Chapter 7

Megan was reading over some reports when Summer knocked on her office door.

“Got a minute?”

Smiling, Megan put the paperwork aside. “Absolutely! What’s up?”

Summer said brightly, “Ethan and I are dying for a night out. Like a date night. Alone.”

“Ah. Gotcha.”

“Right, so…obviously it would mean Amber would need to sleep over someplace or…someone would have to sleep at our place and we would have to sleep out.”

“Say no more. I would love to babysit Amber. Seriously. It’s not a problem. Just give me all the baby paraphernalia, and we’ll have a sleepover at the guesthouse. This way we’ll be close enough to you if we need to be but far enough that you can have a bit of a break. Consider it a done deal. Friday night?”

“Oh…um…okay. I guess,” Summer said hesitantly.

“What? Was that not what you had in mind? I’m confused.”

“I just figured with all the time you’ve been spending at Alex’s that you wouldn’t mind babysitting there.” She paused. “If Amber’s close by, I know I’ll feel the need to check on her and then I’ll end up bringing her home and all of my efforts for a night off will be for nothing.”

Megan’s eyes went wide for a moment and then she understood. “Okay. Got it. Not a problem. I’m sure it won’t be a problem at all.”

Summer’s entire face lit up. “Really? You’re sure? I know it’s a lot to ask, and I feel like a horrible mom for even asking it but…oh my gosh,” she said as she collapsed in one of the chairs facing Megan’s desk. “I’m exhausted. The thought of a full-night’s sleep is even more appealing than going out with my husband!”

“Maybe mentioning how I’m not going to get a full-night’s sleep isn’t the best way to convince me to babysit.”

“Too late! You already agreed.” The look of pure satisfaction on her cousin’s face couldn’t be missed. “And besides, it’s not like you’ve been getting a lot of sleep lately anyway.”

For two weeks, Megan had spent every night at Alex’s. After that first weekend, she had come to work on Monday, dragged Gabriella and Summer to lunch, and pretty much told them everything—from Alex showing up at the office, all the way through the quickie in the shower that morning.

Who knew she would enjoy talking about her sex life so much?

She could feel her cheeks heat even as she smiled. “And I’m not even a little bit sorry about it.”

“Good for you! Seriously. I think Alex is great, and I love seeing you smiling so much and looking so happy!” Summer’s smile grew. “And I also have to say how much I am loving the way you are rocking your new wardrobe!”

Yes, on top of everything else, Megan had decided to finally start wearing all of the clothes her cousin and Gabriella had convinced her to buy. While she knew it all looked good—the pencil skirts, the button-down blouses, the stilettos—she seriously missed her yoga pants and sensible shoes.

Alex had commented on how much he was enjoying her new clothes, so she even tried to stay in them until he got home at night after working with a client. And that was really a feat because by the time she got home, all she wanted to do was strip off the shoes and the bra and the rest of it and get comfortable.

Luckily, Alex didn’t mind helping her with that as soon as he walked in the door.

“You’re happy, right?” Summer asked after Megan didn’t immediately respond to her.

“I really am,” Megan said. “Like…I can’t even believe how happy I am.”

“So, really, the two of you would be playing house this weekend.”

Megan looked at her funny. “What do you mean?” Then she realized what Summer meant. “Whoa,” Megan said, sitting up straight in her chair. “It’s a little soon to be thinking about babies, so…just stop.”

Summer gave her a knowing smirk. “You can’t help it. No one can. It’s the nature of the beast, so again…get yourself mentally prepared for it.”

“I didn’t think babysitting for a five-month-old required this much mental preparedness.”

“Believe me, it does.”

“Is it too late to back out?”

“Yup.”

For a minute Megan debated messing with her cousin a bit more but decided against it. It didn’t matter how much sleep she missed out on, the thought of having Amber for the night was something she was already looking forward to. Spending time with her honorary niece had become a favorite pastime since she’d arrived in Portland, and she adored her. There was something about a sweet baby snuggling in her arms that made Megan melt a little.

“You’ve already got the look,” Summer said knowingly.

Megan immediately looked away and busied herself straightening papers. “What look?”

“The ‘I love babies’ look.”

Shaking her head, she glanced at Summer. “No, it’s more of an ‘I love my niece’ look. It’s completely different.”

“We’ll see.” Summer stopped and gasped.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“Do you need to talk to Alex first? I mean, sure, it’s fine for us to sit here and speculate on how cute this is all going to be, but maybe he doesn’t want to babysit. Maybe he isn’t into the whole baby thing.”

Megan immediately waved her off. “Please, every time he’s around you guys he can’t take his eyes off Amber. He’s always talking to her and trying to make her laugh. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll text him right now and find out.”

Summer instantly relaxed. “Yes. Please. Because as much as I want a night out, I don’t want to put you in an awkward position.”

“You’re not. Trust me.”

“Let’s check with Alex first.”

Megan nodded in agreement as she quickly typed a text to Alex. She hit Send and put her phone on her desk. “I’m not sure when he’ll see the text, but I’m still confident that he’s going to be fine with this.”

“I forgot to tell you how much I love the dress you bought for Amber last week,” Summer said while they waited for Alex’s response. “I put it on her yesterday, and…Megan, it’s just amazing how much it reminds me of great-grandma’s work! I know she isn’t the only person who ever crocheted, but the details on it just make me think of her! You have to give me the name of the website you’re ordering from because I’d love to pick out some stuff too.”

“Oh, uh…I don’t remember it offhand, but I’ll get it to you,” she stammered and glanced at her phone. “But about Friday…you have nothing to worry about because—”

Her words were interrupted by the sound of her phone alerting her that she had a new message. She picked up the phone, looked at the screen, and started to laugh.

