Chapter 1

Two years later…

“Dammit,” Megan Montgomery cursed as she tried to pull her phone from her bag and ended up nearly tripping over her own two feet. She might be in a new city, but she was the same old klutz she’d always been. The airport was crowded, and she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, and all in all, she felt like a disaster. She murmured an apology to the people around her before stepping aside to read her texts.

Her cousin Summer Reed was meeting her outside baggage claim, and according to the text, she was circling the airport, trying to put her baby daughter to sleep.

Great.

The flight to Portland had been full, there had been a crying baby behind Megan, and the last thing she wanted was to be sitting near another crying baby—even if she was incredibly adorable and related to her. Ugh…her nerves were frayed. As if moving across the country wasn’t stressful enough, it had to get off to a rocky start? She let out a breath and joined the throngs of people again—careful to pay attention this time—and merged into the stream heading to the exit.

Fifteen minutes later she had her bags and was searching for Summer’s red SUV. Spring in Portland was nicer than in Albany, Megan thought as she waited. She was practically bouncing on her toes as she watched the flow of cars. Her emotions were doing their own version of a tennis match, bouncing between being nervous and excited about this new adventure.

Leaving the job she’d had for the past three years hadn’t been hard—especially since she knew from the beginning it had an end date—but opting to work for her cousin Zach on the other side of the country was definitely out of her comfort zone. Megan liked to keep things simple. Orderly. She had been settled in Albany and figured that even when her job ended, she’d find another in the same city.

That hadn’t happened.

Instead, she had been handed an opportunity she’d always wanted but never thought she’d get—working within the family business.

It was crazy. After all, she was a Montgomery, and it shouldn’t have been a big deal. The only problem was…she didn’t understand finance, she wasn’t particularly suave, and she didn’t have the business savvy of the rest of her family. She was a computer girl—a techie—but she was really good at what she did!

Still, the planets seemed to have aligned perfectly for this job with Zach to open up just as she was in need of one. Who was she to question it? It was the perfect solution to her employment dilemma, and it was going to be a good thing for her to do something new.

No matter how terrifying it currently felt.

The sound of a horn broke Megan from her reverie, and she saw her cousin pulling up in front of her. With a big smile on her face, Megan waved to Summer and immediately loaded her bags into the hatch. With a shriek of excitement, Summer gave her a fierce hug.

“I am so glad you’re here!” she cried. “I have been counting the days until I could see you and squeeze you and look at your face!”

Summer had always been the excitable one in the family. She had a heart of gold and a zest for life that Megan never quite understood, but she was hoping to have some of Summer’s excitement rub off on her.

“Come on, come on, let’s get you in the car! I want to hear all about your flight and how you’re doing and if you’re excited about starting work on Monday and—”

“Summer?”

“Hmm?”

“Breathe,” Megan said with a smile.

With a nod, Summer walked around to the driver’s side and climbed into the car. Megan did the same on the passenger side, but not before peeking into the rear seat at her niece—that sounded much better than “first cousin once removed.”

“I have some super cute stuff for Amber in my suitcase,” Megan said as she climbed in.

“You didn’t have to do that. You already sent that precious crocheted baby blanket when she was born.” Summer smiled and added, “It reminded me of the ones Nana used to make. Do you remember?”

Megan nodded. Nobody knew that her great-grandmother had taught her how to crochet when she was just a little girl, and she found it to be fascinating and relaxing. She had come home from Nana’s one day with the most adorable, soft, cuddly baby blanket, and her father had scoffed at it, told her it was ugly, and mocked her desire to spend her time making things he considered frivolous. At first she had been heartbroken, and she stopped crocheting for a while, but the next time she was at her grandmother’s, she got pulled in again to the comfort of the soft wool in her fingers, the pretty colors, the rhythm of stitching, and the gratification of seeing a ball of yarn turn into something beautiful. So she had continued her creations in private, making absolutely sure nobody knew about it. Crocheting was her secret hobby, and she donated all the baby blankets and clothing she made to local hospitals and women’s shelters.

