“I think you should quit,” Dylan says as I’m sitting at my old desk looking over the mess that he’s made over the past few months. I shake my head.

“You just want me to clean up this pile of paperwork.” I snicker at him. He pushes off the couch and approaches me.

He rubs my shoulders, trying to butter me up no doubt. “I miss you. I miss our lunches together and being able to blow off some steam by playing video games with you. I miss seeing you working at that desk . . . and what we did on that desk.” He winks at me. I blush and turn away. He still has the ability to frazzle me.

“Yeah, but you moved the office already and have Cindy working for you, so it would be different anyway.” I change the subject. “Do you want a grilled cheese or something?” I move to the kitchen.

“No. I want you on your desk,” he says grumpily. I make an overexaggerated pouty face at him. He laughs and the discussion is forgotten. I would like to work for him again, I’m just not sure if spending that much time together is a good idea. We’d probably get tired of each other and I want this relationship to last and have a family with him.

I think about those fun days when we used to work together. It seems so long ago now. So much has changed. Gone are the days of hooking up with no strings, no labels. A baby complicates everything. Parents complicate everything. I drum my fingers on the kitchen counter waiting for the toast to pop.

I think about last night’s fiasco pizza dinner. I still can’t believe our parents are getting married. What are the odds of them both being on the same cruise at the same time? My father working on a cruise sounds about right though.

“What are you thinking about?” Dylan sidles up behind me and kisses me on the cheek.

“How crazy our parents are,” I mumble. He sighs heavily behind me.

“Yeah. What are we going to tell them when they find out their kids procreated and it resulted in an unplanned pregnancy?” Dylan says sarcastically as he chuckles against my neck.

“Yeah, I think they already know that, you caveman.” I giggle. I like it when he’s in a good mood like this. He’s almost playful. He’s not taking anything too seriously and it makes me want to react the same way. Like water off a duck’s back.

“Shit. I guess we’ll just have to disown them.” He chuckles. “Honestly Andy, they were never in our lives to begin with. Why should we be in theirs? I won’t go to the wedding . . . if it comes to that.”

“You don’t think they’ll get married?”

He shakes his head in response. “Do you think those two could live together for even a week? I don’t think anyone can live with my mother. It won’t last, but this will.” He holds my hand in his. I close my eyes and feel his body against my back and his arms wrapped around me. Yeah. This is what love feels like. This is what a family feels like. “Your toast is getting cold in the toaster. It popped out a few minutes ago.”

I turn and smile at him. “I love you.”

Dylan kisses my nose and I finish making my grilled cheese. All feels right with the world again.

A week passes and we don’t receive any invitation. We look at that as a win. There’s no announcement in the paper either. Dylan said his mom would put it in print if she got married. I guess that fell through then. No stepsiblings for us. Although, Dylan got off on messing with me by calling me his stepsister.

I’ve been thinking about Dylan’s comment over and over again about me working for him. It’s nagging at the back of my mind. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’d really love for us to work together again and work with Cindy like we talked about before. I decide to broach the subject with him after dinner one night.

“Baby?” I bite my lip and wait for him to look up from his phone.

“Princess?” I love it when he calls me that. I know I’m the only one he’s called that and it makes me all warm inside. Dylan looks up when I don’t say anything. I want his undivided attention.

“I’m thinking of maybe coming back to work for you.” His eyes light up. “I have a condition though.” Dylan folds his hands in front of him. I feel like we’re in a business meeting. I put on my poker face and proceed with my request. “I’d like a pink stapler.” I laugh.

“Done.” Dylan gets up from the table and makes his way toward me. “I think I need to interview you for the position though. It’s very strenuous and you’ll be glued to your desk. You may even have to work through lunch. I’ll need someone who is hands on. Who obeys my every command. Someone who will bend over at my will.” I giggle at all his innuendoes. “In fact, I’d like to take you through a few positions right now.”

I move away and to my phone. “Oh, I can’t wait to tell Cindy!” I dial her number quickly.

“Ugh!” Dylan groans. He totally thought he was getting laid right now. He probably will in a minute, but I want to share the good news with Cindy first. It’s going to be like old times, all of us working together. Except, Dylan and I might actually get along. I laugh to myself. I’m so proud that Dylan is doing so well and is able to hire us back on. I’m looking forward to seeing the new office. We’re soon to be an office of five, Dylan, Birdie, the baby, Cindy, and I.

Cindy is ecstatic and can’t wait for me to start working for the P. Revere accounting firm. Dylan takes me to the new office which is just a couple of blocks away from his place. Things move fast after that. I set up my new desk and organize my space. Dylan is over the moon and working hard to make this new location work for all of us. Birdie even has her own space next to my desk. She still prefers messing around in Dylan’s office though.

Before we can say Swingline stapler, we’re all settled in our roles and new routine. Cindy helps Dylan with the smaller accounts and I handle the office. Dylan and I are still able to get away for lunch occasionally. We go back to his loft and hump like bunnies. Cindy is probably on to us. She smirks every time we arrive back from one of our romps. I like being naughty with Dylan.

Soon, it’s a month until I’m due. Cindy has been giving me great advice over the past few weeks. She even bought a few gifts for the baby. Dylan and I have gotten all the staples like bottles, bibs, burp cloths, onesies, a carrier, and a stroller. I’ve pinked out Dylan’s loft with all things baby. He hasn’t even batted an eye at the pink overload. He’s officially joined the pink side. Another point for Team Pink!