“What? What’s so funny?” Summer asked.

Megan turned the phone around and held it up for Summer to see.

“Wow…that’s a lot of exclamation points and smiley faces.”

Nodding, she put the phone down. “So as you can clearly see, babysitting is not going to be an issue. Just make sure you pack everything we could possibly need and then a little bit extra. It’s been a long time since I’ve spent an entire night with a baby.”

“When have you ever spent an entire night babysitting?” Summer asked.

“The summer after I graduated high school I worked as a nanny for a month for our neighbors. It was exhausting, and the pay was crappy.”

“So is the pay for this babysitting gig,” Summer deadpanned. “But if you’re lucky, I’ll bring some snacks for you and Alex to share.”

“Double Stuf Oreos or the deal’s off,” Megan countered seriously.

Sighing dramatically, Summer said, “Fine. But you have to supply your own milk.”

“Done.”

Walking around the desk, Summer leaned down and hugged her. “I really appreciate this. No one tells you how this is the downside to not having grandparents living close by. I know if my mom was here, she’d have Amber sleeping over every weekend.”

“That is the truth. But it’s kind of nice how you have your brother and now me here to lend a hand, right?”

“Absolutely. And soon, you’ll probably be getting approached by Zach to babysit for them too.”

“And I’ll love every minute of it.”

“Oh! Did you order one of those blankets for Gabs? I know we talked about it—and I’m not trying to pressure you or tell you what you have to buy her for the shower—but I know how much she wanted one.”

Sheesh…Megan thought. How had her crocheting become such a big thing?

“It’s taken care of,” she responded. “As a matter of fact, it already arrived.”

Summer looked at her oddly. “Really? That’s odd.”

“Why?”

“Well, you haven’t been home much, and I’ve been bringing in your mail, and I don’t remember seeing any packages come to the house for you.”

Dammit! Why hadn’t she thought of that? Maybe she should just come clean and admit that there was no website, that she was the one making all of the baby stuff and—

“Summer?” Zach asked as he stepped into Megan’s office. “We have that meeting in five. You ready?”

Saved by the proverbial bell…

“Absolutely,” she said to Zach before turning back to Megan. “Okay, I need to get back to work, and I’m going to let Ethan know you’re okay with babysitting.”

Megan gave her a thumbs-up and then a wave as Summer and Zach left the office.

Her phone rang, and she saw Alex’s name on the screen. Smiling, she picked it up. “Hey, you,” she said softly.

“So? Is it definite? Are we getting Amber for the night?”

Unable to help herself, Megan laughed. “Are you being for real right now?”

“What? What’s wrong with being excited?”

“It’s not that you’re excited, it’s that you’re…super excited,” she said, still laughing.

“First of all, some would call it adorable, but whatever,” he said seriously. “And second of all, I am great with kids. I love kids. And while I know Amber’s just a baby and can’t do much, I think it’s going to be so much fun having her over!”

“You realize she’s primarily going to eat and sleep, right?”

“Why are you trying to make this not fun?” he said, but she knew he was teasing.

“I just don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“Baby, the thought of spending the night babysitting with you could never be disappointing. It will be like one of those team-building exercises the big companies do. We’ll have each other’s backs and make sure sweet little Amber doesn’t miss her mommy and daddy too much.”

And just like that, her heart melted. “You really are adorable.”

He chuckled. “I know, right?”

She relayed Summer’s schedule of events to him to get his reaction.

“Sounds easy enough. Any idea what time they’re going to pick her up on Saturday?”

“You know, that was the one thing she didn’t mention.”

“No big deal. We’ll play it by ear, and if they want a little extra time alone, we’ll take Amber to the park and go for a nice walk. The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me. But I have a feeling that for all their talk about needing a night alone, they’re going to miss Amber, and we may end up all having an early-morning breakfast together.”

Alex laughed. “Then I’ll be sure to have all the makings for extra pancakes just in case.”

“Mmm…you do make really good pancakes.”

“Don’t tell anyone. I kind of like when it’s just the two of us sharing them in bed.”

She smiled at the memory of him serving her breakfast in bed last weekend. “That probably won’t happen while Amber’s there. I have a feeling we’ll be totally catering to her.”

“There’s always Sunday.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Sweetheart, anytime you want to hold me is fine by me.”

* * *

On Friday night, Alex kept Megan company while she babysat Amber.

“I don’t think she’s happy.”

“How can you tell?”

“I don’t think she’s blinked in over a minute.”

Megan looked closely at her niece’s face and saw what Alex meant. “Or maybe she’s just completely in awe of what a great job we’re doing at babysitting.”

Alex laughed softly, but he had a feeling that wasn’t it. “All we’ve done is lean over and look at her.”

“In all fairness, Ethan and Summer have only been gone for, like…ten minutes.”

“Then it’s been ten minutes since she’s blinked.”

“Oh stop,” she said, swatting him playfully. “Let’s get her out of her seat and see what she wants to do.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her Amber wasn’t going to have a clue—nor could she tell them—but he sat back and watched as Megan lifted the baby from her seat and snuggled her close as she cooed and talked softly to her.

“Is this one of the dresses you got her?” he asked. “I heard Summer talking about all this handmade stuff you’ve been getting for her.”

“Mm-hmm…” she hummed as she kissed Amber on the cheek.

His heart squeezed hard in his chest. They had talked about Summer’s comments about them picturing this as being them sometime in the future. He just didn’t expect it to happen quite so fast. The sight of Megan holding the baby made him feel like the last piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

She was it for him.

It was crazy and maybe a little stupid to be thinking that so soon, but…there it was.

