Hannah stretched as she opened her eyes and pushed her body down into the warm comfort of the mattress beneath her. She had had a good night’s sleep, however, her dreams had been plagued by the dark eyes of a man she couldn’t quite place.

The second she sat up and tried to pull herself further into being awake, her mind wandered back to the previous evening and to what had happened when she had arrived back at her building. She had tried so hard not to think about it, but it was virtually impossible.

That guy was hot, and she was having trouble shaking it.

She chewed her lip and pouted, feeling rather annoyed at herself. She had been on countless dates, and she had been given attention by countless guys who had all left her feeling cold and uninspired, but this guy… the new neighbor, living above her in the penthouse, well, he seemed different.

He wasn’t bothered by her beauty and her success, he seemed genuinely uninterested in anything to do with her. And it was infuriating.

She tapped her toe on the floor as she looked in her closet and tried to focus on her day ahead. She had a lot going on and many ideas swimming about in her mind, but she could barely keep one thought together without it drifting back to the previous evening.

To how it had felt when she had fallen into his arms.

To how strong he had appeared, and the way it had turned her on… even though she would never truly admit it.

She breathed out and closed the closet doors. There was just too much to think about without adding the stress of outfit decisions as well.

She headed down the hallway and into the living and kitchen area, where she threw open the blinds and let the spring sunlight stream in. She felt the warmth instantly on her face, and she smiled as she looked out and across the city. The world was alive and hustling and bustling down on the street below, and she knew she had opportunities to seize and a lot of things to look forward to. But after her brief flirtation with the idea of visiting the fertility clinic, she hadn’t been able to get that out of her mind either.

She was ready for a family.

More than ready.

And the clock truly was ticking if she wanted to make it a reality.

She wandered over to her refrigerator and opened the doors, she pulled out the milk and set it down on the counter before she started to boil some water. She needed a strong coffee and she needed to focus.

Could she really do something this crazy?

She knew plenty of women who had conceived by going to clinics like these, and they had said it was the best decision they had ever made. They were all single and independent, just like Hannah, so why would it be any different for her?

As she poured her coffee, she kept mulling it over. She really was going to have to act soon if she wanted to have a baby. It had been something she had always dreamed of when she was a little girl, and she had seen it as sort of a given. As if it were just the natural order of things and the way it was always going to go.

She had always believed she would finish school, meet her husband, get married and have two children, all by the time she was twenty-five. Now, she was pushing thirty-seven and there was no husband in sight, and she was feeling the pressure. Not only that, but Hannah knew she would make a great mother, and she didn’t want to miss out on one of the most amazing experiences life had to offer.

She looked down at her cell phone and tapped it to life, before she opened a search engine and typed Fertility Clinic Near Me. She had seen the building many times and had wondered what exactly it held inside, but she had never actually searched for it and visited its website.

When she opened the page for the nearest result, she felt her heart begin to beat faster and her palms sweat.

She was really looking into this.

This was the first step.

She scrolled down the site and looked at all the information which seemed like a foreign language to her, and then she put the cell phone down in a panic.

“If I’m going to look for information, I don’t want to just look at secondhand stuff online,” she swallowed. “I want to go down there and see it all for myself.”

She picked up her phone again and pressed the contact page where she entered her details for an appointment that very afternoon.

“No time like the present,” she smiled.

She sipped her coffee and tried not to laugh or get too excited, but at the same time, she knew she had just made a huge life decision.

She was going to have a baby.

She was ready and she was raring to go.

“This is a monumental day,” she whispered to herself. “This is the first day of a brand new chapter.”

 

After she had showered and chosen her desired outfit for the day, she stood and looked at herself in the mirror and nodded her head in approval. She had gone for a pair of skinny white jeans, some navy sneakers and a navy t-shirt. She teamed it with a navy jacket and a navy and gold scarf, and she couldn’t help but think she looked as if she had just stepped off someone’s yacht.

“Nautical and spring chic,” she smiled to herself as she ran her long, manicured fingers through her hair and then studied her face for any blemish marks or make-up that had smudged. She slicked on some peach lip gloss and smacked her lips together before she grabbed her purse.

As she rode down in the elevator, she had a rush of memory from the previous evening and back to her jerk of a neighbor. She had thought long and hard about him and it had niggled at her because she didn’t know who he was and what he did. She had tried to imagine what his name would be, and she had settled on something bold and brash like Tucker or Chip. But they still didn’t seem to fit.