In the past several years, she hadn’t had as much free time to indulge as she would have liked. Sometimes her fingers just itched. For an instant she considered confiding in Summer, but then she thought of her father’s scorn and everyone laughing at her, and the moment passed. “So…how far are we from your house?”

“It’s about an hour’s drive,” Summer said as they pulled away from the curb. “Amber’s a good sleeper, so we can talk all we want without worrying about waking her up.”

Was it wrong that Megan wanted to let out a sigh of relief and a hearty “hallelujah”?

She did sigh, but it was a happy one. They were on the road heading to Summer and Ethan’s house, where she was going to be living for the foreseeable future in their guesthouse. Which reminded her…

“I feel bad about this,” she began.

“About what?”

“You finally got your mom and everyone to go home, and now I’m moving in.”

With a light laugh, Summer glanced at her briefly. “Are you kidding? This is going to be way more fun than having my mom here. You’re the sister I never had! We’re going to hang out together and work together and—”

Megan was about to respond when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw Gabriella’s name on the screen. “I am in the car and on my way!” she said when she answered.

“Megan! We are so excited you’re finally here! I wanted to ride with Summer, but things got hectic here, and then Zach was worried about me being in the car for so long, and…” She sighed. “I swear, you’d think I was an invalid the way he’s carrying on.”

“You’re pregnant, and he’s worried,” Megan replied with a smile. “I think it’s kind of sweet how he’s so protective.”

“It was sweet for the first two months when I was dealing with morning sickness. But we’re nearly seven months in now, and I feel great, and he’s making me crazy. Promise you’ll distract him while you’re here so I can at least go shopping by myself one day!” Gabriella said with a laugh.

“I promise. You say the word, and I’ll keep him busy with codes and computer issues that will have his head spinning for days!”

“You have officially become my favorite person.”

“I aim to please.”

“Okay, so…it’s going to take you about an hour to get to Summer’s house,” Gabriella explained, “and I’ll meet you there.”

“That sounds great! I’ll see you then!” When Megan hung up, she felt a little more relaxed. This wasn’t a move across the country where she didn’t know anyone; she was going to be with family, and that made her smile.

With the phone still in her hand, she knew she needed to let her own family know she’d landed safely and was on her way to Summer’s. Her mother had been overly anxious about this trip—and not in a weird I’m-going-to-miss-you way but in an I’m-very-excited-for-you one. Which was weird. For all the years she had been hounding Megan about moving closer to home, she was suddenly her number one cheerleader for moving to the other side of the country.

Definitely weird.

With a sigh because all she wanted was to close her eyes for a few minutes and unwind, she turned toward Summer. “Would you mind if I give my mom a quick call? I should have done it while I was waiting for my luggage, but…”

Summer laughed. “Go for it. I know my mother went a little crazy when I moved here and was on the phone with me constantly at first. So I understand.”

With a quick nod, Megan hit Send on her mother’s number and waited for her to answer.

“Are you there? Was your flight okay? Are you with Summer?” her mother said as a greeting.

Her anxious tone had Megan laughing softly. “Hi, Mom. Yes, I’m here, my flight was a little less than ideal, and I’m in the car with Summer and Amber right now.”

“Oh, she brought Amber with her? How sweet! You’ll have to send me some pictures!”

“We’re in the car, Mom.”

“I didn’t mean right now,” her mother said with a bit of a huff. “So you’re there and you’re on your way to Summer’s, and…when are you going to start looking for an apartment?”

“Mom, we’ve talked about this. I’m only going to stay with them for a couple of weeks, and I thought it was okay for me to get here and relax for a few days before I had to spring into action.”

“I’m just saying…you shouldn’t rely on them for everything because they’re already so busy with Amber and Summer going back to work, and…maybe you should ask them if they know of any vacant apartments near people they know. Plus, you’ll need to make some friends of your own and maybe start socializing so—”

“You know what…our connection…bad…call you…weekend…”

It was childish, and she wasn’t proud of it, but now was so not the time to deal with the whole lecture on her social life.

