“Happy birthday,” Adam says as he takes his seat.

“Thank you.”

I watch closely as Adam holds up the two hot water bottles in his hands. He asks, “Tea or coffee?”

“Tea.”

“I knew you’d pick tea. It’s the responsible choice,” Adam says. “It’s too late for coffee because you’ll probably have to wake up early, whenever William wakes up.”

“Is there anything wrong with being responsible?” I feel like he’s mocking me.

“Not at all. It’s a good thing, Katie,” he says. “You’re turning me into a better person, too. Notice how there’s nothing alcoholic on the table?”

“Yeah.” I nod.

“You want to stay alert for William in case of emergency,” he says.

I nod.

“I listen,” he says as he pours some tea into a mug and slides it across the table toward me.

“Thanks. So, what is it that you want to talk about? You mentioned something about a college fund, but I don’t think you were serious about that.”

“No.” Adam chuckles. Looking deep into my eyes, he says, “I just want us to sit down and talk. That’s all.”

“So, all this . . . is just for a talk?” I gesture at everything around us—the string lights, the candles, the string quartet . . . “This is a little much for a talk, isn’t it?”

“As it turns out, this is exactly what it takes for us to talk,” he says.

“What are you talking about? We talk all the time.”

“Yeah. About William. That’s all you want to talk about,” Adam says.

“That’s what the deal is. You’re free to come to my house, but it doesn’t mean anything for us—the two of us,” I say, as much to Adam as to myself.

“Sure, but deals get renegotiated all the time.”

“So, that’s what this is? A renegotiation?” I ask. The word feels jarring. That kind of boardroom jargon doesn’t belong in the romantic garden Adam’s turned my backyard into.

“Maybe,” he says. “Sure, we have a deal, but we can still hang out, right? Every once in a while, instead of William’s mom and dad, can’t we just be Katie and Adam?” he asks. “That’s all I want. What do you say?”

I stop to consider his words. That sounds . . . not threatening. We can just talk every once in a while. Yes. Why not? It can only be good for William if we communicate, right?

“Okay,” I say as I take a sip of the tea. My chest grows warm, and I have no idea if it’s because of the tea or the affection in Adam’s eyes.

“You have no idea how happy you just made me,” Adam says.

My heart flips.

Oh, no, what do I say to that?

Quick, change the subject.

“So, about the, uh, college fund,” I say, “I’ve actually prepared a savings plan. Maybe we can compare notes and—” My cheeks grow hot from his stare, and I stop talking. I turn my gaze toward him. “What?”

Adam laughs. The way he scrunches up his eyes and nose reminds me of William, and my heart squeezes.

“Nothing,” he says. “You’re adorable when you get embarrassed.”

Normally, I’d scoff and walk away from Adam when he says something like that. I’d distract myself with some task I need to do.

But now, sitting across from him in my backyard, there’s nothing else for me to do, nothing to distract me from the adulation in his beautiful, hypnotizing eyes.

“So, as I was saying, maybe we can plan for William’s college together,” I say.

“Sure,” Adam says, smiling.

So, while the string quartet plays in the background, we talk about tuition costs. Weird, I know. But at least I feel like I’m on familiar ground again.

Adam humors me, until he starts talking about the state of higher education.

“I completely agree that we should prepare something in case William wants to go to college,” Adam says. “But just for argument’s sake, do you think a college degree is still valuable?”

Both Adam and I graduated college during the same recession, but we’ve been lucky enough to do well, career-wise. He’s a lot more successful than I, of course, but I’m doing okay. We both know people who have just been treading water for years.

And so, we stop being co-parents for a moment. We’re just Katie and Adam now, and we’re talking again.

* * *

After the night of my birthday, Adam starts staying around after William’s bedtime.

We brew some tea and drink while we talk about not just William, but everything in the world. Absolutely everything—from work, to Sawyer, to the cat who likes to show up at the back door and stare at William.

At first, we do this a couple of times a week.

Then, it starts to feel like something’s missing when Adam goes home right after William’s bedtime.

It doesn’t take long for us to start making it a nightly habit to set aside a quiet moment to unwind together.

It quickly becomes the best part of my day. After taking care of people all day—as a nurse and as a mom—it’s the only time I get to just be me.

Adam’s right. I need this. And maybe he needs this, too.

One night, I find myself sharing a couch with Adam. Casually, I rest my feet on his lap while I tell him how tired I am.

“You stand on your feet the whole shift, don’t you?” Adam asks as he starts massaging me.

“Yeah,” I say.

We’ve grown used to some physical contact, although it’s limited to things like him slinging his arm around my shoulders when we walk side by side or me leaning my head on his shoulder.

I’m not going to lie, I’m starting to forget why I don’t want us to be together.

Adam’s shown himself to be a reliable, responsible dad for William. He’s also been around enough for me to know for sure that he’s here to stay.

Besides, the way his fingers bring joy to my tired ankles makes me want those same fingers elsewhere. Everywhere else.

