Steph stepped off the elevator onto the top floor of the hotel with nerves pitter-pattering in her stomach and chest. She followed the room number signs toward Cruz’s suite, fluffing her hair and adjusting her clothes.

She hoped the outfit she’d selected was appropriate. She was wearing the turquoise dress she’d tossed into her suitcase at the last minute, black heels, and a diamond necklace. It was dressier and a lower-cut than her normal wear. But it brought out the red in her hair and the blue in her eyes, or at least that’s what Nora had said when she’d suggested that Steph pack the dress.

She hoped it wasn’t too much. Although Cruz had taken her to dinner before, tonight felt like a real date. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the way he’d looked at her when he’d asked her out or maybe it was because they were having an intimate dinner in his hotel suite.

Smoothing down her dress, she pulled in a long breath, then knocked on Cruz’s door.

When he opened the door, he gave her a once over. His eyes heated and he put a hand on his chest. “Be still my heart.”

She smiled. His kind words made her pleased that she’d worn the new dress.

He gestured for her to enter. After she was inside, he took her hands in his. She liked the comfortable feeling of their joined hands and the sense of wholeness she felt when she was with Cruz.

“You’re stunning,” he said, his voice husky.

Her cheeks and forehead warmed in embarrassment but she appreciated the compliment. She was in decent shape for a forty-three-year-old. Even so, her boobs were a little saggier than they had been once upon a time and she’d put on a good fifteen pounds since her high school days.

“I mean it, Steph,” he said. “You were the prettiest girl in high school, and you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

She was too stunned to speak. He thought she’d been the prettiest girl in high school? Prettier than Mindi Campbell, the homecoming queen, prettier than Jenny Gladhill, their cheerleading captain? The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen…that was a stretch considering his circles.

Cruz’s gorgeous eyes, the color of a smooth Tennessee whiskey, revealed his sincerity. Studying his round face, mocha skin, and the trace of dark stubble on his jaw and chin, she had the urge to touch his cheek and skim her fingers through his five o’clock shadow.

She’d always thought Cruz was handsome. He’d been so different from the other boys in middle and high school. In looks, in kindness, in maturity. She’d had the biggest crush on him. While she’d hoped for something more than friendship, he had thought of her like a sister. When Tuck had asked her out in tenth grade, she’d figured what the hell. Over the years, she had wondered what would have happened had she pursued Cruz. But then she’d push those thoughts aside because had she not married Tuck, she wouldn’t have had Davey—or Ben.

A smile creased Cruz’s face, making her realize she’d been staring. “You look very handsome too,” she managed, even though her gaze hadn’t made it past his face. Still, it was the truth…his face was incredibly handsome.

She stepped back, for breathing room and to gather her composure. From a safe distance, her eyes took in Cruz’s body. He had on a black button-down shirt and tan khaki’s. The form-fitted shirt stretched across his chest, making her itch to touch the muscles underneath. Cruz had worked out religiously in high school—as a minority, he had to be strong enough to protect himself, or at least that’s what he’d told her—and it appeared he’d kept the routine going. Being fit was probably a job requirement too.

“May I escort you to dinner?” he asked. His voice was lower than usual, making her wonder if he was nervous too.

“Yes, thank you.”

Cruz linked his arm with hers and led her to the far end of the suite where a small table next to the window had been dressed to the nines. White linens, black cloth napkins, and more silverware and glasses than she knew what to do with. In the center of the table was a vase with a single red rose.

It was so romantic. She almost said so, but she still wasn’t sure whether this was a sweet touch or a romantic gesture. She hoped for the latter. “Cruz, this is lovely.”

“I wanted to do something different tonight,” he said, making her belly flutter with hope and nerves. He pulled out a chair. “Something a little more intimate.”

As she sat, the activity in her belly amplified into a flurry of anticipation.

He lifted a dark bottle from the bucket of ice. “Champagne?”

She almost choked when she looked at the label—Dom Perignon. “Yes, please.” She’d always wanted to try Dom but couldn’t quite bring herself to dish out hundreds of dollars for a single bottle.

Because of Cruz’s sweet, down-to-earth nature, she sometimes forgot how well he’d done for himself. He poured two glasses, handed one to her, then slipped into the adjacent seat.