Beside her, Summer started to laugh, and Megan smacked her playfully on the arm.

“Megan? Megan, are you there?”

“Can’t hear…go…soon!” And then she hung up and immediately turned her phone off.

Yeah, not her finest reaction to her mother, but her mind was spinning with too many other thoughts right now to add that to it.

Yes, she was living someplace new, was starting a new job, and was going to be meeting new people. And yes, it was a chance for a fresh start. None of this was news to Megan. Actually, she was looking forward to the opportunity. Her life in Albany had been…well…she was in a serious rut. She’d been working ten hours a day, six days a week, and the only people she’d socialized with were her coworkers.

Maybe socialized wasn’t quite the right word. More like…saw them frequently…like whenever she came out of her office.

Which wasn’t often.

Her muscles were starting to tense up again, and she forced herself to relax. This move was supposed to help her break out of her rut—force her to meet new people and be someone who didn’t spend her entire life holed up in her office staring at a computer screen. All around her, people were meeting and having lives and falling in love and starting families. And as much as she argued how missing out didn’t bother her, the truth was that it did.

Megan had always wanted to be the girl who had a ton of friends who went out for girls’ nights and went away for weekends together. And then she wanted to meet a man and fall in love and have the kind of family she had grown up with.

Maybe it wasn’t for everyone, but Megan wanted the American dream—it was a little outdated, and she’d learned to keep that ideal to herself because so many people felt like it wasn’t something a modern woman should want. But she did. She really, really did. And the only way she was going to achieve it was to force herself to break out of her comfort zone and put herself out there—meet people. Go out. Date.

Sigh.

The last time she’d gone out on a date was…

Nothing was coming to mind.

“That can’t be a good sign,” she murmured.

“What’s not a good sign is you talking to yourself when I’m sitting right here,” Summer said. “Seriously, you can’t let your mother stress you out like that.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Which part of the conversation did you in? The move? Finding a place of your own? Or the socializing?” When Megan gave her a quizzical look, Summer smiled. “Sorry, but your mom’s voice carries.”

“Oh.” Okay, so this was exactly the kind of thing she wanted—a friend she could talk to when she was stressed out. “It was the socializing.”

“I knew it!”

“Yeah, well…it was more the implication of what it entailed. It isn’t just making friends, it’s dating too.”

“And that’s a problem…why?”

“I’ve always been busy, and after my breakup with Colin, I didn’t want to get involved with anyone.”

“He was a major jerk, Megan. You should be relieved to be rid of him!”

“I am. I am. But…it wasn’t easy to get over. Things were a little—”

“They were ugly and intense,” Summer said. “I get it. But that was more than two years ago. You can’t tell me you haven’t dated since then.”

“I’ve been busy.” Unfortunately, she couldn’t blame the lack of dating on her work schedule. It certainly didn’t help, but it wasn’t the real reason for her lack of interest.

It was Alex.

Yeah, there it was. And moving to Portland was asking for trouble, but Megan couldn’t help it. Her family was surprised at how she had readily agreed to this move, but the truth was…she was curious. Curious to see if her memories of one incredibly hot and wildly sexy physical therapist and their time together were accurate.

Not that she was looking for a repeat performance. Not really. Okay, she totally was. But it was more than just the sex. Kind of. Megan had a feeling if things had been different and geography hadn’t been against them, their relationship could have gone somewhere. At least that was what she’d been telling herself for the past two years. The logical part of her brain, however, told her that she needed to see Alex in person in order to know whether she was remembering things correctly or if she was still looking at him through sex goggles.

She groaned. Maybe seeing Alex was something she should ease into. No need to rush out and ask about him or look him up—but considering he and Zach were friends, they were bound to run into one another eventually. And for all she knew, he could be involved with someone or married. And just because she hadn’t moved on didn’t mean he hadn’t.

