Cecilia, present day

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“Bye, CeCe!” Hunter shouted and then disappeared from the screen. Abby’s face appeared in his place.

“Not you!” CeCe joked. “Where’s my little squishy’s face?”

Abby laughed but turned the camera around so that she could see Carter toddling around the floor, a large plastic truck clutched in one hand. “And I’ll have you know he told me just this morning Carter no squish-squish.”

“No!” CeCe said, collapsing back onto the bed and watching the darkening sky through the windows. “He’s growing up too fast.”

“I know.” Abby sighed. “But that’s not the only thing that’s going to be growing.” She pointed at her belly.

“What?” CeCe’s jaw dropped open. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Abby nodded. “Yup. Jordan is once again banned from wearing deodorant.”

CeCe burst into laughter. “Don’t tell me the smell of it is making you sick again!”

Her friend rolled her eyes. “Every freaking type.” But then she laughed. “My nose told me I was pregnant before the pregnancy test could.”

“Oh, my God.”

“I know.”

“You’re having another baby.”

“I know.” Abby widened her eyes. “What the hell were we thinking?”

CeCe smiled. “That you were good parents?” A beat. “Plus you have a hell of a nanny.”

Abby blew out a breath. “About that . . .”

Cecilia’s gut dropped.

“I was wondering if you would consider working for me.”

Pregnancy brain was already striking her poor friend. “I do work for you, Abs.”

She waved a hand. “I’m screwing this up. I meant I want you to put your art skills to work in my department.” Both palms came up. “No pressure, but your drawings are so amazing that I was hoping to hire you as a freelance artist. You could work from here or on your travels. I just . . . you’re family, CeCe, and my kids and I are so lucky to have you. But I don’t want to be the one to hold you back, not when you’re so talented, honey. You deserve to have all your dreams come true.”

Cecilia’s eyes filled with tears. “Dammit, Abs. You had to go and do it.”

Her friend sniffed and wiped a hand across her cheek. “I’m sorry. I mean I’m not sorry. But I’m also a hormonal mess and have been emotionally puking all over everyone.” Jordan appeared briefly on the screen, a box of tissues in his hand. He put them in Abby’s lap and looked into the phone. “She asked you yet? You’re going to say yes, right?”

“Ugh.” Abby slapped his arm. “Stop being so pushy, dammit.”

“Language.” He smacked a kiss to her lips and glanced back at the camera, winking at CeCe. “Yup, she’s definitely going to say yes.”

“Jordan!”

“Abigail.” He kissed her again, a little longer than before. “I love you to pieces.”

“Congrats,” CeCe murmured.

He studied her through the screen, eyes concerned. The man was an emotional ninja, somehow always knowing when she’d needed a hug or a break from the stress of Hunter’s care. Today was no different. One look and he knew something was up. “You doing okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. I just . . . I had some stuff come up.”

His brows pulled together. “Do you need me to—?”

“I’m all right.” CeCe put enough emphasis on the words that Jordan stopped talking and studied her. “If you say so,” he said after a moment.

Her lids narrowed. “I do say so.”

One half of his mouth turned up into a smile. “Okay then. Enjoy your travels, and I’ll try to make sure Abby doesn’t bug you too much—”

“Hey!” Abby protested.

“Be safe and don’t hesitate to call. Oh! My sister will be in Germany next week. She wanted to see about possibly getting together if the dates work out.”

Jordan’s sister, Heather, was another part of their raucous, romance-reading, ridiculously-expensive-pajama-loving quintet. She was also a true ball-buster and really fun to hang out with.

“That would be great. I’ll text her.”

“Awesome. Enjoy yourself, CeCe.” He shifted slightly to the right so Cecilia could see Abby on the screen again. “Say goodbye, sweetheart.”

“Wait!” Abby said. “I didn’t get to ask if you finished reading the book. Chapter Sixteen has that scene with the—”

Jordan sighed and waved to CeCe. “Bye.” Then he bent to kiss Abby again, pressing the button to disconnect the call.

All of the noise cut off in a split second, and she sighed into the silence, surprised at how much she missed her friends, Hunter’s sweet face, and even Carter’s little squishy toddler legs.

They were her family and she was homesick for them.

Funny how she’d never felt homesick before but that her little motley crew of kids and adults had become more of a real family to her than her own blood.

They were her anchor in the way she’d once hoped Colin would be.

Her breath caught because Colin.

As in she’d forgotten he was in the room with her.

CeCe sat up from the bed and whirled around. He was on the couch, a book in his hand. Her heart was pounding for some reason. No, not for some reason. She felt like she’d accidentally shown the table her hand in poker. Okay, that was a terrible analogy, but him overhearing the conversation was almost as though she’d stripped off too many layers of skin and now was a throbbing and vulnerable and homesick mess.

Colin looked up from the book. “Your friends seem nice.”

The breath she’d been holding slid free. “They’re the absolute best.”

“You’re the best.” His lips tipped up.

She crossed over to the sitting space and picked up a glass of whiskey—his, hers, she didn’t know at this point—and had just lifted it to her lips for a sip when she recognized what he was reading.

What. He. Was. Reading.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

He turned the page. “She said chapter sixteen right?” A tilt of his head. “Oh. Oh.”

“Colin!” She tried to grab the book from his hands.

“He puts his . . . what?”—Colin’s eyes went wide—“where?”

“Oh. My. God,” she muttered. “This is not happening.”

“And his tongue? Holy . . .” He trailed off and looked up at her. “You read this?”

Cecilia’s cheeks were burning. “Seriously, just stop. Oh, my God,” she groaned again when he kept the book out of her reach and still managed to turn another page.

This book was dirtier than the last. A contemporary romance about a boss and his best friend’s sister. He was a sex god and really, really adventurous in bed. Which was hot when reading it by herself or reflecting on it with her little Energizer Bunny of a vibrator.

It was also critically embarrassing when was Colin reading it and then giving her incredulous looks.

“And then he—” Colin dropped the book low enough for her to rip it out of his grip and launch it across the room. She barely heard the plunk as it smacked against the floor. Instead, she was suddenly aware of his body beneath hers, of his hard Scottish broadsword—to steal a surprisingly fitting term from her historical novels—pressed against her thigh. She was draped over him like a blanket and when he looked at her with heat in his gaze, she couldn’t possibly be held responsible for her reaction. “You read that?”

“I’m not innocent any longer.”

His eyes heated further, his hands slipped to her waist.

She lost the battle with herself.

Her hands went from his chest to his head and she yanked his mouth down to hers.

And she kissed him with all the pent-up heat and emotion and yearning from the last eight years.