At first Alex feared he had spent so long building up his time with Megan from two years before that he wasn’t seeing things clearly. But in the past few weeks he had come to the realization that he hadn’t been wrong. He knew from their first meeting—those first few words they spoke to each other at the wedding—she was the one for him.

It wasn’t something he’d ever thought would happen to him. Sure, he always knew he was going to meet someone, fall in love, get married, and have kids, but he didn’t think that person would come in the form of a weekend hookup who he wouldn’t see again for two years. But really, did it matter? The fact was that she was here now and things were going great.

Their biggest problem currently was their schedules. Alex accommodated his clients and didn’t keep traditional hours, whereas Megan’s were sometimes untraditional because she would work twice as long as everyone else. So he was up and leaving while she was still warm and sleepy in his bed. Never before had he dreaded getting up for work like he had in the past two weeks. And that was beside the fact that he wasn’t getting much sleep because…well…she was right there beside him in the bed.

Just the thought of it made him grin.

So he’d leave for work and then two hours later, she would. He’d come home in the middle of the day or he’d meet her or some of his other friends for lunch and then head out for his evening clients. Megan always arrived home before him, and she’d read or just relax (she claimed). His hours never used to bother him before, but now they did.

When Megan had texted him about the two of them babysitting for Amber, he had taken out his calendar to reschedule his Friday evening clients. That had prompted him to take a hard look at his entire client list to see when his schedule might change. If his projections were correct, he had about another eight weeks before he had more of his evenings back. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a lot of time, but he was afraid if left to her own devices, Megan would start finding excuses to stay late at work, and then all of the progress she had made would be shot.

And he didn’t want to see her moving backward this soon after she was finally moving forward with changing her work habits.

Not that it would change how he felt about her—he doubted anything would. But he knew Megan was trying so hard to make these changes in her life, and he wanted to be supportive of her. Unfortunately, he was the type of person who wanted to help everyone achieve their goals—it was a key element to his job as a physical therapist—but sometimes that meant letting people do it for themselves.

That was where he had the problem.

Hopefully he would know when to be supportive and when to be there to help. With his clients, his role was easy—he knew what was expected of him and how he had to conduct himself. In a personal relationship? Um, yeah. That one was going to be way harder.

“Who’s a pretty girl?” she said from beside him as she played with Amber’s toes, and he smiled again.

In the short time since she’d arrived in Portland, he had seen so many changes in her—she was more relaxed, she smiled more, and there was a softness to her now that wasn’t there before.

But the woman sitting beside him? She was amazing and strong, and Alex wasn’t so sure if he’d be able to do what she did—picking up and moving to the other side of the country—even if he did have relatives who lived there. She had taken a huge leap of faith, and he wasn’t sure if she even realized it—if she knew how much she had already accomplished just by moving.

He had to get out of his own head because their focus tonight needed to be on Amber and he’d been looking forward to this all week. Moving closer to the two of them, he immediately tried to make the baby smile, and when she did, Megan looked over at him like he had done the greatest thing in the world.

“You look surprised,” he said softly. “I told you, I’m good at this.”

“I’ve been trying for five full minutes to get her to smile. You say two words and tweak her belly, and suddenly she’s got this giant grin on her face.”

Leaning in, he kissed Megan on the cheek. “What can I say? I’ve got a way with the ladies.”

Amber seemed a little more at ease, and soon they had her laughing as they all played on the floor. Alex was making goofy faces and sounds to entertain her while Megan held Amber in her lap. After a few minutes, he kissed the baby’s feet before looking up and suggesting, “How about I get dinner started? Summer said if you fed Amber first, she’d be content to hang out while we eat.”

“Sounds good. All day I’ve been thinking about the burgers you said you were going to make. Those are my weakness.”

He stood and kissed her on the top of her head. “I thought I was your weakness,” he teased as he walked to the kitchen.

Megan stood and followed him, with the baby in her arms. “Oh, you definitely are, which makes this one heck of a double treat—you and burgers? If we weren’t babysitting, you would have gotten very lucky.”

Right then and there he thought she was adorable—babysitting wasn’t going to hinder a thing.

“In case you’ve forgotten, Ethan told us Amber will go to bed around eight, and then we shouldn’t expect to hear from her again until around four a.m. If we keep her up until nine, that gives us until five a.m.” Walking over to Megan, he leaned in until his tongue could trace the shell of her ear. Megan shivered at the light caress. “And last I checked, we’ve been functioning on far less than eight hours of sleep.”

When he stepped away, he was feeling kind of smug—like he had her. She couldn’t argue his logic.

“But,” Megan said in a singsong voice, “Ethan also said she doesn’t sleep as well when she’s away from home. So we just don’t know, do we?”

Damn. He had forgotten about that part.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

While he began making dinner, Megan set up Amber’s baby seat in the kitchen and went about getting her food ready. They talked as they worked, and their conversation ranged from their day at work to where they wanted to explore on Sunday.

Alex stepped out onto the deck to put the burgers on the grill and looked out at his yard. Everything was starting to bloom, and his landscapers were doing a great job. Maybe he’d ask Megan if she’d like to invite friends and family for a barbecue—not this weekend, but maybe next.

Looking toward the house and through the glass in the French doors, he could see Megan feeding Amber. It looked like she was singing and making airplane moves with the baby spoon, and the sight made his heart feel lighter. Happier.

With a sense of contentment, he flipped the burgers and stared up at the sky. The sun was setting, the temperature was mild, and everything was peaceful. Dare he say it was a near-perfect night? He took another glance into the house and knew he was wrong.

It was the perfect night.

* * *

Megan wanted to believe she knew what she was doing, but as her niece looked up at her with huge blue eyes, she wasn’t so sure.

Bath time.

