Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, catching me off guard. I let out a tiny yip as he kissed the side of my neck.

“Jillian?” the voice echoed through the phone.

“I gotta go, Mike. Sunday’s all set.”

Chase squeezed me tighter, and I leaned back into his chest. “Mmm….” I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but my body often took over when he was pressed against it.

“Jillian?” the irritating voice repeated.

“Just call when you’re on your way, please.”

“What are—”

I disconnected the call. We’d already gone over every minute detail regarding Daniel’s arrival, and I didn’t need to give my ex-husband any additional time to get in a few cracks. It irked the shit out of Mike that Chase and I were still going strong. Since I’d kicked Mike out five months ago after begging me for a temporary place to stay, we only had contact when we needed to discuss our son. But after that was completed, he never could seem to resist digging in some cougar barbs. He hadn’t even known that frickin’ word before, and now it was at the top of his vocabulary list.

I tossed my phone on the bed and turned to a raised eyebrow. “Problems?”

“Just going over plans for Sunday. When Daniel comes home.”

I felt like my face was going to crack in two. God, it was really happening. Each time I said it out loud, it became more real.

He brushed his lips against mine. “Which are?”

“Mike has this thing with Candace that he can’t get out of, whatever that could be.” His mouth found my neck again. “Mmm… so I’m picking up Daniel at the airport. His plane comes in at….” His tongue circled the sensitive area behind my ear. “Mmm… 5:10. Then I’m bringing him back to Mom’s for family dinner. Mike will pick him up there later.”

I pushed him away while I still could. “God, Chase. Why do you do these things when you can’t finish them? I’m going to be walking around a throbbing mess now.”

“Who says I can’t finish?”

“We have to get Hazel soon.” I checked the time: almost four. Wow, between getting nothing accomplished with Perry and getting nothing accomplished after Daniel’s news, I’d barely gotten any work in. And it didn’t even bother me.

His fingertips stroked over my jaw and up to trace my lips. I shivered. Dammit. He could keep his focus strictly from the neck up and I’d still be a gelatinous bag of nerves.

“Does this excite you, Wild Horses?”

“You know it does. Now, stop it.”

He smiled. “There used to be a time when you’d do anything possible to keep me from leaving the house with you.”

I gave him a quick kiss and went to the closet. “Yeah, well, as you know, those days are over. But that doesn’t mean I’m letting you off the hook. I’ll be pissed if we get home and you don’t finish what you started. Getting naked with you is still one of my favorite activities.”

I heard him chuckle behind me as I rummaged around for my heaviest wool sweater. It was going to be freaking cold on that ice. I missed New Orleans already. Chase and I had treated ourselves to a fantastic weekend there for Valentine’s Day, and I was so ready for another round of warmth, spice, and rhythm.

I tippy-toed up and found my sweater hiding on the top shelf in the far back. I reached for it, only to have Chase bypass my shorter arm and tug it out for me. Otherwise, I probably would’ve yanked down the whole lot along with it.

God, could life be any more perfect? I’d found the missing note that made my song complete. Sometimes I still wondered if I deserved his steadfastness, his strength in us that never wavered. I must have kissed a lot of asses in a previous life to hit it big in this one.

And now my son was coming home from Italy in five days? Yes, perfection.

I looked into Chase’s face as he handed me the sweater. His smooth, beautiful face. Fuck… Daniel was coming home in five days.

I’d been on a nonstop high since I found out. His final internship and school term were finished, and he was done. Permanently. He was moving back into his old room until he became established. He’d already secured some leads and was ready to make Milwaukee his home base again. My son was almost back, and that was the happiest of changes. But still a change.

I felt a swoosh of air inside my head and became woozy, forcing myself to balance against the closet door. Chase was right there holding me, which was silly. I wasn’t going down; I only felt like it.

“Baby, are you okay?”

I peered into his green eyes, the flakes of gold more prominent than ever, and nodded. “I guess all the excitement caught up with me.”

Was that all it was? Maybe partly. He scooped me up and carried me to the bed. Carried me. I’d never stop marveling at how easily he could do that, as if it required no more effort than me carrying this sweater.

He sat on the edge and placed me on his lap. “What’s going on? You’ve been excited since you texted me the news earlier. Why would it suddenly affect you now?”