Lifting his glass, a smile creased his handsome face. “To new beginnings.”

They tapped their glasses together and she took a sip. It was wonderful. Sleek and elegant, and at the same time, intense and insistent. “I’ve always wanted to try this.”

That got her a lazy smile. “What do you think?”

“It’s delicious. Thank you, Cruz. For all of this.” Besides the well-dressed table and the high-end champagne, the lights had been dimmed, soft jazz music played in the background, and delectable scents wafted from the bar.

“It smells amazing.” She drew in the aromatic scent of Italian spices.

“I picked up dinner from a friend’s restaurant, but I can handle myself in the kitchen,” he said. “Maybe I can come over one evening and cook for you.”

Steph hadn’t known that Cruz cooked, but she loved the idea of him coming to her place and preparing dinner. She smiled at him. “That would be lovely.”

“It’s a date,” Cruz replied with a sparkle in his eye. “Tonight, Franco made an assortment of vegetarian pasta dishes for us.”

Touched by the effort Cruz had put into the evening, she put her hand over his. “You’re so thoughtful.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over it. A warm sensation pinged in her belly. “To be honest, I was hoping to impress you.”

“You always impress me.” She hadn’t meant to say the words out loud. But it was the truth. From the day she’d met him in second grade to this very moment, he’d been honest, sweet, and kind. Not to mention sexy, but thankfully, she hadn’t said that part out loud.

He surprised her when he rose and pulled her into his arms. She’d thought about what it would feel like to have his strong arms wrapped around her. The real deal was better than even her best fantasies. Her heart rate shifted into overdrive as her mind drifted to the other fantasies she’d been having about Cruz lately. His hands feathering through her hair, his lips brushing over hers…their naked bodies tangling together. She glanced up, batted her eyes, and gave him an inviting look.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he said, his voice gravelly. He cupped his hands around her face and lowered his lips so they hovered just above hers. “Say the word if you don’t want this.”

She didn’t want him to stop, so she lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. That was all the invitation he needed. He took over, deepening the kiss, sliding a hand to the small of her back, and pressing her body close to his. His lips were soft, moist…divine. Being kissed by Cruz was like heaven on earth.

When he drew back, she wanted to weep with sorrow. Then he skimmed his lips down the curve of her neck, trailed to the other side and pressed sweet kisses along her jaw and through her hair. Her insides tingled with desire.

His mouth moved back to her lips and this time the kiss was scorching hot. The tingly desire deepened and pooled low in her belly. It had been a ridiculously long time since she’d been with a man. But it was more than that, because this wasn’t just any man. This was Cruz—the man she’d had a crush on practically her entire life, the man who’d been a true-blue friend, the man who had seen her through her darkest days by keeping her connected to her son.

Cruz had said he’d wanted to do this for a long time. When had his feelings for her changed?

When he drew back again, she couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped her throat. Cruz let out a low chuckle, then touched a hand to her cheek. “What is it, Steph? I can hear the wheels turning.”

How did he do that? He had an uncanny sense of knowing what she was thinking. She hoped this time he hadn’t read all of her thoughts. “I was wondering when your feelings toward me changed.”

On a soft laugh, he circled his arms around her waist. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I was eight years old.”

“Cruz, seriously….”

He looked her in the eye. “I am serious. I remember the day I fell for you. We were in gym class picking dodgeball teams. Billy Miller said he didn’t want the little brown kid on his team and you hurled the ball at him. Pretty hard too.” He grinned. “I fell in love with your fiery spirit then and there.”

She snorted out a laugh. “I’d forgotten about that.”

“When you’re a Cuban kid growing up in a snow-white town, you don’t forget.”

“You’ve come a long way.” She gently brushed a palm over his chest. She was proud of Cruz for his hard work, and despite the odds against him, for rising to the pinnacle of his profession to the highly successful crew chief he was today.

“That I have.” He gave her a slow grin. “But back to your question, I had a major thing for you in high school that never really went away.” He ran a hand through his jet-black hair. “Tuck beat me to asking you out and the rest is history.”

