“Where is she?” I asked as I walked into Gabe and Zoey’s living room.

Gabe chuckled and handed me Evie, who I cradled to my chest.

“How’s my favorite girl?” I asked as I stared down at her precious little face.

Did men get baby fever? ‘Cause every time I saw Evie, I wanted to be a dad so bad. I could picture it, holding a baby of my own, teaching him, or her, to walk. To ride a bike. To play ball.

Family movie nights, pancake breakfasts, days on the lake … I wanted it all.

“Hey Dillon,” Zoey said in greeting as she came in from the kitchen. “I didn’t realize you were here already. I just put on water for tea and put cookies in the oven, but I can get you a coffee, or beer, if you’d rather.”

“Thanks, Zo, I’ll wait for Laurel to get here. I came a little early to get in some Evie time before her nap.”

“How was Chicago?” Gabe asked as he sat in his recliner.

We hadn’t seen each other since before I left, but from the look on his face, I could tell he’d talked to Reardon.

“It was great,” I said, ignoring his eyebrow waggle. “The convention was good, I made a lot of contacts.”

“Mmmhmm,” Gabe replied, fighting back a laugh. “And would you say the convention was the highlight of the trip? ‘Cause, what I heard…”

“Okay, that’s enough.”

Zoey looked from Gabe to me, then back again, and asked, “Am I missing something?”

Gabe grinned at his wife and said, “Yeah, Dillon has a lover.”

“A lover?” I scoffed. “Who the hell says lover?”

“She does,” he replied, pointing his thumb at his wife. And, yeah, I could totally see Zoey saying that.

“Oh,” Zoey said excitedly, sitting forward on the couch, her eyes wide. “Who is it, is it Laurel? Tell me it’s Laurel.”

“What the…” I began, shocked. “How does everyone keep guessing this?”

“Yay!” she cried. “I knew you two would realize you’re meant to be.”

“Meant to be?” I asked, feeling suddenly panicked.

“Relax,” Gabe told me. “Zoey’s in the middle of writing a new romance, and she’s got stars in her eyes.

“Oh, la-de-da,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I’ve been shipping Dillon and Laurel waaay before I started writing this book. They’ve known each other since they were kids, and Laurel’s been in love with him forever. It’s better than a book.”

There it was again. Zoey was confirming what Reardon and Serena said about Laurel and her feelings for me.

Crazily enough, the thought no longer had me reeling with panic. Sure, Zoey’s meant to be comment had scared me a bit, but that’s just because I hadn’t thought of Laurel and marriage in the same sentence. I was still trying to get a handle on us being in an exclusive relationship.

But, now that the thought was there, I was finding that Laurel fit into my picture quite nicely. Almost perfectly, in fact.

“In love with him forever, are you drunk?” Gabe asked with a laugh. “They’ve always barely tolerated each other. I mean, after Laurel coming in to the office in that dress, which, by the way, baby, you need to find out where she got that, I definitely saw him look at her in a different light, but you’re acting like they’re in some sort of second chance romance.”

“Second chance … dude, it’s preseason. I think you need to turn on a game once in a while,” I joked.

“No, I’m not drunk … I only snuck one shot of patron after finishing that sex scene,” Zoey informed him.

I shook my head at Evie and whispered, “Your parents are nuts.”

“Quit trying to change the subject,” Gabe said. “What’s going on with you and Laurel? For real.”

Just then the doorbell rang.

“Speak of the devil,” Gabe said, as Zoey rose to go and let Laurel in.

“Hey, don’t say anything to embarrass her,” I said quietly. “Yes, we are together, and I’ll tell you all the gossip later.” I rolled my eyes at that. “Just, be cool.”

Gabe held up his hands, as if in surrender.

I looked up as Laurel walked in, smiling at something Zoey had said, and took in the sight of her.

I hadn’t seen her since she left my house that morning, wearing her clothes from the day before. With her hair pulled back, wearing a tight skirt that hit right below the knee and a sheer button-up blouse, she looked nothing like the tousled vixen I’d had in my bed this morning.

“You look beautiful,” I said without thinking.

I heard Gabe snicker, and saw Zoey turn to me, pleased, but my eyes were on Laurel.

So, I saw her cheeks redden with pleasure, and her lips turn up.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“So, I hear you and my cousin are star-crossed lovers,” Gabe said, in that maddening way he had. “I gotta say, it took me totally by surprise. Reardon, Serena, and Zoey seemed to know something was brewing, but I was blindsided.”

Laurel watched him warily, obviously unsure how to respond.

I was about to tell him to shut his mouth, but he stood up, crossed to her and pulled her in for a bear hug.

“It’s the best news I’ve heard since Reardon knocked up Chloe,” Gabe told her.

Seriously, I have to get a football in my cousin’s hands again. Zoey’s turning him into a sap.