Standing on Reese's front porch with a steaming Crock-Pot of chilli beans in hand, my eyes fall shut and I suck air into my shrivelled-up lungs. My heart is thumping, my palms are clammy. I'm freaking out just a little bit.

Tony is here.

Tony from Las Vegas.

Tony, the man who took me to his hotel room and delivered on his promise to fuck the heartache right out of my system.

Archie, who doesn't know he's the father of my child.

Shit! 

He's on the other side of that door and when I step into that house, I'm going to have to face him. Cue the anxiety attack. 

I should have stayed home. I shouldn't have come here today.

I spent forty minutes flat-ironing my hair. And maybe another half hour fussing over what to wear. Eventually, I settled on a flared denim summer dress and low-heeled sandals. And I’ve been second-guessing that decision from the minute I walked out the door.

Ever since River was born, I've been a throw-on-a-pair-of-yoga-pants-and-go type of gal. Getting dolled up doesn’t come naturally to me anymore. But my womanly pride demanded that I put in the extra effort today. Because some part of me wants him to look at me again. The way he did that night in his hotel room.

The sound of laughter floats my way from the backyard where Leo's birthday festivities are under way. I lean my forehead against the pristine white front door and take a few breaths. In and out. In and out.

This is stupid. Why am I psyching myself out like this? This is just a barbeque at Reese and Leo's house. I've been here a million times. 

But this time is different.

Ever since I ran into Archie in that narrow hallway outside of the washrooms, my body's been reliving the memory of our night in Vegas. My heart's been replaying the confessions we shared as we laid together in that dark hotel room. I hate to admit it but now that I know he's here in Copper Heights, a little spark of hope has blossomed to life in my chest.

Maybe...

"No, Sophia. No maybes," I whisper sternly to myself.

Optimism used to be my best friend. I held so hard to the belief that everything works out for the best and everyone gets their dreams-come-true. My blind hope led me into a ditch and left me there. I've spent the last two years digging myself out and there's no way I'm letting my naive outlook drag me back into the gutter.

There's no 'maybe' for Archie and me.

I throw a glance over my shoulder toward the end of the block then check the time on my phone. The 58 bus is scheduled to pass in seven minutes. I have more than enough time to catch it—

The door bursts open and I yelp, barely keeping the chilli beans from slipping through my fingers and splattering all over the all-white porch.

Brenton stands in the open doorway, all decked out in a Spiderman costume and a lopsided birthday hat on his head. He grins bare gums up at me. "Look, Aunt Sophia! The tooth fairy's taking all my teeth." He holds a tiny, white incisor in his outstretched palm.

Laughing, I crouch down in front of him to inspect his mouth. "Looks like it," I say. "How are you supposed to chew your broccoli when you don't have any teeth?"

He snickers deviously. "When I lose all my teeth I won't have to eat broccoli anymore. I can just have candy all day."

The child's well thought out plan makes me chuckle and for a moment, I forget all about my nerves and about Archie.

Reese's head pops out from around the corner down the hall. "Oh, I thought I heard your voice," she says with a smile before her attention turns sternly on her son. She steps into the hallway with little Maizy hitched on her hip. "Brenton Montgomery—what did I tell you about opening the front door?"

"But Mommy, it's just Aunt Sophia."

"You didn't know that," the mother counters.

"Yes, I did," he argues. "My spidey senses told me."

Shaking her head, Reese sighs and moves toward us on bare feet. When our eyes meet, we share a little laugh. "Kids, huh?"

She presses her cheek to mine, her lips pursing in a kiss. Her little boy ducks out of the doorway and scampers away. "Right...If you don't let yourself find the humor in their shenanigans, they’ll just drive you crazy."

She's got tired mom syndrome written all over her face but she's happy. I can see it in the smile that lingers on the edges of her mouth even as she wiggles her shoulders, loosening her tired back.

"Tell me about it." I nod in agreement as I try to toe off my shoes on the mat without losing my grip on the Crock-Pot. Before I can remove my sandals, my friend loops an arm around my back to stop me.

"Come inside. Leave your shoes on. Everyone's out back."

Everyone's out back. I silently wonder if everyone includes Archie.

With a hand on my shoulder, she guides me into the house. "You brought your famous beans? Smells so damn good." Reese takes the lead, trotting hurriedly down the hall toward the kitchen. "You look gorgeous, by the way. I hope you burned all your yoga pants to ashes because that dress is to die for on you.”

The compliment makes my gut tighten and Archie's face flashes across my mind. Secretly, I wonder if he'll like the dress, too. 

God, this is silly.

"Are you sure?" I manage to whisper anxiously as I glance down at my denim ensemble again. “I mean, it’s probably the only non-yoga-pants outfit I have that still fits after my pregnancy and I had to dig it up from the bottom of some random suitcase in my storage closet so I gave it a thorough sniff test but I still wasn’t sure if it smelled musty and I was tempted to Febreeze the shit out of it but I didn’t want to smell like Fresh Harvest Pumpkin because that’s the only scent I had on hand and I think I bought it sometime last fall but now we’re in summer and nobody wants to smell Fresh Harvest Pumpkin in summer so I chose to say no to Febreeze.” I gulp. “Do I smell musty, though?”

Reese throws me a confused look over her shoulder, her eyes telling me that none of what I just prattled out made sense to her. "No, you don’t smell musty, Sophia...Are you okay?"

