crazy Aunt Mae.”

“Hey! That’s my Aunt you’re calling crazy,” Vivi said with a fake pout.

“She’s my aunt too, basically. Anyway, Mae loves it that we all think she’s a little off her rocker, it gives her street cred.”

Her laugh rang out while her belly shifted as the baby turned to get comfortable. “You’re so right, Maddie. She’ll love that!”

“Any word on when the little one is supposed to arrive, or are you working on the kindergarten labor plan?” Even to me it felt like she’d been pregnant forever, so I could only imagine how it felt to Vivi.

“If nothing happens by next Tuesday, we’re inducing. I’m so uncomfortable, and hot. And horny. And Nash is acting like I’m a piece of spun glass which really sucks because my reach isn’t exactly what it used to be, if you know what I mean.”

“Well his reach is the same as it’s always been, right?”

Her green eyes gleamed with delight. “Maddie, you’re a genius!” Without lifting her gaze, Vivi reached for her phone and let her thumbs fly over the keyboard. “I’m sorry things didn’t pan out with Zeke.”

“Me too.”

“They could pan out, you know. If you decide to forgive him and wipe the slate clean. Start anew.”

That sounded nice, but it wasn’t realistic. “Don’t you think I tried? I spent the entire ride home asking myself if I could get over being brushed aside Vivi, and the thing is, I could have. If Zeke realized he’d done something wrong.” The idiot was so focused on the fact that he hadn’t cheated on me that he didn’t see the real problem.

“Well men are stupid. It’s their curse since we get to sit down to pee and have periods.”

“You are completely crazy!” For the first time since Friday, I felt normal again. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

“It’s the only way, Maddie. You guys are electric together, and let’s not forget that Max loves him to pieces.”

“Max is who I’m thinking about. He’s why I can’t take a risk on a man who already hurt me once without even thinking about it. Right now, there’s still a chance for Max to keep Zeke in his life, but that won’t be the case when we try and fail.”

“If you try and fail, you mean, right? Because it’s not guaranteed.”

I thought about Vivi’s words and I wished I could let myself believe her, because the few months I had with Zeke had been nice. Too nice, it turns out.

“It’s very likely and you know it. He’s never really had a serious relationship and he’s not sure if he’s ready for one. I think he just feels bad how things turned out between us, but he’ll get over it.”

“Maybe. But will you?”

“I have to, I don’t have a choice.” I finally had everything in my life falling into place. The shop was doing well and Max was incredible. I couldn’t risk screwing that all up over another failed attempt at love.

“You do have a choice, and for some reason you’re choosing to be scared.”

That stung, but she wasn’t wrong. “You’re right and I can only hope that you never know what it feels like to be tossed away by the father of your kid.”

“Shit, Maddie. I’m sorry. I wasn’t even thinking.”

“It’s fine, really. As bad as you felt after what your so-called friends did to you in Chicago, imagine how I felt when it was the man I thought I would marry doing it.” I stood, no longer interested in this conversation because it hurt to think about. “Want some chicken riggies?”

She groaned and tried to swing her legs to the floor and failed miserably. “Sounds amazing but I’m just going to sit here a while and then I’ll join you in the kitchen.”

I laughed and left her to her own devices, knowing she’d rather struggle for fifteen minutes that accept help for something she was perfectly capable of doing. “Suit yourself.”

“Or you could have mercy on a fat pregnant woman and just bring the food to me!” I could hear the smile in her voice undercutting her words.

“I could, but I don’t want to coddle you, Vivi. You’re not made of spun glass, you know!”

“Tyrant,” she muttered and the only sounds I heard for a few minutes was the sound of Vivi struggling to stand on her own.

Stubborn woman. “You want some help?”

“No,” she said from the doorway of the kitchen. “I’m pregnant, not handicapped.”

“Thought so,” I told her, happy the conversation had finally turned a corner.