My pulse races when Emily pulls up to Last Call. I should have figured out this was the only place she’d be able to book on such short notice. But I was too damn caught up in the fact that she went to so much trouble for me. And now I have to worry that Lonnie is tending bar tonight. I told Monica about my situation with Emily and Lonnie, and she must figure it out when Emily parks because she pats my shoulder before getting out.

I step out and meet Emily at the front of the car. “Did you rent out the back room?” I ask, knowing it’s not cheap.

“Everyone at work pitched in. There was no time to get gifts, so”—she gestures toward the door—“this is your gift from the office.”

“Is it supposed to be a surprise?” I ask, not wanting to ruin it for everyone after they all pitched in like this.

“Not really. We figured you’d realize it was a party once I got you here.”

Right. A party with the woman I’m pretending to see nonexclusively and the woman I just dumped very badly.

“This should be fun,” Monica says, but only I get her true meaning. Emily’s smile is genuine as we walk inside.

My eyes immediately go to the bar. I breathe easier when I see Caleb instead of Lonnie. Maybe the universe has thrown me a bone. I follow Emily to the back room, stopping to give Caleb a one-armed hug as we pass the bar.

“Happy birthday, man,” he says. “Enjoy the party.”

“Thanks,” I say.

Emily loops her arm through mine. “Ready?”

I nod, happy that my birthday wish is coming true. Or at least it looks like it might. She opens the door and announces, “The birthday boy is here!”

Everyone raises their glasses in the air in welcome. Emily lets go of me, allowing our coworkers to say hello. When I spot her again, she’s coming back with drinks for us. I look around for Monica and find her talking to Alex. He’s a good-looking guy, so I’m not surprised she’s locked her sights on him.

Emily hands me a glass, which I can tell is filled with porter by the color alone.

“Thank you,” I say.

She raises her bottle of Amstel Light. “To you. Happy birthday.” She clinks her bottle against the side of my glass and then takes a sip.

I stare at her mouth, wondering how I’m going to resist kissing her in front of everyone we work with tonight. I know she doesn’t want people to find out we’re seeing each other. If that’s what you can call it. She’s afraid it will affect the way Mr. Monohan looks at us since we’re editors now. Luckily, everyone attributed her behavior the last time we were here to her being drunk.

“What?” she asks when I don’t stop staring at her. “Are you disappointed with the party?”

Nothing she did could ever disappoint me—short of ending things between us for good. “I’m in awe of it all. Of you.” I know I’m pushing it, but I have to let her know how much it means to me that she went through all this trouble.

“I want you to have a great night. You deserve it.”

I’d like to think I deserve her, but I’m not convinced I do. I guess time will tell. If I only had more patience.

Nate and Aria join us, and I’m grateful because I’m slipping into dangerous territory with Emily. The urge to tell her how I feel is overwhelming now that I’ve broken things off with Lonnie. After the interview with the Burbridges, Emily has to see that relationships are worth it in the end. She’s got to be willing to give us another shot. A real shot this time.

“So, were you surprised to have two work parties in one day?” Aria asks.

“It’s not work only,” Emily says, pointing to the door.

I look to see Dom, Will, and Malcolm come walking in. “No way. You called Dom?” I ask Emily.

She nods. “I hope you don’t mind. I figured he should be here, though.”

I step toward her, resting my hand on her waist before forgetting we’re only supposed to be friends and roommates at work. I drop my hand and say, “I don’t mind at all. Thank you.”

She smiles and tucks her hair behind her ear as the guys approach us.

“Hey!” Dom yells. “There he is. I can’t believe you’re finally partying on your birthday. You never agree to these things when they’re in your honor.”

“He didn’t really have a choice,” Emily says. “I didn’t tell him where I was taking him.”

“Smart woman,” Dom says, hugging Emily. The two of them get along really well for barely knowing each other. “I promise not to fall asleep with a beer in my hand here,” Dom jokes, nudging Emily.

She laughs. “I’ll go get you guys some drinks.”

“I’ll help,” Malcolm says.

I give him a look, conveying Emily is off-limits. He holds his hands up in defense as he follows her out.

Nate and Aria have walked off, and Will is talking to Olivia, leaving Dom and me to talk in private.

“Don’t worry about Malcolm. He knows,” Dom says.

“You told him about Emily and me?”