Regret gushed into Steph’s heart over the sweet years she could have had with Cruz rather than the dreadful years she’d had with Tuck. But then she thought about Davey and Ben, whom she wouldn’t have had without Tuck.

Focus on the now.

In this moment, she had Cruz. And he was looking at her the way a child looked at his presents under the Christmas tree.

“I had a crush on you too,” she whispered. “I only went out with Tuck because I didn’t think you thought of me in that way.”

Cruz leaned in and reclaimed her lips. He kissed her with such sweet tenderness that her chest squeezed out all lingering regrets and a door opened to the new beginnings Cruz had talked about earlier.

“No regrets,” he said, interlacing their fingers. “Tuck gave you Davey and I love him as if he were my own.”

His words made her eyes mist. She was happy that Davey had a role model as amazing as Cruz in his life. But a hint of worry swept inside her. The last thing she wanted to do was impact Cruz’s relationship with Davey. “I’m glad he has you.” While she wanted a better mother-son relationship, she was grateful that Davey had a father-son type relationship with Cruz. “I don’t want to come between the two of you.”

Cruz’s grin came quick. “I’ve already talked with him,” he said, his grin expanding. “He said he wants us to be happy.”

As relief streamed into every cell of her being, she pressed her body tight against Cruz’s. He was hot and hard all over, suggesting his desire was every bit as strong as her own. She indulged her earlier whim by palming her hands over his solid chest, then gazed into his amber eyes. “How about we put dinner on hold and make up for lost time?”

“Where are we going?” Nora asked, breaking the silence as Davey pulled his Ford Expedition rental onto the highway.

She did a tiny—hopefully inconspicuous—roll of her shoulders to dislodge some of her tension. Tonight, it was just her and Davey. Ben was at the movies, then going bowling with Lucas, Jamie, and Melissa.

She reminded herself that this was just dinner.

But that was the problem. It wasn’t just dinner or at least it didn’t feel like it. It felt like an honest-to-God date.

“That’s Amore,” Davey said. “The owner is an old friend of mine and Cruz’s.”

“Sounds good.” She was grateful he wasn’t taking her to a steakhouse, although he probably didn’t want a repeat performance of what had happened with Ben any more than she did. She smiled to herself thinking about the burger incident and her body relaxed a little more.

“Did you have fun at the track today?” Davey asked, glancing over when he stopped at the light on the exit ramp.

She smiled and bobbed her head. “It was a lot of fun.”

“You and AJ seemed to hit it off,” he said, his voice tight.

“Yeah, I like him.”

Davey muttered something that sounded like, ‘it figures.’ Once again, he appeared to be jealous. But why would he be jealous of her?

“Ben couldn’t stop talking about it,” she said. “It was a really nice gift.”

Davey parked the large SUV in the restaurant’s parking lot, then jogged around to the passenger side to open the door for her.

He took her hand and led her inside where they were quickly whisked past the busy main dining area to a private room in the back.

“Davey, it’s been way too long,” said a round man with a thick Italian accent.

He and Davey hugged, then Davey made introductions. “Nora, this is Franco, an old friend. Franco, Nora.”

Franco hugged her too. “A friend of Davey’s is a friend of mine,” he said. “It must be my lucky day to see both you and Cruz.”

Uh-oh. Steph had gone out with Cruz tonight. Nora wondered if Davey knew.

“Is Cruz here now?” Davey asked, raising a brow. Apparently, he didn’t know.

“He was in earlier,” Franco said, flapping his hands as he spoke. “I gave him carryout. He wanted to dine in so he could show a special lady a special night.”

Davey turned a shade paler.

“If you know what I mean,” Franco said, wiggling his brows.

“I know what you mean.” Davey put his hands over his ears. “But I don’t want to hear about it.”

Franco laughed so hard he moved his palms to his belly. Nora couldn’t help the giggle that popped out of her mouth too.

“Cruz is a good man,” Franco said. “He deserves a good woman.”

“Jesus.” Davey brushed his bangs away from his face. “That good woman is my mother.”

“You should be pleased she’s with someone as good as Cruz.” Franco flashed a bright smile. “I’ll get you and your beautiful lady some fresh bread and olive oil.”