So, when his hand moves up to my calves, I make no comment about it. I continue to sip my tea while I listen to Adam tell me about his day.

But instead of going all the way up to the top, Adam’s being a complete gentleman.

Not surprising, really, since I’ve told him, again and again, that we weren’t getting back together.

Maybe he’s worried I’m going to freak out and tell him to go away again. Or maybe to some extent, he doesn’t want to rock the boat either, for William’s sake.

Whatever it is, I know I have to be the one to tell him I’ve changed my mind.

“Adam,” I say, my heart pounding. This is terrifying.

“Yeah?” he looks up at me.

“Remember when I said you were going to cause instability and you were an uncertainty?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“I was wrong,” I say. “I’m sorry.”

I’m hoping he remembers that argument was the main reason why we broke up, and he’ll connect the dots.

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiles.

Damn it. Of course, he doesn’t understand. I need to be more obvious.

“Adam, um . . .”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking . . .” I ignore the hammering in my heart and just start talking. “I don’t remember why we broke up anymore.”

The smile on Adam’s lips grows wider. “I know.”

“You do?” I didn’t expect that at all.

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.

“You had to realize it on your own,” he says, leaning closer toward me.

“What do you mean by that?” I feel the couch cushion dip under me, making me slide ever so slightly closer to Adam.

“Would you have listened to me, had I told you we should get back together?” Adam puts his hand on the back of my head and pulls me closer. He leans his forehead against mine.

“No,” I admit.

“So, you’re admitting that you want us to get back together?”

“Do you?” I ask softly. “Do you want us to get back together?”

Adam smiles. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss what we had.”

I swallow past the lump forming in my throat. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I had to wait,” he says with so much emotion in his voice my heart clenches for him. “It was hard. Really hard to wait. But I knew I had to do it. And now, hearing you say what you just said—” Adam takes a deep breath and smiles “—that was worth all the wait.”

“When did you—”

Adam doesn’t let me finish my sentence. He sweeps in, crushing my lips with his, ravaging my mouth. “I’m tired of waiting,” he says breathlessly before he continues to kiss me. “Tell me you trust me. Tell me, kitten.”

My heart flips when he calls me “kitten” again. I’ve missed that. I didn’t think I was ever going to hear it again.

“I trust you, Sir,” I say.

“That’s all I need to know.”

Adam drowns me in his desire, overwhelming me with his hands in my hair, with his kisses on my lips and my throat. I lie on my back, letting Adam use my body to satisfy his long-buried lust.

As he pulls my clothes off, I tug at his. Before long, we’re both naked, our limbs tangled together on the couch.

“You’re wet,” he says, smirking as his fingers find my soaked pussy. “Good. Because I’m hard, and you’ve made me wait long enough.”

“Please don’t wait, Sir. Please use me right now.” My voice drips with desire.

Adam spears into me, filling me up completely. I miss this primal, animalistic side of him. I love it when he unleashes his inner beast on me and lets it devour me.

He fucks me hard, making me gasp with every thrust. My body rocks back and forth on the couch until Adam puts a hand on my head to keep me still.

I can only spread my legs and let Adam use me. The fact that I’m completely vulnerable only fuels my arousal.

Adam gets up to his knees and grabs my waist.

“You look so sexy, kitten,” he says, grinding into me, eliciting a moan from between my parted lips. He grabs my nipples and pinches until I whimper. He smirks. “When I hurt you, you tighten up real nice, kitten. You like pain?”

“Only when it’s from you, Sir,” I say through gritted teeth. I let the pain flood my system, knowing it only heightens my pleasure.

“Good answer,” he says. He places a thumb over the hood of my clit and puts a light pressure on it, making me tense up. “I remember you like it when I play with your clit. Your body is so fucking responsive. Do you know how many nights I lay in bed, jerking myself off to the memories of you coming for me?”

I moan as Adam starts rubbing the hood of my clit while he continues to fuck me, filling me up with his hot, hard cock.

“Yeah,” Adam groans as he slides in and out of me. “Come for me, kitten.”

As if his words are magic, I lose control of my body. Orgasmic fog fills my mind as I surrender my body for Adam to use. My pussy muscles clench and grab onto his cock desperately.

“You feel so fucking good,” he says as he fucks me mercilessly, keeping me at the peak of my arousal. “Tell me you’re mine, kitten.”

“I’m yours, Sir,” I moan.

“Tell me you mean it this time,” he demands.

“I mean it this time, Sir,” I say softly, between erratic gasps. “I’m yours.”

“Good girl.” Adam growls as he shudders against me, his big, strong hands grabbing my hips so hard it almost hurts.

We explode together, rocking against each other on the couch even after Adam finishes emptying himself.

With his shaft still pulsing inside me, Adam stares sharply into my eyes and says, “You’re mine. Never forget that, kitten.”

“I’m yours.” I sigh, giving in to whatever spell Adam’s casted on me.

“I’m never going to let you go again,” he says.

“I don’t want you to.”

“Good,” he says.