“Isn’t that setting a bad example for your students? You shouldn’t be using your phone during the school day.”

He sighed. “You know I only use it during breaks. Now talk to me, Jillian.”

“It’s going to sound really crazy.”

“I don’t care.”

Yeah, he should be used to that with me. “All these weeks I’ve been waiting for this day, to finally get the confirmation that Daniel was flying home. And now it’s here.”

I chomped down on my bottom lip as if it were a lever to deactivate my tear ducts. If only it were that easy. My emotions had become forever altered, and my tears of the present were ruthless bullies to my tears of yesteryear. It could be yet another thing I could blame on aging, but only if I wanted to lie to myself. No, it was Chase. He’d awakened some secret soul-mate connection that turned my insides to fucking mush.

“My life is worlds different now than when he left, Chase. You’re in it now and what if….”

“Stop, Jillian. There are no ‘what-ifs,’ at least none you should be worrying about right now. Don’t let them take this moment away from you. Not when you’ve wanted it so badly.”

What I wanted so badly right then was to follow his advice, but my head was teeming with what-ifs. Infected with them. What if Daniel didn’t like Chase? What if Chase didn’t like him?

It was easy to be hopeful and optimistic when his return was happening at an undetermined time. I knew it was a done deal, and it’d be sooner rather than later, but until I received word, I’d never known exactly when he’d be home. And now that I did, the reality was more real than ever. I couldn’t bear the thought of one of them not sharing my life.

My version of hell on Earth? Having to choose which one.

I needed them both.

Chase increased his hold. He could obviously see that his words weren’t taking effect yet. “Everything is going to work out fine. And if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it then.” He lifted my chin with his finger. “Together, like we always do.”

He was transferring some of his strength to me at a time when I desperately needed it, and I wanted more than anything for him to be right.

“Do I need to bust out my guitar?”

That earned him a smile. There were few things better than hearing him play for me. I couldn’t imagine a world without that sound filling my soul.

God, I love this man. Please let Daniel accept that.

Forty-five minutes later, I was holding one small mittened hand while Chase held the other. Hazel was between us, legs scissoring, large brown eyes not budging from her skates as we shifted across the frozen pond.

“You’re getting better, Hazelnut. Pretty soon you won’t even need us anymore.”

I smiled warmly at him. Hopefully, that time wouldn’t arrive too soon. I’d grown way too attached to the little girl with hair the color of her namesake. She’d been an important part of Chase’s life before we met, but since he and I became close, their relationship shot up a dozen notches. And I was a part of it all. It was awesome.

“You were right, Jillian,” Hazel said. “I do like this place.”

I squeezed her hand. “Me too, but we still promise we’ll take you back downtown before the weather warms up.”

Over Christmas break, we’d taken her to Red Arrow Park to awe her with all the lights and decorations before taking her skating on the outdoor rink. She’d fallen in love and wanted to return, but because it was a school night, we’d chosen Candle Park instead. As long as they sold hot chocolate, she was willing to give it a try.

“Jillian?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Stop. I hafta tell you something.” We slowed our already leisurely pace, and I bent down. Hazel whispered into my ear, “I hafta go to the bathroom.”

“Okay,” I whispered back.

I stood and faced Chase, putting on a serious face. “Hazel has some official business to attend to that will require our absence for a few minutes.”

He saluted, and Hazel broke out into a fit of giggles. “Are you sure your boyfriend won’t die without you?”

I gave her a wacky grin. She loved that word and seemed to use it at every opportunity. She was calling Chase my boyfriend long before I’d acknowledged anything between us.

Chase clenched his chest and pretended to fall over, causing her to laugh even harder.

“All right, smarty pants. Let’s go.” Before you pee in them.

We tromped over to the small restroom, the fluorescents flooding my eyes. She started in another round of giggles.

I put my hands on my hips. “Now what?”

“You look like Rudolph.”

I glanced in the mirror. Holy shit, I did. My bright red nose didn’t seem to be acclimating to the cold too well. I tapped the tip of her nose. “Okay, you. Go to the bathroom now. Do you need any help with your skates?”

“Nope.”

She toddled off, and I fanned my face. I was sweltering. We’d just gone from twenty to eighty in half a second. I pulled off my hat and saw a mess of stringy hair. Now I looked like a drowned reindeer.