Breathing through my nerves, I nod and follow my friend toward the kitchen, muttering an apology under my breath.

Whatever she's cooking in here smells amazing, a mouth-watering mix of herbs and spices with undertones of greasy, salty bacon. But with the way my stomach feels right now, I’d probably be better off sticking to saltine crackers.

Nova is standing by the backdoor, bouncing a fussy Madalyn in her arms. She grins when I step into the room. "Oh, look at you! No yoga pants today! Cute dress." She glances down and affectionately kisses her baby’s forehead before turning back to me. "You didn't bring River?" 

Angling my back to my friends, I slide the chilli onto the counter and wipe my clammy hands down the front of my dress. "Um, she’s at Angie and Ben’s house. It’s auntie and niece time again. I’m sure it’s wild and crazy over there."

Angie lets the child get away with everything. Chocolate for lunch. Skipped naps. Cartoons all day. It’s anarchy whenever my sister gets to babysit.

But there's no way I was bringing River here today. I wasn't sure what I would be walking into and I definitely didn't want her in the middle of it. Yes, the thought of seeing Archie has butterflies rioting in my stomach like a high schooler with a crush. Still, at the end of the day, protecting my daughter is my number one priority. I’m a mother first, above all else. I can’t bring her around him unless I’m sure what his intentions are.

"Well, that's too bad,” Reese says as she sets Maizy in the playpen in the corner where her twin brother is already gnawing away at a teething toy. “Maizy and Lennox were looking forward to seeing their friend."

"They’ll hang out at daycare on Monday." I crouch down in front of the playpen and tickle the babies' chubby bellies. “Yes, they will. Yes, they will.” The children giggle, flashing gummy smiles.

"Don't get too comfortable down there on the floor," Reese says, as she pads over to stir the pots on the stove. Her voice lowers conspiratorially as her eyes flit to the back porch where the men are gathered around the grill. "I want you to meet Archie."

My belly flips over with nerves. "Ugh! You still haven't let that go?"

"Come over here and get a look at him.” Nova waves me over with one hand. "Don’t let all that hotness to catch you by surprise. Come. Take a minute. Breathe in. Absorb all the hotness. Become one with the hotness.”

I chuckle. "I can see him just fine from over here." My eyes fan over his form and the black coffee I had for breakfast six hours ago bubbles in the hollow of my stomach. 

Damn it, he's gorgeous. 

His handsome profile is a bit harder now. His hair is longer, too. Just long enough for sliding probing fingers through. My fingers twitch, wondering what it would feel like. His white T-shirt doesn't stand a chance against that broad back and the corded muscles in his arms. Black sweatpants hang low on his hips and the tight roundness of his glutes is almost obscene. Just looking at him has me sweating.

Fanning myself with my hand, I speak to Reese. "Is the air conditioner broken? Gosh, open the windows in here or something. I’m about to start melting." Before anyone can respond, I’m over by the sink, flinging the windows open, one by one.

While I’m struggling to unhook one of the latches, the back door slides open. Laughing wildly, Brenton bursts through the curtain of birthday decorations hanging in the doorway. I throw a glance over my shoulder in his direction and my heart tumbles into my belly...

Archie is there in the doorway, broad and tall and majestically rugged. He's grinning from ear to ear as he follows Brenton into the room. 

Our eyes meet.

His steps falter.

His smile freezes.

The sheer violence of his beauty causes my body to spin around without my brain's approval. My throat tightens painfully as I try to shove words out of my mouth. "H-hi..." is all I can manage.

He blinks rapidly. His smile is back and it's more glorious than ever. "Hi.”

Charlie pushes past him and comes tromping into the kitchen. A quick kiss lands on Nova's forehead then he glances at me. “What’s up, Soph? Nice dress." He gives me a playful jab in the shoulder before he yanks open the fridge door. "This is Archie, by the way. Archibald Jones. He served with Leo and me." He crouches down in front of the vegetable drawer and starts rummaging around. "This is Sophia Gallo,” he tells Archie. “We go wayyy back. We used to live across the street from each other when we were teenagers."

I try to add something to the conversation but it feels like concrete has hardened in my windpipe. "Oh, uh, I..."

A knowing smirk rides Archie's plush mouth as his attention travels the length of my body, making every inch of me prickle. His teeth sink into his bottom lip for a fraction as his nostrils flare and I'd kill to know what he's thinking right now. 

Slowly, his hand lifts from his side and extends to me. "Nice to meet you, Sophia Gallo. A pleasure." His eyes twinkle with innuendo.

His big, rough palm slides against mine, tightening around my fingers. It's all electricity. And when he brushes his lips over my knuckles, my heart smashes about in my chest.

I distantly hear Charlie muttering something about his friend being a charmer. The words drown beneath the ruckus of my blood whooshing through my ears. I know that everyone in the room is staring but that’s really low on my priority list. I’m trying to focus on not dissolving into denim-clad pile of mush.

"It's nice to meet you." I barely manage to squeak out as I pull my hand back. 

And Archie absolutely loves watching me squirm. "It really is a nice dress…" he whispers close to my ear. 

His hot stare tracks down my body again and I know he’s scheming.

He’s trying to figure out what it’ll take to get me out of my clothes. Oh, boy. I think I’m in trouble.