Maybe there was a way she could casually bring him up without being too obvious…

The memory of how they’d danced together and then walked around the estate where the wedding had been held and talked and laughed played through her mind as her head rested on the leather cushion. They’d flirted from almost the moment he had walked over and asked her to dance. Then they’d gone walking through the garden that were lit with twinkly lights, and Alex had surprised her with a kiss. And that was the moment she knew she wasn’t going to her hotel alone.

The man kissed like a damn fantasy.

To this day, Megan couldn’t remember ever getting so completely…swoony…over a kiss.

Either way, Alex Rebat had turned her world upside down with one kiss and then proceeded to keep her there for two incredible days.

And nights.

They’d kept in touch for about three months after the wedding, but…she’d screwed up in typical Megan form. Just when she thought she was capable of being in a relationship, she’d gone and ruined it. Unable to help herself, she sighed.

“You okay?” Summer asked.

And the thing was, she probably could tell Summer about her fling with Alex. After all, what harm would it do after all this time? But now wasn’t the time. She needed to focus on something—anything!—else.

But the image of Alex and her tangled up together refused to budge from her mind, and she wanted to growl with frustration. Why was she still thinking about it?

Because it was the most exciting weekend of your life!

Oh, right. That.

Maybe it was the dress her mother had insisted she wear when she normally didn’t wear dresses or the champagne she’d had when she wasn’t normally a drinker, but everything about that weekend had almost felt like it was happening to someone else. Megan could still remember her shock when Alex had approached her and asked her to dance. Men didn’t normally ask her to dance. She was the friend, the buddy, someone to hang out with or ask advice for dating other women. It was something she’d gotten used to, and even when she dated, she wasn’t the overly romantic type. She didn’t do the girly-girl thing.

And yet…the second Alex had wrapped his arms around her, it was what she wanted more than anything else.

Heck, if she ever ran into Alex again—and she was pretty sure she was going to—he probably wouldn’t recognize her. Now he’d see who she really was: a no-nonsense computer girl who dressed for comfort and wasn’t the least bit…girly.

Another sigh.

For the most part, Megan was okay with who she was. She didn’t feel the need to read Cosmo and let it dictate the kind of woman she should be. But lately a little bit of discontent had been sneaking in.

It was probably because she was in need of a change.

It was the rut.

So here she was, out of her rut and starting a new life. Sort of. You can’t take the geek out of the girl, but you can take the girl out of her rut.

“Okay, I didn’t mean to make you get all quiet,” Summer said. “Let’s talk about something fun! We’re going to get some takeout tonight, and Zach and Gabriella are going to come over, and we’re going to have fun and relax. Doesn’t that sound great?”

Megan laughed softly. “It does. Sorry about zoning out there. I guess I’m trying to get a grip on too many things, and you know me, I can’t ever seem to make my brain shut off.”

“We are seriously going to work on that. Stick with me, little cousin, and I will show you all the wonders and benefits of taking time for yourself.”

If only it were that simple, Megan thought.

“I have plenty of distractions to offer you. My precious baby girl, for starters. She is a surefire distraction. And then there’s Maylene.”

“Maylene?”

Summer nodded. “Our dog. She’s a pug, and she’s incredibly playful and sassy, and when she’s around, there is no way you can zone out the way you just did. She won’t allow it.”

“She sounds like the perfect dog for you,” Megan teased.

“Oh, she is. And trust me, you’ll feel like a brand-new person in no time.” She smiled brightly before she let out another happy little squeal. “This is going to be so great!”

Megan wished she could be that optimistic.

* * *

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Alex did his best to smile and clap with the rest of the people in the large Catholic church, but honestly, this was getting old. Not weddings per se, but…okay, yeah. Weddings. Six of them in the past two years, and he’d been a groomsman in all of them. And while it was great to see all his friends so happy and in love and starting their lives with someone, he was seriously getting tired of putting on the tux and standing to the side and posing for pictures and just…ugh.

Technically, he was the last single guy out of his circle of friends.