Was she really qualified to be giving a baby a bath? Amber was slippery and splashing, and she didn’t seem to be enjoying herself at all. Summer had said bath time was their favorite time of day.

Clearly not this particular bath time.

“Everything okay in here?” Alex asked as he walked into the bathroom carrying a towel and a change of clothes for Amber.

“I think she can sense my fear.”

Alex laughed softly, knelt beside Megan, instantly began to talk in soothing tones to the baby, and—once again—had her smiling and laughing in no time.

“No fair,” Megan mumbled and then wanted to splash him when he gave her a smug smile.

Again.

“Fine. You’re the king of babysitting,” she said as she stood. “So rather than me traumatizing her any further, you can finish giving her a bath.”

“I’m not going to argue with that,” he said and then spoke to Amber, “Am I, sweet girl? Who can argue with giving such a pretty girl a bath? We’re going to get you all clean and in your jammies, and you’re going to sleep like you’re at home in your own bed.”

Amber blew spit bubbles and laughed at him.

Megan imagined the baby was telling him to dream on.

It was still a little early—barely seven o’clock. She knew they had at least an hour before they could try to put Amber down for the night. Not that Megan was in a rush—for the most part, the baby had been no trouble at all. She was sweet and quiet and seemed to be fairly content.

It was good.

Almost too good.

Off in the distance, she heard a phone ring and could only guess it would be Summer calling to check in. She ran to answer it and smiled when she saw her cousin’s name flashing on the screen.

“Your daughter is fine. She ate all her dinner, gave several healthy burps, pooped more than a child that small should, and is currently enjoying a bath. All is well, so stop worrying and enjoy your night,” Megan said before Summer could even utter a word.

“Well, you certainly told me,” Summer said with a laugh.

“When we hang up, I’ll go take a picture of her in the tub and send it to you to put your mind at ease, okay?”

“Thank you.”

Two minutes later, she was sending a picture of Amber with a crown of bubbles on her head as well as a bubble beard.

“I don’t think Summer’s going to find that as amusing as you do,” Megan softly chided Alex.

“Then tell her to show it to Ethan. He will,” he said with a laugh as he rinsed Amber off. When she was bubble-free, he turned off the water and pulled the plug before reaching for her towel, his gaze never leaving Amber. He spoke to her the entire time, and Megan watched in awe. It was one thing to hear him talk about how much he loved kids; it was quite another to witness it for herself.

Alex cradled Amber in his arms and talked softly to her as he walked to the vanity, grabbed her diaper and pajamas, and then walked to his bedroom where he gently put her down on the bed. The entire time Amber’s blue eyes studied him. Almost as if she understood everything he was saying to her. It was beyond sweet, and as much as Megan wanted to go over and join them, she didn’t want to do anything to ruin the moment the two of them were having.

Quietly, Megan pulled out her phone and snapped a couple of pictures. If Alex heard her or noticed, he didn’t say anything. His attention stayed on Amber. When he had the baby fully dressed in her pink footy pajamas, he picked her up and placed a small kiss on her nose.

“What should we do now, Aunt Megan?” he asked in a playful tone. “Should we go downstairs and read or maybe play with Mister Bunny and Lamby?”

Unable to help herself, Megan laughed. “I think a little playtime first and then a story. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” he said with a smile.

For the next hour, they played and acted silly and pretty much put on an entire theatrical production starring all of Amber’s toys. Amber yawned widely but didn’t seem like she was quite ready for bed. Megan picked her up and rocked her as she talked to her about how much fun they’d had and how now it was time for sweet dreams.

“I’m going to take her up and try to put her down,” she said quietly.

Alex stood and handed her another one of Amber’s books. “Just in case,” he said and leaned in to kiss the baby on the cheek.

“Thanks.”

“I’m going to straighten up while you put her to bed,” he said. “If she won’t settle, call out to me, and I’ll see if I can help.”

Megan frowned at him. “Seriously?”

“What?”

“I couldn’t get her to smile, but you did. We were having a total bath fail until you swooped in. And your rabbit voice was perfect,” she grumbled. “So far I have totally sucked at this.”

Pulling them in close, Alex hugged them both and kissed Megan soundly. “You have not sucked at this. It takes teamwork. I told you that. Hell, even Summer said she and Ethan do all of this nighttime stuff together. Personally, I think the night was a complete success. And if we can get her to go to sleep and stay asleep, even better.”

There was no way she was going to voice her concerns where that last part was concerned. Instead she smiled and walked up the stairs to the guest room where they’d set up Amber’s Pack ’n Play. There was only one small light on in the room, and Megan sat in the upholstered chair in the corner and got herself comfortable.

For fifteen minutes, she read some of Winnie the Pooh’s many adventures and watched as Amber’s eyes began to drift shut. Then she waited another few minutes to make sure she was asleep before slowly standing and moving across the room to place her in her bed. Never in Megan’s life had she ever moved so slowly and cautiously, but she was genuinely afraid of waking the baby up.

After she straightened, she stood there in wonder and held her breath until she was certain Amber was going to stay asleep. Then, ever so slowly, she tiptoed backward toward the door, and all of those stealth moves were almost for nothing when she turned and found Alex standing in the doorway. She jumped and almost screamed, but luckily she caught herself before she did.

Alex placed a finger over her lips, motioned to the baby monitor he had in his hands, and gently led Megan out of the room and across the hall to his bedroom. He quietly closed the door and put the monitor down on the bedside table.

With her hand still in his, he pulled her close and then kissed her slowly—as if he just wanted to savor the feel of her, the taste of her. When he lifted his head, he rested his forehead against hers and smiled. “Good job.”

“With the kiss?” she teased.

He shook his head. “With Amber. The monitor was on, and I heard you reading to her and talking to her, and…it was amazing,” he said softly.