“No. He saw you at the restaurant, remember?”

Right. When I was practically stalking Emily and Sebastian. I nod.

“So she put this all together for you?”

“Yeah. Amazing, right?”

“You must be doing something right.”

I hope so. I could definitely get used to Emily surprising me like this, and I’d love the opportunity to do the same for her.

“It’s your birthday. You should go for it. I mean, she can’t kick you to the curb on your birthday, right?” Dom asks.

“That would be one shitty birthday if she did.” I sip my porter, which makes me miss Emily since she’s the one who brought it to me.

“Did you tell her you called it off with Lonnie?” he asks.

“He told me,” Monica says behind me. “Hey, Dom.” She gives him a hug.

“How’s my favorite Burke?” he asks her, a big smile on his face.

“Still off-limits,” I say. I point back and forth between them. “This is never happening. Especially not on my birthday. Got it?”

Dom rolls his eyes. “He’s always spoiling my fun.”

“Mine, too. You get used to it after twenty years or so.” She shrugs and motions for Dom to follow her to one of the high-top tables, which are sporadically located throughout the room. There are no chairs, but you can at least put your drink down on the tabletop.

“Did everyone ditch you on your birthday?” Emily asks. Malcolm isn’t with her.

“Looks like it.” Not that I care. All I want to do today is spend time with Emily, so as long as she’s by my side, I’m more than happy.

We wind up closing the bar. I’m not drunk because I’m having too good a time hanging out with everyone. Sure, I’ve had my share of beer, but I want to remember this night, so I pace myself and drink water, too. Emily does the same since she’s driving.

“I’m going to bed,” Monica says as soon as we’re home. “That was fun, but it was a long night.” She waves a hand in the air, her eyes lingering on me. “Have a good night,” she says with a knowing look before disappearing into my room. She knows me well enough to figure out I’m hoping to spend the night with Emily instead of on the couch again.

“I should probably head to bed, too,” Emily says.

“Already?” I don’t try to mask my disappointment.

“I can stay up a little longer if you want to watch a movie or something,” she says. “You are the birthday boy.”

I decide to be bold and take a step toward her, closing the distance between us. I brush her hair behind her shoulder, exposing her bare shoulders thanks to the red halter top she’s wearing. I almost expect her to stop me, but she leans into me, her chest pressing against mine. Her arms wrap around me, and her hands come to rest on my back.

“Emily...” I want to tell her the truth, but if I do, she might stop what’s about to happen, and I’m not sure I can handle her pushing me away on my birthday.

“Yes, you can kiss me,” she says, assuming I was looking for permission.

I cup her face and kiss her. Her lips part for me, inviting me in. My tongue brushes against hers, and she moans before deepening the kiss. Her nails dig into my back, holding me in place. After several long minutes, we pull apart, and she says, “I guess it wouldn’t be right to make the birthday boy sleep on the couch, huh?”

I shake my head. “Not if you want my wish to come true.”

She cocks her head and smirks. “What did I tell you about wasting wishes on me?” Her tone isn’t reprimanding in the least, and she takes my hand in hers.

I allow her to lead me to her room. She closes the door behind us, and I sit down on her bed. She walks over to me and takes my face in both her hands before kissing me hard. Then she reaches for the bottom of my shirt and pulls it up. I raise my arms, allowing her to remove the shirt, which she tosses on the floor. Her hands explore my bare chest, and then she bends down and kisses it, her tongue tracing circles every now and then.

When she stands up again, she pulls me with her and undoes the button on my pants. She removes them and my boxers in one swift motion, and I step out of them. She stares at me for a moment before unzipping her skirt and letting it fall to the floor. Then she lifts her halter top over her head. Watching her undress is present enough. I could stare at her all day. She steps out of her panties and removes her bra.

“Sorry, I’m pretty sure I just unwrapped your present,” she says.

“I don’t mind.” I sit down on the bed again before taking her hand and pulling her to me. I’m eye level with her breasts, and I take a perky nipple into my mouth.

She grabs the back of my head, holding me in place. My hand explores her body, coming to its destination between her legs. But after a few minutes, she steps back and goes to her nightstand. She grabs a condom and then slips into bed, beckoning me to join her. She doesn’t have to tell me twice.

I slide in beside her, and she wraps her leg around mine. “Happy birthday, David.”

I don’t think I’ve ever had a better birthday.