Was it hot in here all of a sudden?

He adjusted his collar—which was suddenly choking him—and watched as Violet and George made their way out of the sanctuary. With his smile firmly in place, Alex stepped forward to hook arms with the bridesmaid he was paired with—Kaitlyn. She gave him a smile that conveyed what she’d been hinting at all weekend—she was available.

Great.

That was another perk that had stopped being enjoyable about five weddings ago—the interest in a no-strings-attached hookup. It was like there was some sort of target on him, or maybe he was throwing off some kind of vibe, or maybe someone in the bridal party had a big mouth, but whatever it was, Alex had no interest in hooking up with anyone.

Been there, done that, and…

He was over it.

As annoying as these weddings had become, the bottom line was he was tired of watching from the sidelines. It was something he wanted for himself. He wasn’t getting any younger, and at thirty-two, he was ready to settle down—a wife, kids, a dog…yeah, he wanted all of that. Last year he had bought a house with the mind-set that it was something he would share with the woman of his dreams and together they’d build their lives there.

But so far, he hadn’t found anyone he would consider sharing a life with.

Okay, technically that wasn’t completely true, but…

“Bridal party! We need you to quickly form the receiving line so we can start greeting guests and keep to our timeline for pictures!” Linda, the super-perky wedding planner, called out.

Alex watched as she moved everyone into position before giving the all clear to her assistant to start letting wedding guests come out to greet them.

Great. More smiling. He was already over this day and wanted nothing more than to loosen his tie and go to his hotel room—alone—and watch a little TV, order some room service, and maybe work on his schedule for the upcoming week.

Not that it changed much. As a physical therapist, Alex worked with some of his clients on a long-term basis. Right now, he had four he had been meeting with every week at their homes for almost three months. Then there were his clients at multiple rehab facilities in and around downtown Portland. Those clients were more traditional—knee or hip replacements, recovery from surgery or car accidents—nothing that required long-term rehab. His private clients were of the more challenging variety. They had injuries that couldn’t be dealt with in a four-to-six-week time frame. Which was why he met them in their homes.

These were clients who had started out in the traditional setting and then were able to go home but still had a lot of recovery time ahead of them. All of his current clients were great—eager to get their mobility back and resume their lives as close to normal as they could get. Their attitudes made Alex’s work easier, and he enjoyed being able to help them achieve their recovery goals.

To be honest, most of his clients—although challenging at times—were a pleasure to work with. Only once had he been so challenged that he seriously almost reconsidered his profession.

Zach Montgomery.

Alex remembered the anger and hostility Zach had thrown at him from the moment they met. It had been shocking and more than a little intimidating to take him on as a client. Zach’s reputation in the PT world had preceded him. So Alex had gone in as prepared as he could—or so he’d thought. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Zach’s injuries were the least of his problems.

The psychological trauma from his injuries had been far worse.

Luckily, Alex had forced himself to hold his ground and push back, and now the two of them were friends. Good friends. As a matter of fact, it was Zach’s wedding two years ago that had started this whole string of weddings Alex found himself in.

Not that one had anything to do with the other, but he could look back and say it was the first of many weddings for him to act as a groomsman.

Beside him, Kaitlyn elbowed him playfully. He looked down at her in confusion.

“You’re frowning,” she whispered. “We’re supposed to be smiling. Linda’s been watching you, and no doubt you’re going to get a lecture when we leave here on remembering to keep your smile in place all day.”

He nodded.

“If you’d like, I can make sure you keep a smile on your face all day…and all night,” she said seductively.

Alex studied her for a moment—long black hair, big green eyes, and…he wasn’t feeling it. She was tall and willowy, and yet…there was no pull of attraction there. So rather than answer her, he immediately turned back to the couple waiting to greet him as they made their way toward the bride and groom.

At that first wedding, he met the woman he’d never been able to forget. Now, when Alex thought about spending a weekend with someone who kept a smile on his face, he envisioned a curvy and petite woman with honey-blond hair and big brown eyes.