It was possibly the greatest compliment she had ever received.

“Then I came up and saw you putting her down, and I could tell you were afraid to wake her, but I think not only did we exhaust her, but you totally relaxed her and made her feel secure.”

High praise coming from the babysitting king, she thought, and she was flattered.

“That was scarier than the bath.”

Alex’s smile was still in place. “I think you deserve a reward for all of your stress and worrying tonight.”

“I wouldn’t say I was stressed—”

“There’s a hot bath waiting for you, and when you’re done, I’m going to give you a massage.”

She gasped with delight. “Really?”

He nodded. “I normally do them for much different reasons—you know, as part of a patient’s therapy—but I believe I know how to make it relaxing and sexy.”

“You had me at relaxing,” she teased. “But the sexy is a total perk.”

Taking her gently by the shoulders, Alex turned her around and gave her a gentle push in the direction of the bathroom. “Go before the water gets too cool, and I’ll be waiting out here.”

Megan had only taken a few steps when she looked over her shoulder at him. “And what are you going to be doing while I’m in the tub?”

“Reading.” To prove his point, he reached over to his nightstand and held up his iPad. “Don’t worry about me. Go and enjoy your bath.”

It would have been easy to do that—after all, she knew a hot bath would be glorious. Hell, if he hadn’t suggested it, she was going to see if he wanted to spend a little time outside in the hot tub. But now that she thought about it, it was better for them to stay close to Amber. Even with the baby monitor, she knew she’d relax more being close by.

“Well,” she began hesitantly, “I guess reading is good, but…”

He arched one brow at her.

“But the bathtub is big enough for two,” she said, walking toward him. “And I’m sure we can start this whole massage thing in there.” Up on her tiptoes, she gently kissed his lips. “As a matter of fact, I think it would be a great way to help me relax.”

A slow smile played at his lips. “I think we both know if I join you in the tub, the only massage you’re going to get isn’t going to be for relaxation purposes.”

“And I can say with great certainty that I wouldn’t mind. You can give me a massage tomorrow. But right now, what I want more than anything is for you to come into the bathroom with me, get naked, climb in that giant tub, and…massage anything you’d like.”

Taking a step back, Alex whipped his shirt up and over his head and carelessly tossed it across the room, and Megan had to stop herself from laughing out loud. He was unbuttoning his jeans before she could even blink.

Clearly, he took getting naked seriously.

“We don’t want the water to get cold,” he said when she hadn’t made a move to take anything off.

“I was enjoying the show,” she said coyly, turning and walking toward the bathroom. It wasn’t until she was next to the tub that she began to undress. Even without looking, she knew Alex was standing in the doorway watching her, so she decided to remove everything slowly.

First, she pulled her shirt up and over her head, dropping it to the floor beside her. Then she stretched. Next, she shimmied out of her yoga pants, taking her time peeling them down her legs before straightening and gently kicking them aside. Next came her bra. Bending over the tub, she tested the water and heard Alex groan behind her. Her panties were black and tiny and barely covered her bottom.

Doing her best to look a little seductive, she straightened and slipped her panties off before carefully dipping one foot into the tub—letting it slide into the water slowly. Then she stepped in and lifted her other leg in before slipping down into the water.

And man, did that feel good.

When she finally looked at Alex, he was standing in his boxers, and his erection was beyond impressive.

“If you hadn’t climbed into the tub, I was going to take matters into my own hands and take you right there as you bent over.”

She pouted. “Had I known that was an option, I would have waited.”

It was like hitting the launch button. He whipped off the dark cotton and climbed in behind her. Megan leaned forward to make room for him, and when he gently pulled her back against his chest, he whispered in her ear, “Brace yourself.”

And then his hands were everywhere.

His lips were everywhere.

It didn’t take long for her to start panting his name, arching her back, and begging him for more. If this was what he was capable of in the confines of a tub, she could only imagine how amazing a massage from him would be when they were sprawled out on the bed. Either way, it was making her feel good.

So, so very good, she thought.

* * *

Monday night, Megan was back at her place and took advantage of a little alone time to do some crocheting. Alex had an evening client, and rather than going right to his place, she had stopped at the guesthouse to get a couple changes of clothes together to take to Alex’s. She was deep into a little blue hat when her phone rang.

Her mother.

She contemplated not answering it. Not that she didn’t enjoy talking to her, but she hadn’t told her about her relationship with Alex yet and wasn’t really ready to. Mainly because she wasn’t ready to answer any questions about how serious it was or if they were talking about a future yet.

Yes, her mother was a firm believer in short engagements and long marriages.

Basically she believed in fairy tales.

The phone rang again, and Megan relented and answered it. “Hi, Mom!”

“Megan, I have a somewhat…delicate matter to discuss with you.”

Oh, Lord, she thought. “Um…sure, Mom. What’s up?”

“Well, it’s about your Aunt Janice and Uncle Robert.”

That was not what Megan had been expecting to hear at all, so she was instantly intrigued. “What’s going on?”

“Well, with everything that happened with Gabriella and the false labor, your aunt is feeling anxious and wants to come back to Portland before the baby is born.”

“O-kay—”

“And I’m sure you heard about the awkward incident she had while staying with Summer and Ethan.”

“Uh-huh—”

“Well, I guess everyone sort of assumed you would have found a place of your own by now, and no one wants to stay at Zach’s because they don’t want to add to Gabriella’s stress, so…” She let the silence hang for a minute until Megan caught on.

“Wait, are you saying Aunt Janice wants to stay at the guesthouse?”

“Yes!” her mother said with a loud sigh of relief. “Oh, I’m glad you said it and I didn’t have to. You understand, don’t you? It wouldn’t be right for her and your uncle to have to stay at a hotel, after all.”