She walked out of her building and as she did, she found herself casting her eyes around as if she were searching for him. She knew that, now no matter what, whenever she went anywhere in the communal areas or hallways, she would always be wondering if she may run into him and feel herself getting worked up all over again.

The street was hectic with people who swarmed around her as they all beat a path to their prospective destinations. She stopped on the corner and went into her local coffee house and ordered a large skinny latte, before she carried on and made her way down a couple blocks. The closer she got to the clinic, the more her nerves began to mount. She chewed the inside of her mouth and tried not to fidget, but she had to remain calm and collected. This was just an inquiry, and she knew what she wanted, and she was more than capable of handling it.

She rounded the corner and stopped in her tracks, right there, looming up and glowing with sunlight, was the mirrored exterior of the fertility center.

She took a deep breath and a sip of her coffee, and then, suddenly, she felt full of happiness and excitement. She was really doing this. A new journey had begun.

 

As she stepped into the lobby, she looked up and around at the large, open reception area and at the high ceilings and lush plants that were adorning the waiting room. The girl sitting at the desk was chewing gum and she looked up briefly as the doors slid open and Hannah took another step forward.

“Good morning,” she smiled from her raised and protected vantage point. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, please,” Hannah began. “I’m here to see a doctor… I have an appointment…”

The girl tapped at her keyboard with long, elegant fingers and mused over the screen for a moment as she seemed to be scanning down a list.

“Name?” she asked sweetly as her eyes met with Hannah’s again.

“It’s Miss Marsh,” she said. “Hannah Marsh.”

“Ah yes,” the receptionist smiled. “I’ve found you.”

The girl reached for a clipboard and pen and handed it to Hannah, motioning for her to take a seat in the waiting area.

“So far, so good,” she whispered as she moved to the closest chair and sat down. She adjusted her top and looked down at the paperwork in front of her. It appeared to be a standard medical form… name, age, address, pre-existing medical conditions, insurance numbers… Then there was a series of multiple choice questions regarding her marital status, her reasons for looking into this kind of option, and her desires going forward.

She chewed the tip of the pen and then held it poised over the sections where she had to answer and began to fill in her name.

“Easy one’s first,” she whispered to herself as she started to fill in the boxes.

Out in the hallway that ran adjacent to the waiting room, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and the low dull murmur of men’s voices. They sounded official, as if they were working, and she wondered if they were all doctors coming into work for the day or coming back off their lunch and discussing what exactly they were going to do with their weekends. It must have been a crazy job, helping women conceive, but also one that would be so very rewarding.

She was making her way through the form quickly, when suddenly the men’s voices were in the room with her and they were all pacing up and down and looking at the walls and the windows.

“The design in here needs updating though, wouldn’t you agree?” one of them said. “The building went up in the late eighties, and I know it’s had its renovations since, but this lobby and waiting area really is still feeling tired and old. We want to keep the current clients here, we don’t want them moving on to much more modern premises.”

Hannah chewed the tip of the pen and tried to blank out their conversation.

She took a deep breath and sighed, before she poised the pen over the paperwork again and continued writing.

The group that were milling around the room seemed to disperse and move off further down another hallway, but Hannah was aware that there was still someone lingering. She stopped writing and looked up, and she felt her eyes widen and her jaw sag open before her heart dropped right down in her chest.

“I don’t believe it,” he said as he grinned back at her with the most amused look she had ever seen on anyone, ever.

Hannah gawked back at him and honestly couldn’t believe it either.

It was him.

The guy from her building, the new neighbor that had just moved into the penthouse.

He looked down at her with those intense dark eyes and smirked so hard it must have been killing him not to burst out into laughter. Hannah felt her face burn red and she dropped the pen to the floor. Her hands were fidgeting, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to open her mouth without stammering.

He just looked back at her with a wry smile, before he took a step forward, bent down and picked up the pen.

He was dressed even more casually than he had been the day before, and he still hadn’t shaved. His stubble was thick and so masculine it made her heart race. were bold and harsh, winding their way up his muscles and standing out against his skin in the most exquisite of ways. He looked menacing and raw, and nothing at all like the other men that had just walked out of the room in their suits and carrying their briefcases.

“It’s…” she tried to speak but the words caught in her throat.

“It’s me…” He raised his eyebrows with a cheeky grin as he passed the pen to her.