Megan.

It was crazy to keep thinking about her. You’d think after two years, he would have stopped. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t dated since then. He had. Just…not a lot. There was no crime in that, but Alex knew he needed to face some serious facts.

Megan lived on the other side of the country.

She was a workaholic who didn’t believe in taking time off for herself.

And clearly, their weekend together must have meant more to him because he’d been the one to try to maintain their connection. They’d planned a couple weekend getaways that had fallen through, but the one time he’d actually flown to NYC for a weekend, she’d never even shown up. It had become abundantly clear that he was more invested in the relationship than she was.

She’d been the one to say that they weren’t meant to be.

At the time, he’d believed her. Hell, he’d had no choice but to believe her. But the more time that had passed, the more he thought about the things they’d talked about. The way she laughed and how she looked when she smiled and…

Yeah. He still had it bad.

Another elbow to the ribs had him feeling a little annoyed. “I was smiling,” he hissed softly.

Kaitlyn frowned at his tone. “I know, but Linda told us to make our way outside, and you were just standing there.”

“Oh,” he murmured. “Sorry.”

The rest of the day was like being on a damn conveyer belt—the bridal party was constantly being told where to move and what to do, and there seemed to be no time to sit and breathe. Move here, move there, stop and pose, smile, stand here, look there… By the time the first dance was over at the reception, Alex’s head was pounding. Kaitlyn stayed close, and he was running out of ways to be polite.

“Excuse me,” he finally said to Kaitlyn when they were allowed to leave the dance floor. “I see some friends over there.” Alex didn’t wait to hear her response. He moved swiftly through the crowd of wedding guests, walked straight out of the hotel ballroom, and kept going until he found the bar.

Waving the bartender over, he ordered a beer. He knew he couldn’t stay out here long, but maybe by the time he finished his drink, he’d have a better attitude toward the whole thing. Paying the tab, he grabbed the bottle in front of him, took a long pull, and almost groaned with pleasure. Tension started to ebb, and for the first time all day, he felt some sort of peace.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Alex pulled it out and read the incoming text. His Monday client had the flu and needed to reschedule. No big deal. It meant he could sleep in on Monday.

Or maybe he’d take the time to go to the gym or play some racquetball ball with a friend.

Zach.

He and Zach had gotten into the habit of playing racquetball ball once a week, and until a few months ago, it had been a highlight for Alex. But since Gabriella had gotten pregnant, Zach had gone into hyper-protective mode and spent most of his time doting on his wife. The thought made Alex chuckle. He doubted Gabriella would mind if her husband spent a little time on his own. She wasn’t the kind of woman who enjoyed having her husband hover.

Alex quickly typed a memo for himself to reach out to Zach when he got home tomorrow to invite him to the gym Monday morning. Hopefully, they’d get a chance to catch up and start playing together again.

Sounds like a plan, he thought to himself.

True, he could text Zach now and put it out there, but…he had a feeling that if he gave his friend too much time to think about it, he’d make excuses and bow out. A late-afternoon call was the way to go. Maybe he’d even text Gabriella first and give her a heads-up. Alex had a feeling she’d do her best to get Zach to agree.

So he typed a second memo to himself to text Gabriella tomorrow before calling Zach.

He was about to put his phone away but stopped. Unable to help himself, Alex scrolled through his phone and pulled up the one picture that, if it was an actual photograph he held in his hand, would be worn around the edges by now.

Big brown eyes smiled at him as her sexy smile beckoned. He’d taken the picture of her while they’d been walking in the garden during Zach and Gabriella’s wedding reception. They’d been flirting, and he’d kissed her, and everything about her had called to him on every level.

She was beautiful.

Probably not the smartest thing to be doing right now—staring at a picture of a woman he hadn’t seen or heard from in almost two years, but weddings tended to put him in that mind-set.