“Um…no. Of course not. I guess I can stay in the guest room at Summer’s while they’re in town, and then—”

“No, no, no,” her mother quickly interrupted. “I can’t say with any great certainty, but I think the boys will be coming along soon too.”

“So what am I supposed to do, Mom? I can’t find an apartment and move out in the next week. That’s a little unreasonable!”

“Well…I’m sure you could find someplace to stay temporarily—”

“I suppose I could go to a hotel,” Megan murmured, more than a little annoyed with the whole conversation. If this was going to be an issue, she wished it had been Summer to bring it up to her.

“That’s ridiculous, Megan. It would cut you off from everyone, and I know how antisocial you can get.”

“Seriously? Now I’m antisocial? When did that become my thing?” she demanded. Most of the time her mother was one of the most levelheaded people to talk to, but for some reason she seemed a little off tonight. “What is going on, Mom? You’re not making any sense.”

Eliza sighed. “Okay, fine. Here’s the thing…why would you bother paying to stay at a hotel and being by yourself when you could maybe go and stay with…Alex?”

Megan immediately began to cough as she gasped at her mother’s statement. How the heck did her mother even know about her relationship with Alex? They hadn’t talked about it! Not that it was a big secret, but she knew it was something she hadn’t brought up to her.

She was going to strangle her cousin when she saw her in the morning.

“Megan? Megan, are you all right? Put your hands in the air. That will make the coughing stop.”

It took a minute, but eventually she was able to breathe normally again. With a steadying breath, she replied to her mother, “Why would you even suggest such a thing?”

“Oh, please. I may be your mother, but I’m not a prude. I know you’re dating Alex, and I believe you lost your virginity some time ago, so don’t sound so outraged by what I’m suggesting.”

“Prude? Virgin? Mom! Seriously, what in the world?” Megan cried.

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Eliza sighed again. “Honestly, you’d think you’d be happy to have such a hip mother.”

Oh, good grief.

“Mom, I love that you’re so…hip,” Megan forced herself to say. “But you’re essentially asking me to ask Alex to let me move in! That’s not hip, that’s a little…brazen!”

“For crying out loud, like I don’t know that this is the way most young couples are these days? I think it’s wonderful that you’re in a relationship with Alex!”

“And you know this how?”

“Unlike you, Summer talks to her mother, and imagine how I felt having to hear about this from Aunt Janice. You’re dating this wonderful young man—who this entire family adores for all he did for Zach—and this is the relationship you choose to hide?”

Great. Here comes the guilt…

“I’m not saying you have to move in with him permanently,” her mother went on, “although that would be extremely acceptable and make me happy, but maybe give it a test run for a few weeks and see how it goes.”

For the life of her, Megan couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. Actually, she wished she wasn’t. “Mom…I don’t think it’s appropriate to—”

“Are you dating Alex?” her mother quickly interrupted.

Like she could honestly deny it? “Yes.”

“Have you…spent the night with him?”

“Mom…” she whined.

“I believe I have my answer to that.” Then she paused. “I think it’s the perfect solution to this situation. Right now it’s very important for your aunt and uncle to be close by and for there to be room for your cousins too. This is a big milestone for their family. After almost losing Zach, no one thought they’d see this day.”

And while Megan knew there was a part of that statement that was true—a very small part of it—she thought her mother was blowing this way out of proportion.

“And with Gabriella having complications and Summer having an infant of her own, I think it would be best if you cleared the way for their family to be together.”

“I will talk to Summer about this in the morning, Mom. Okay?”

“Why? Why talk to Summer? Why don’t you talk to Alex and make it easier on everyone?”

This was an argument she simply didn’t want to have. She’d talk to Summer and then talk to Alex. There was no way she was going to just go to him first and put him in a potentially awkward position—especially if it was all for nothing. She didn’t mind giving up the guesthouse to her aunt and uncle, but if Summer didn’t mind having her in the house, then she’d rather do that. And if the rest of her cousins came in? Well, they’d deal with that when the time came.

She looked at the yarn in her lap and sighed. If she moved in with Alex—even temporarily—it would mean outing her hobby. Not that she thought he’d judge, but it was still something that she kind of liked keeping to herself. It wasn’t hard to envision sitting in Alex’s living room with a fire going in the fireplace and sitting on one end of the sofa crocheting while he read and…

Ugh…how had her sexy dreams of the two of them turned to domestic ones so fast?

Across the room was the pile of clothes she planned to put into her weekender bag. It was getting to be a bit of a chore going back and forth. Still, it might be weird for her to just come out and ask him if she could stay—

“Megan? Are you still there?”

She laughed softly. “I’m here, Mom. Sorry. I just zoned out for a moment.”

“Well, your aunt is planning to be there this weekend, so…you need to think about this and make it happen so it’s not awkward when everyone shows up.”

“Trust me. I don’t believe I’ll be able to think of anything else,” she murmured as she put her crochet hook down and tried to think of how she was going to pack up all her stuff.

* * *

Alex’s legs were burning, he was sweating, and his heart was beating like mad.

And it felt great.

“What’s the matter, Rebat? Can’t handle a little bike ride?” Zach mocked as he sped past him.

Laughing, Alex let the razz roll right off him. It was a beautiful day, the sky was blue, and he was getting in a ride on one of his favorite trails while Megan was out shopping with the girls.

“Geez, Alex, if I can pass you, then you’re really off your game,” Ethan said as he pedaled by.

Okay, that one hurt.

With a renewed sense of purpose, he picked up the pace, and soon he was waving to Ethan and then Zach as he passed them. The burst of speed felt good, but he knew he was going to pay for it later. Images of spending some quality time in the hot tub came to mind, and then the image of Megan in there with him.