Hannah reached out and snatched it out of his hand.

“Imagine that,” he said with amusement. “Seeing you again so soon… and here…” He cast his eyes up and around the room and then looked down at the medical form she was trying to shield from him.

It was no use though, what else would she be doing there? It was obvious what was happening, and he was loving every second of it.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked him, before she was even aware the words were coming out of her mouth. “Do you work here?”

She found herself scanning him up and down and looking at his outfit. He looked so rough and ready, he must have been a builder or some other kind of laborer, it was as if he had just tumbled out of a building site.

He raised his eyebrows again and looked down at her with amusement.

“I should be asking you that question,” he said wryly, his eyes settling on the paperwork in her hands.

Hannah pulled the clipboard up and held it flat against her chest so he couldn’t see anything that was written on it.

“That’s none of your business,” she said snappily, and she could tell he was finding this whole thing incredibly fun and enjoyable. She tried not to blush any more, and she waited a moment and tried to catch her breath and regain her focus.

“Miss Marsh?” a voice pierced through the silence in the waiting room and made her jaw sag again.

As if this was even happening…

“Hannah Marsh?” the doctor called again and stared directly at her. She was the only woman in the waiting room, and her jerk neighbor was the only guy.

Hannah sucked in a lungful of air and rose slowly to her feet, trying to remain graceful and proud, and not succumbing to his taunts.

She let her eyes meet with his and she smiled at him sweetly.

“You’re up,” he mused, and he licked his bottom lip.

“Nice to see you again,” Hannah snipped with a flirtatious grin. “I suppose you better get back to work…”

He turned and followed her as she started to walk away, and she knew he was grinning from ear to ear. He was so goddam cocky and sure of himself, why was he even there? It was such an unbelievable coincidence.

“I don’t work here,” he said. “But I guess you’re right, lots to be done.”

She turned and looked back at him over her shoulder and she couldn’t help but retort.

“If you don’t work here, then what are you doing? Making a donation?” She was impressed at herself for being so bold and bitchy, but he more than deserved it.

“If you’re lucky,” he grinned. “Let me know if you need a hand.”

She crunched up her face and half smiled at him before she stepped toward the doctor’s office.

“Gross,” she said as she slipped away from him, determined not to look back.

But she could feel his eyes on her as she walked away and the door closed behind her. She knew he was watching her every move.

He was cocky, arrogant, and completely unsuitable in every way, and yet, there was something unbelievably attractive about him. She didn’t know whether it was his intense eyes, his ruggedness, or the fact that he just oozed masculinity, but something was making her more and more curious as to what he was all about, and now that she had seen him again… she knew she wasn’t going to be able to let it lie.

As she sat down across the table from the fertility doctor and tried to think of everything she wanted to ask and say, all she could think about was him…

She still didn’t know his name, and yet he was dominating her thoughts and rendering her speechless.

This mystery man was going to be a problem, she could tell.

And now, she knew she was in his sights too.

 

The walk back to her building after she had spoken with the doctor seemed to go by in a blur. She had been given so much information and she had learned so much over the course of the past hour that she felt as if her brain was about to explode.

She stopped at one of the vendors on the corner of her street and bought a smoothie, and she sipped it through the orange straw as she meandered up toward her apartment block.

It was all so possible, and could be a reality really, really soon.

If she wanted to be a mom, then this was her chance.

She could have a baby, and a doctor was willing to help her. She was in perfect health and she met all the criteria, she was financially stable and she could afford the treatment. There was literally nothing holding her back.

She felt alive and free and completely in control of her destiny, and as she looked up at the trees that were starting to grow their new leaves after a harsh winter, she smiled.

“It’s a sign,” she said. “New life, it’s spring… I’m going to do this.”

She sipped her drink again and approached the front door of her building. She pulled her cell phone from her bag and scanned her emails, looking for the one that would tell her the new entry code, and when she found it, she instinctively rolled her eyes.

That guy…

As if he had been at the clinic. She was cringing just thinking about it and she felt her cheeks blush red all over again.

She pressed in the key code and heard the buzz of the door as it unlocked. She pushed it open with her shoulder and stepped inside, and when she let her eyes glance up toward the mail boxes, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

It was him.

Again.

He heard the door open and looked up from the stack of mail in his hands and his face cracked into a wide grin.

“We really should stop meeting like this,” he said tauntingly.