When Hazel came out of the stall and washed her hands, I expected her to laugh again, but she just asked, “Can we get some hot chocolate now?”

“Already?”

“I think it’ll help me skate even better.”

I laughed instead. “Okay, sweetie.”

“Extra whipped cream?”

“You got it.”

We went to the stand and I bought her a cup, testing a sip to make sure it wasn’t too hot before handing it to her. She sucked off all the whipped cream first, reminding me of Perry.

I waved to Chase, catching his attention so he’d know about our little pit stop. He was out there owning that ice, and I had one of my bouts of disbelief. He looked like he was doing hockey drills, and I knew firsthand how powerful those leg muscles were to handle himself that way. I was the lucky one who got to feel them crush me.

I was less than a year from forty, and I had Chase. A man with an erection I could chip a tooth on and a twenty-four-year-old body that didn’t quit until I was a puddle. Every day I got a little more comfortable with the age difference, although I still had my moments. Like now, watching two twentysomethings standing on the sidelines, giving him a triple-take.

Hazel tugged on my jacket. “That’s my friend Sarah over there.” She pointed to a girl in a neon yellow snowsuit sitting at the edge of the rink. That was one way of never losing them. “Can I go say hi?”

I took her over and chatted with the mom for a minute before leaving them to toss snow at each other. I skated back to Chase, nodding towards Hazel. “She wants to hang out with Sarah for a while.”

“Okay.” He grabbed me, almost knocking me to my ass, but quickly righted me to his lips. His deep kiss warmed more than just my nose. We detached, my breath forming puffs of clouds around us.

“What was that for?”

“Do I ever need a reason to kiss you?” I shook my head, and he took my hand. “Good. Let’s skate.”

We glided around the perimeter of the rink, hand in hand, the icicles forming on my eyelashes no match for my heated insides.

“You’re so good with her, Jillian.”

“You tell me that every time we’re with her.”

“Because it’s true every time. I can see how much she means to you and vice versa.” He was quiet for a minute, the peals of kids’ laughter moving front and center. “And every time I see you with her, I become curious.”

“Curious?”

“Did you ever want to give Daniel a brother or sister?”

This was something we’d never really talked about before. I glanced at him, then back ahead, letting our momentum slow. I could understand how he’d be curious. Mike and I had been married seventeen years. Wow, it was crazy to think in those terms… Chase had already blown that away in eight months.

“When Daniel was about five, I went off the pill for a year, but nothing came of it even though I was assured to be very healthy and fertile. And obviously, Mike was fine. Then we tried again when I was off the pill for good at thirty. It just was never meant to be, I guess. I did want more children, but it’s good that things happened as they did.” I shrugged. I’d accepted it long ago. I was already blessed to have Daniel. “And then it just got too late.”

“If it were too late, you wouldn’t make me wear those damned condoms.”

I laughed, stopping suddenly, smashing us together. “I’m still fertile, silly. That’s why you have to wear them.”

He gave me a lengthy stare, his irises a deep forest green, bordering on black. He looked like he wanted to devour me, and I couldn’t wait to get him home.

“Hmm… don’t like condoms, huh?” I double-checked my internal fertility calendar. Yep, that egg had shriveled and sailed off yesterday. I was safe. “Then you’re in luck. Instead of coming down my throat tonight, you can do it deep in my pussy. I’ll be feeling you on my thighs all night long.”

I knew I got to him by the flicker in his eyes, or maybe it was the way his hand palmed my nape and brought his mouth to my neck. Whatever it was, I just loved that it happened. He turned me on all the damn time, so I needed to return the favor whenever I could, just to keep things from getting too far off balance.

I heard Hazel calling his name, and before he responded, he moved closer to my ear, his breath hot against my skin.

“No, you’re in luck, Wild Horses. I’ll not only finish what I started, I’ll go one better. I’m going to make you feel so fucking good you’ll never want anything between us ever again.”

And with that, he skated off to get Hazel, leaving me there to melt the ice. Before I could analyze exactly what he meant, I noticed the women again, pointing and whispering to each other as he soared past.

Back off bitches, he’s mine. I had his heart and his body.

You should be so lucky at half my age.