Going back to the current reception wasn’t appealing in the least, but leaving wasn’t an option. Finishing his beer, he waved to the bartender as he stood and straightened his tux. He’d return to the ballroom; he’d socialize and eat some amazing food. Then as soon as he could, he’d head out, go up to his room, and thank God that it was finally over. No more weddings after this.

There would probably be an awkward moment or two with Kaitlyn—she seemed like the type who didn’t take no for an answer—but in the end, he’d walk away and spend the night blissfully on his own.

And think about the one who got away.

* * *

Alex put his luggage down, shut the door, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Home.

Looking at the clock and seeing it was after eight, Alex knew it wasn’t too late to call Zach. Hell, he should have done it from the car, but he had left later than he’d intended, and then there was traffic, and basically, he didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

Until now.

Starving, he made his way into the kitchen and quickly put together something to eat. Sandwich made, he grabbed a bottle of water and pulled out his phone. Once he was sitting down, he first took a bite of his dinner and then tapped out a text to Gabriella.

His head might be spinning from his long day, but he at least remembered to try to get her on his side first.

He was hungrier than he’d thought because he wolfed down the rest of his turkey sandwich and jumped up to make a second one before even looking at his phone. Gabriella sent him a thumbs-up, so after taking his first bite of sandwich number two, he pulled up Zach’s number and hit Send.

“Hey, buddy! What’s up?” Zach said when he answered.

“I am in desperate need of someone to beat at racquetball tomorrow morning, so naturally, you were the first one I thought of.”

Zach’s laughter was loud and infectious. “Is that right?”

“Hell yeah!” Alex agreed. “My Monday morning client is down with the flu, so I have some free time. And other than the perk of kicking your ass on the court, I figured it had been a while since we’d hung out, and I thought it would give us a chance to catch up before you run to the office to play Corporate CEO.”

Zach was still chuckling. “It has been a while.”

“Since I’ve kicked your ass?” Alex teased. “Yes. Yes, it has.”

“Not that, dumbass. Since we’ve hung out. Geez, when was the last time I saw you?”

“We played about two months ago—and that was only because we happened to run into each other at the gym. You’d been blowing me off for a while since you told me you and Gabs were having a baby.”

“Wow. Has it really been that long? She’s in her third trimester already.”

Now it was Alex’s turn to chuckle. “Um, yeah. I know. You’ve been in Mother Hen mode—refusing to leave her alone.”

“She had morning sickness—”

“Which went away four months ago!” Alex heard Gabriella call out.

“Dude, seriously—”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Zach said. “Maybe I was being a little…cautious.”

“Zach, do you really think there is anything your wife can’t handle? I bet if you asked her, she’d be willing to not only drive you to the gym but leave you there for several hours so she could catch a break.”

“For your information, Gabriella and I enjoy spending time together,” Zach argued lightly. “Don’t we, sweetheart?”

“It wouldn’t kill you to go out once in a while without me,” Gabriella said loudly enough for Alex to hear.

“Aha! I knew it!”

“What is…? Okay, fine. You heard it,” Zach grumbled and then sighed loudly. “What time tomorrow?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“What time do you need to be at the office and how many games we are going to try to get in.”

“I don’t have any meetings until…” Gabriella was giving him his schedule. “Ten. So how about we meet up at seven?”

Alex grinned. “Sounds about right.”

“Great. Then I’ll see you in the a.m.”

“Awesome. Oh, and Zach?”

“Yeah?”

“Be prepared to lose,” he said with a laugh as they hung up.

Putting the phone down, Alex finished the rest of his dinner. Just knowing he was going to have time to catch up with his friend left him feeling lighter—especially because it was going to be while doing something they both loved.

Competing.

* * *

Alex fell to the floor and let out a hearty laugh. Zach threw his racquet and cursed.

Again.

“Tell me again how you’re not out of shape,” Alex said as he caught his breath. “Because that, my friend, was almost embarrassing. I’ll tell you what. I won’t even count that one as a game. We’ll call it practice.”

“It was our third game,” Zach said angrily. “You can’t have a practice game after you’ve already played two.”