We decided it was best to let my lease up on my small studio apartment. We’ve officially moved in together. Which is good because when this baby comes she’ll be waking him up too. It’s just like any other Friday in our small office, when Dylan asks me out to lunch. I’m giddy because between the move, the new office, and our baby growing inside me, I’ve been completely exhausted. I’ve been passing out on Dylan frequently, which means there hasn’t been much hanky panky. My lady bits are in great need of Dylan’s family jewels.

“Bye, Cindy. We’re off.” She winks at me while she speaks on the phone. Dylan leads me out. We’re not two seconds out the door before I’m kissing him.

“Andy.” Dylan seems surprised. I stick my tongue in his mouth to shut him up. My hand moves down to his crotch and just like that he’s hard. I smile in our kiss.

“I knew you were hard for me. I can’t wait to get to your place.” Dylan moves my hand from his crotch.

“Princess, I wanted to take you out today.” He holds both my hands in his and brings them to his lips. I’ve just been cock blocked by my own cock. This is different. Maybe we’re going to do it after lunch. Well, at least I’m getting food. We get into Dylan’s car which is odd. Normally we walk to a place or eat something at his loft.

“Where are we going?” I ask while we’re driving on Lake Shore Drive. It’s May in Chicago and I’m enjoying the sun.

“You’ll see. We should be there soon.” He’s been really quiet, but it’s nice to just be together alone enjoying this wonderful day. Lake Michigan is on our left as we head south. I have no idea where we are going. We haven’t traveled this far for lunch before. Soon we turn onto East Grand Avenue.

“Here we are. I’ve never taken you to Navy Pier and I figured since you’re from Alabama you probably didn’t venture here yet.” I gawk at the massive entrance to the Pier. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I feel like a little kid. There’s a massive Ferris wheel, restaurants, and yachts parked in the new transient docks. We are lucky enough to get a parking spot. He grabs my hand like he’s antsy to get someplace. Dylan must be hungrier than I am. I just can’t get over the magnitude of this place.

We sit down at a seafood place that’s known for their crabs apparently. I order a hot dog there. Dylan laughs at my order. It’s a pretty expensive place too. We eat until we’re both stuffed.

“This was so nice to get out. I guess we better head back before Cindy wonders if we left her to do all the work.”

Dylan smiles at me and looks up at the Centennial wheel in front of us. “How about we go for a spin?”

My nose crinkles up as I grin at the monstrosity. “Really?” My tattooed hipster bearded boyfriend wants to take me on a Ferris wheel ride? Dylan grabs my hand and leads me to it.

“Yeah, why not?” I shrug my shoulders and follow his lead. This should be a lot of fun. We’ll have a great view of Downtown and Lake Michigan.

The wait’s not too long since it’s lunchtime and soon we are rising up in the air, two hundred feet in the air to be exact. Good thing I’m not afraid of heights. I feel like I’m in high school again and I’m on an afternoon date with my boyfriend, which I guess I am. That thought makes me happy.

We’re living our own life together and soon we’ll be celebrating a birth. Just one more month. I can’t wait to hold this little girl in my arms. Dylan will totally be one of those sexy dads. I bite my lip thinking about him with a baby carrier. Yup. Total hottie.

“What are you thinking about, sweetie?” Dylan brushes my bangs away from my eyes and leans in for a kiss. He’s being so romantic, a wonderful drive to a nice lunch and then a ride on the Centennial wheel.

“I’m thinking about what a nice day it is. What are you thinking about?” I turn away from the marvelous view and gaze at my gorgeous boyfriend. He holds my hand and looks into my eyes.

“I’m thinking how I could hold a girl like you. How lucky I am that you’re having my baby and I want to wake up with you next to me every morning. I’m my best self when I’m with you. I want to be a better man because of you. You’re like this light in my life I can’t help but gravitate toward. I just want to bask in your glow forever.” I blink a couple of times.

“You were thinking about a lot.” I don’t know what else to say. He chuckles and reaches in his pocket. I don’t see what he pulls out because his other hand pulls up his shirt. His tight abs greet me and I sigh. I look around and try and pull his shirt back down. No one but me needs to see that. He laughs but pulls his shirt up to show me his pecs. That’s when I notice a new tattoo I haven’t seen before.

“I got it this morning during that meeting I told you I had to go to.” He laughs. “It should be bandaged but I couldn’t wait to show you.”

I reach my hand out. “Is it still tender?” I want to touch it so bad.

“No. Touch me, baby.” I smile and gingerly caress the new mark. Where once there was a small gap of untouched skin, now the name Andy sits just above his heart. The script is beautiful and a bit of a contrast to the other tattoos on his chest. Most are images. Mine is the only name.

“Dylan.” I grab his face and kiss him hard. “I can’t believe you did that.” I feel like we’re on top of the world here and nothing can touch us. I mean, my boyfriend tattooed my name across his chest. Now, that’s commitment.

Dylan brings my face close to his and whispers, “Will you marry me, Andy?” That’s when he opens his hand and I see a black velvet box. My mouth hangs open. He opens the small box and I see a pink princess cut stone in a gold band. I gasp. It’s absolutely gorgeous. “You’ll always be my princess.”

I can’t speak. I just nod my answer as he slides the ring on my shaky hand.

When I’m finally able to form words, I say, “I love you. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” Dylan just laughs at me and wipes my tears and holds me like he’s never going to let go.

“I love you, princess.”