Alex had already racked his bike on his car by the time Zach and then Ethan arrived. After some teasing, they headed to one of their favorite pubs for lunch. Zach and Ethan rode together, and Alex followed.

Fifteen minutes later, they were seated in a booth and were grabbing at menus. “I don’t know why we even bother,” Ethan said. “We come here so much that we’ve memorized the damn thing. Why can’t we just give the order as soon as we sit down?”

Zach laughed. “Because the one time we do that will be the time they’ve added something fantastic to the menu that we’d miss.”

Alex looked at Ethan and grinned. “True story.”

They each perused the menu, and when their server approached, they ordered. She looked at them and quirked a brow. “So…the same as usual?”

“I told you,” Ethan murmured.

“How are you doing, Alex?” she asked. Her name was Frannie, and she was young and cute, and there had been a time when Alex had been mildly interested. Nothing had ever come of it, but she always flirted.

“Doing good, Frannie. How about you?”

She gave him a sweet smile. “Can’t complain.” Then she paused. “Well…maybe I can. We haven’t seen much of you lately. Where’ve you been hiding out?”

Alex could actually feel Zach’s glare.

He gave her a charming yet bashful smile. “I’ve been showing my girlfriend all around Portland—doing the parks and hiking and that kind of thing.”

Frannie’s smile fell a little. “She’s a lucky girl. I’ll have your drinks right out,” she said as she walked away.

Before anyone else could speak, Alex looked directly at Zach. “Did I answer correctly?”

Ethan burst out laughing. “Seriously, Zach. You should have seen your face!”

“He’s dating my cousin and flirting with another woman right in front of me! What exactly did you want me to do?” Zach asked.

“For starters, you can relax,” Alex replied. “And I wasn’t flirting with anyone. I was merely being polite to the woman who has the opportunity to spit on our food.”

“Eww…” Ethan groaned. “Seriously, why would you even put that out there?”

Zach started to speak, but Alex cut him off. “We’ve come here often enough that you’ve seen Frannie talk to me like that. This isn’t new information, and it’s not a big deal. I’m not looking for anyone else. I’m perfectly happy with Megan.”

“Yeah, well—”

“Here are your drinks, boys,” Frannie said with a slightly less enthusiastic smile. “Your burgers will be out shortly.”

“You totally ruined her day,” Ethan said as he reached for his drink. “If she’s going to spit, I hope it’s only on yours.”

“Nice,” Alex said and picked up his own beverage. Beside him, his phone beeped, and he looked down to see a new message from Megan. Smiling, he swiped the screen and found a picture of her holding up a red-lace bra.

Alex: I hope you’re sharing this because you’re buying it

Megan: I’m thinking about it :-)

Alex: You should probably buy more than one

Megan: ???

Alex: One in every color they have

Megan: That can be arranged

Alex: Buy them now and meet me at my place ASAP!

Megan: LOL!

Alex: Go and buy pretty things and I’ll see you later

Megan: Tell the guys I said hello

When he looked up from the phone, he saw the smirks on their faces.

“What? What’s so funny?”

“So…we get mocked for talking about our wives and babies, but you can sit there with a goofy-ass grin on your face while texting Megan? How is that fair?” Ethan teased.

“Maybe it wasn’t Megan,” he said and then instantly knew what was coming.

Before he could stop him, Zach pulled the phone from his hands, looked at the screen, and then cursed, thrusting it back at Alex. “Dammit.”

“Serves you right,” Alex said smugly, putting the phone screen-side down on the table beside him.

“Oh, God. Were they sexting?” Ethan asked, a pained expression on his face. “Please tell me there were no pictures!”

“Let’s just say…nothing and move on from this,” Zach said miserably. He took a steadying breath and let it out. “What are we going to do next weekend? Are you rescheduling your barbecue?”

Alex shook his head. The plan he’d had to have them all over to his place had fallen through due to weather, and then Amber had a cold and Gabriella wasn’t feeling well, so they had yet to try again. “Megan’s been a good sport about doing all the outdoor excursions I’ve been taking her on. Next weekend she wants to see some museums and walk around the city.”

They talked about some of the more interesting spots to take her while they waited for their lunch. Alex knew Megan had already printed a list of places she wanted to see in the order she wanted to see them. She was incredibly organized—borderline OCD at times—but it was cute as hell. And when he saw that side of her come out, he realized how much she was trying to break out of it—especially because she’d been going with the flow on their trips.

Her organizational skills became increasingly apparent when she moved some of her stuff into his place this past week. She was emphatic about not taking up too much space and even insisted on putting the bulk of her belongings in the guest room. He had no idea what was in most of the boxes and cases she’d brought over, and it didn’t look like she’d unpacked any of them. He’d questioned her about them, but she’d just kept saying they weren’t anything important, so he’d let the subject drop.

Frannie brought out their meals and refilled their drinks, and for those first few bites, no one spoke. It was always the true sign of a good meal.

Or of people who were starving.

“What about camping next weekend?” Alex asked. “Nothing crazy or far away, but just to hike out someplace and maybe do some fishing? You guys in?”

“Too close to Gabriella’s due date,” Zach said. “I wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy it.”

Ethan nodded. “I wouldn’t mind a night or two away to fish, but maybe when Amber’s a little older. Summer and I share the whole getting-up-at-night thing. It wouldn’t be fair to leave her to handle it all. You should ask Megan.”

Both Alex and Zach started to laugh.

“Trust me, Megan is not a camper,” Zach said.

“That’s what she’s said a time or two to me, but I’m hoping she’ll eventually change her mind,” Alex replied.

“Don’t hold your breath. You know it’s not something all people enjoy. You’ve gotten her to go out and do the parks with you; just be happy with that.”