“I’m trying to be gracious here.”

“Yeah, well…screw you,” Zach grumbled. “And your graciousness.” He sat down next to Alex and let out a weary sigh. “Okay, so maybe—just maybe—I’m a little off my game. It has been a while.”

Alex rolled to sit up and grinned. “You know that’s all on you, right?”

Zach glared at him. “Excuse me for being concerned about my wife’s health.”

“And there is nothing wrong with that. Seriously, I’m not harping on you for that. I just think you got a little…obsessive about it. Gabriella is in great shape. She had some morning sickness—most women do—but she hasn’t had any other complications. You need to relax a bit. That’s all I’m saying.”

“You sound like her.”

“Then maybe you should listen.”

“Screw you.”

Laughing, Alex climbed to his feet and held out a hand to Zach. “Need some help, old man?”

Ignoring his hand, Zach immediately jumped to his feet and stormed over to pick up his racquet. “One more game, and then let’s hit the treadmills.”

“I’ve already beat you three out of three,” Alex said with a smart-ass grin. “That’s our typical game time. Best of three.”

“I thought you said the last one was just practice?”

He shrugged. “And you said it wasn’t.”

“Shit.”

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll agree to one more and give you a chance to at least try to win. Either way, I’m still the ultimate winner here.”

“Nice of you to be such a good sport.”

“I have my moments. But…”

Zach cursed as he got into position. “Now what?”

“Just admit that even if you win this one, I am still the reigning racquetball champion.”

Groaning, Zach bounced the ball in front of him. “What if I just said you are the reigning pain in my ass and I know I can run longer and faster than you on the treadmill?”

Alex laughed. “You’re on.”

Twenty minutes later they were jogging side by side and Alex was telling Zach about his weekend.

“So did you hook up with her?” Zach asked.

“Hell no. I just wanted to get out of there.”

Zach looked at him like he was crazy. “You said she was beautiful and interested. Why not take her up on her offer?”

Damn. Alex had stepped into that one.

Two years ago when he had hooked up with Megan, he had promised her he wouldn’t tell her cousin. Little warning bells had gone off in his head because, really, what difference should it make? Especially when they started seeing one another beyond that weekend. But he had honored her request, and then…it never came up. So how was he supposed to explain to his friend—whom he shared pretty much everything with—why he was suddenly so dissatisfied with hookups?

“Alex?”

Oh, right. An answer.

He started off with a sigh. “I don’t know. I think I’m at the point now where everyone I know is married, and…” Another sigh. “I never thought I’d be the last one standing, you know?”

“I hear ya. Although for me, I never thought I’d be the kind to get married. I thought I’d enjoy being single, traveling the world doing whatever the hell I wanted until I was too old to do it anymore.” He paused. “And then came Gabriella.”

“She’s amazing.”

“Don’t I know it.” They jogged in silence for a couple minutes before Zach turned to him again. “So is that why you’re done with the hookups? You’ve met someone?”

Now what? Another long breath escaped, and Alex kept his gaze straight ahead. “I met someone a while ago. I thought we clicked, but…” He shrugged. “It didn’t work out. Met her at one of the weddings, and we had a great weekend together. We kept in touch for about three months, and then…”

“Damn. That sucks.”

“Yes, it does,” Alex agreed. “But here’s the thing…I can’t stop thinking about her. Why can’t I move on? Clearly she has, because she hasn’t contacted me, but—”

“Does she live around here?”

Alex shook his head. “That was the main reason I never saw her again. Our work schedules kind of prevented it, and, really, I could deal with a little bit of a distance, but not other-side-of-the-country long.”

“Maybe call her again. Send her a text and feel her out. A lot can change. For all you know, she’s no longer at that job or living in the same place. What have you got to lose?”

Alex shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

Alex began to push the buttons on the treadmill to pick up his speed and incline.

“Great. Now let’s see if you can beat me in this last sprint. Loser buys breakfast.”

Zach immediately began to push his settings and grinned. “You’re on!”