Hannah rolled her eyes.

“I think you’re becoming obsessive,” she said with a smile. “I may have to take out a restraining order.”

His face was warm and open, and much different than how he had been with her the day before. Hannah walked toward the mail boxes and tried not to look at him again, she didn’t want to catch his eye and have another uncomfortable conversation, and she certainly didn’t want him to bring up what had just happened and where he had seen her. But it was like the elephant in the room, and it was inevitable that he was going to say something, he was clearly the type that liked to tease and create playful conflict.

Hannah braced herself.

But the questions never came. He turned his back on her and started to walk slowly toward the elevator. She felt her blood begin to boil and disappointment rise.

What was this guy’s deal? She just couldn’t figure him out.

She opened up her mailbox and pulled out a small stack of letters, all of which looked like bills or junk, and she sighed as she closed it.

When she looked up, he was staring back at her.

“Yes?” she asked with a sweet tone.

He smiled at her again and shrugged.

“I’m Scott,” he said as he held out his hand.

Hannah let it hang there between them for a moment longer than she should have done, but then she reluctantly reached out and shook it. His grip was strong and his hands were so big they enveloped hers. She felt a little tingle run down her spine as their skin connected and she looked into his eyes. She smiled back at him, not wanting to give him too much, but at the same time not wanting to be so evasive she came across like the ultimate bitch.

“I’m Hannah,” she replied sternly as she let go of his hand, wishing she could hold on for just a little longer.

“Nice to meet you,” he said genuinely, but with a hint of cheek. She couldn’t tell if he meant it, or whether he was about to play some kind of joke on her.

Her mind was spinning, she was churning over whether to bring up the fertility clinic or just leave it all unsaid. If she drew any more attention to it, was she making it a bigger issue than maybe he saw it to be?

She kept her mouth closed and then she smiled at him again and went to move closer to the elevator.

“Listen,” he called after her. Hannah tried not to sigh as loud as she felt like doing, but instead, she turned around and faced him.

“I’m all ears,” she jibed with a sly grin.

“I’m new in the neighborhood,” he said as he came closer. “I don’t know much about the place and I certainly don’t have many friends in this neck of the woods. Would you be so kind as to give me a few recommendations, you know, best place to get take-out, the best coffee shop, where to find the best market… that kind of thing?” He raised his eyebrows and Hannah couldn’t help but be drawn in. His eyes really were so intense and hypnotic, it was hard to pull herself away from them and focus on something else when he was around.

She nodded her head.

“Sure,” she said, and she was about to open her mouth to tell him about her favorite market when he cut her off and took another step closer.

“Great, thanks,” he grinned. “How about we grab a drink later and you can fill me in? I don’t know any of the good bars around here, so again, your choice.”

Hannah felt her jaw sag a little, she hadn’t been expecting that. He clearly wanted to get to know her, and she felt her heart dance a little in her chest, but she couldn’t figure out whether it was from nerves or irritation.

“What, like tonight?” she asked with confusion.

“Sure,” he said. “Why not? Unless you have plans?” He looked at her with a wry smile, as if he knew she most certainly didn’t. And Hannah chewed her bottom lip. Should she pretend to be busy and fabulous, or should she just admit to herself that she was intrigued and wouldn’t mind seeing what this guy was all about.

“Okay,” she said. “I don’t have any plans as a matter of fact. I was going to enjoy a nice relaxing weekend, but I guess a few drinks couldn’t hurt.”

“Of course, it wouldn’t,” he winked at her as he gave her a mock salute and stepped back toward the mailboxes. “I’ll see you down here at eight,” he said.

It wasn’t a question but more like an order.

She felt her heart flutter.

“Bye,” she smiled as she turned around just as the elevator doors opened and she stepped inside. She looked up and watched him as they closed slowly and separated them, and he stared back at her, his eyes not leaving hers and making her pulse race even faster.

She sagged back against the wall of the elevator and breathed out a huge sigh as she held her hand up to her heart. It was beating wildly, and she felt hot and tingly.

“That was…” she whispered before she shook her head and stopped herself.

She didn’t know what it was, or what it had made her feel. All she knew was she was excited, turned on, and completely fascinated.

And now she had a date with him…

“What the fuck just happened?” she half laughed as she shook her head in disbelief.

Her quiet weekend had suddenly turned into a rather exciting one. And now she was going to have to get herself up to her apartment and begin to prepare.