But Alex shrugged. “I still think it could happen.”

“Summer’s not particularly outdoorsy either, and yet she spent that weekend camping out in a teepee at the springs,” Ethan said and then looked at Zach. “Remember that?”

“Wasn’t that the weekend you secretly hooked up with her? Do you really want me to remember that?”

Ethan grinned and gave Alex a sly wink. “I was simply referring to the camping aspect. You’re the one who took it to the hookup.”

“Oh, for the love of it!” Zach said.

“Okay, okay…everyone just drop the camping topic,” Alex interrupted diplomatically. “We’ll revisit that topic in a year when the babies are older and you two are allowed to go out and play again.”

That seemed to break the tension.

“What about the three of us doing something early next Saturday morning?” Zach said. “We can bike again or maybe get a couple other guys and play some basketball. What do you think?”

Both Alex and Ethan nodded.

“I’ve got a few guys I can call,” Alex said.

“Me too,” Ethan agreed.

They discussed times and whom they’d ask and the conversation moved to pro sports and what games were going to be on the TV over the weekend. This was good. This was what they did, and even though he was having a good time, Alex’s mind kept wandering to the picture of the red bra. He couldn’t wait to see Megan wearing it for him.

And then he couldn’t wait to see Megan not wearing it.

He fought the urge to smile because he knew the guys would jump all over him again for it. But mentally, he was grinning from ear to ear.

Tonight he was taking her out to dinner at one of his favorite Italian restaurants. It was the kind of place to dress up for, and he found that while they had thus far stuck to casual places, he was looking forward to taking her someplace nice. Weekends were the only times they could relax. Alex did his best not to schedule clients on Saturday, but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. And even though they were both off doing their own things right now, he knew they’d make up for it later.

Especially with red lace.

Damn. He had to stop thinking about that until after he and the guys had parted ways.

Frannie cleared the table and asked if they wanted any dessert, but they declined and asked for the check.

“Whose turn is it?” she asked with a grin.

Ethan raised his hand. “I came in last today, so I’m guessing it’s on me,” he grumbled. “It’s a stupid rule.”

Zach and Alex looked at each other and grinned.

“Says the loser,” Alex said.

“What have you got going on for the rest of the day?” Ethan asked.

“Once Gabs comes home from shopping with Summer and Megan, we were planning on grilling some salmon and relaxing. My parents won’t want to give up Amber, so you guys can come if you like.”

“How does Gabriella feel about everyone coming in already?” Alex was relieved no one had said anything about Megan moving in with him since Robert and Janice had arrived.

“I think she’s fine with it, but she’s been pushing herself to get everything ready. The last of the baby furniture came this week, and she spent way too much time yesterday doing that…what do they call it…nesting? I swear, she washed everything—all the baby clothes, blankets, and sheets—and then she had me moving furniture this way and that. It was crazy. I was kind of surprised she even wanted to go out today because there isn’t one damn thing we need.”

“It’s not really about the shopping,” Ethan said. “It’s just an excuse to go out. I’m sure they’re going to do lunch and the nail thing too.”

“Maybe,” Zach said, playing with a straw wrapper.

“And besides, women are always going to find something to buy,” Ethan went on. “Just because she’s shopping doesn’t mean it’s for the baby. I know Summer mentioned wanting to relax and then something about a pedicure. But I wasn’t paying attention to whether that was today.”

“Dude, how long have you known your wife?” Ethan asked with a small laugh. “Gabriella rarely sits still, and it’s just shopping. It’s not like she’s out hiking or doing anything strenuous. You know Megan and Summer wouldn’t allow her to overexert herself.”

Zach visibly relaxed. “You’re right,” he said, leaning back in his seat and raking a hand through his hair. “I just worry about her.” Alex’s phone beeped, and when he went for it, Zach smacked his hand over it. “Do not look at it. I swear, it is asking too much for me to sit here while you exchange sexy texts with my baby cousin.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “She’s not a baby. And how do we even know it’s her?”

“Who else texts you?” Zach deadpanned.

“Fine. I’ll wait,” he said, but his curiosity was killing him.

Ethan’s phone beeped. “Um…am I allowed to see what that’s about, or are you afraid your sister is going to be sending me a sexy text?” he teased and then started laughing as he picked up his phone. “Actually, I’m seriously hoping that’s what this is.”

“Could be a baby question?” Zach said. “Maybe Amber has a rash or she’s crying because she misses you.” He laughed at the crestfallen look on Ethan’s face. “That will teach you to poke at me with anything sex-related about my sister.”

“Way to kill a mood,” Ethan said.

While they were arguing, Alex reached for his phone. “Um…guys?”

Ethan’s phone beeped again. “It’s been three years! You’d think you would have moved on by now and accepted it. I sleep with your sister. And she sleeps with me. Deal with it.”

Zach’s phone beeped, but he didn’t hear it.

“Guys?” Alex said a little louder.

“What?” they both snapped.

“We need to go,” Alex said as he slid from the booth and grabbed his stuff. “Like now.”

“Why? What’s up?” Zach asked.

Rather than say it, he picked up Zach’s phone and held it up for him. “Because your wife’s water just broke in the middle of the nail salon,” he said with a grin. “I think you’re about to have a baby.”

“Holy shit!” he cried, sliding out of the booth. He looked panicked and unsure of where to go or what to do.

Looking at Ethan, who was reading his message, Alex said, “It looks like Summer and Megan are getting her to the hospital. Get Zach there, and I’ll take care of the bill. I’ll be two minutes behind you.”

“Thanks, Alex,” Ethan said as he stood. Clapping Zach on the back, he grinned. “C’mon! Let’s go!”