Nora smiled at Franco as he pulled out her chair. He poured her a glass of champagne, Davey a non-alcoholic beer, then disappeared.

She took a sip of her champagne, then glanced over at Davey. “You should be pleased.”

“What, the champagne?” He shrugged. “I told Franco you preferred vegan bubbly.”

“Not the champagne,” she said. “Although it is really good. I’m talking about your mother and Cruz.”

“Not a subject I want to think about.”

She put down her glass and tipped her head, ready to defend Steph. “Why not? Your mother is a wonderful woman and she has a soft spot for Cruz. He seems like he’s a great guy, so what’s the problem?”

Franco appeared with an assortment of breads and oils. As if reading the tension in the air, he served them quickly, then exited.

Nora helped herself to the bread. She broke off a piece, ate it, and let out a little moan.

He grinned.

“What? You’ve never seen a woman eat bread?”

His grin widened. “As a matter of fact, no.”

She broke off another bigger piece. Of course he hadn’t. The women he’d dated were so thin that a gust of wind could blow them over. Clearly, they didn’t eat carbs. Whatever. She lived her life out loud—or that’s what Ella called it. Playing games, like picking at food and pretending she didn’t like to eat wasn’t her style. Lifting a shoulder, she unapologetically dipped the next piece in the oil, then popped it into her mouth. “I like food.”

Davey took a slice of the Italian herb bread. “I like that about you.”

She let out a half-laugh. “That I eat?”

He shook his head and smiled. “That you’re not afraid to be yourself.”

She lifted her gaze and got lost in his blue lagoon eyes. She was surprised that he’d noticed and even more surprised that he liked her authenticity.

Franco returned and took their dinner order. She ordered the Eggplant Arrabiata, Davey, the Shrimp Fra Diavolo.

“You don’t have a problem with shellfish, do you?” he asked in a teasing tone.

“I don’t eat it but knock yourself out.”

He laughed. “Back to your question, there’s not a problem. Cruz has been like a father to me, even when my own dad was alive. He’s my best friend and a great guy. It’s just….”

“A little weird?” she asked.

His mouth curved. “That’s what I told Cruz when he asked. I also told him to do whatever makes him happy.”

“And whatever makes your mom happy too.” She angled her head. “Right?”

Davey took a slow sip of his beer. “Right.”

“Your mom’s an amazing woman,” she said, pushing the issue. She adored Steph and had grown quite fond of Davey too. She wished Davey could put the past aside, and like the Kent’s wise cow had suggested, live in the now.

“That may be true,” Davey said. “But I don’t really know her.”

“So get to know her.” Nora took another sip of the delicious champagne. “I would have done anything to have had a mother like her.”

Davey took a bite of bread. “Let’s just agree that we both have mommy issues,” he said making her laugh.

“What about your dad?” he asked, topping off her champagne from the bottle Franco had left.

“He took off when I was five.” She stuffed more bread into her mouth. She’d have to jog off the calories, but it was much needed comfort food. “I sat on our porch steps for days waiting for him to come back.” Sad and scared, she’d hoped and prayed, wished on dandelion seeds, shooting stars, and fountains. But her father had never returned.

When she and Lynn had asked their mom what had happened, her story had continually changed. He’d left them or he’d found another family. He’d gone to jail or he’d been abducted by aliens. Sometimes she’d tell them he had been murdered, and then she’d walk through the gruesome details. Since the details altered with each version, Nora didn’t believe that to be true, but to this day, she had no idea what had happened.

Davey took her hand. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “So tell me about your mom.”

She waved her glass. “I’m gonna need more bubbly for that.”

Davey grabbed the bottle and filled her glass to the rim. She didn’t drink often and probably shouldn’t drink so much now. But it was the best champagne she had ever tasted…and Davey wanted her to talk about her mother.

Where would she even begin? Her mother had been crazy. Really crazy as in one step away from being institutionalized. Things had gotten worse after her dad left. Even though Nora had been young and her memory was sketchy, she remembered the downward spiral. There had always been one new prescription that was supposed to help, but never did. Over the years, her mother had popped more and more pills and had spent progressively longer times in a crazed state. Unable to work, they lived off support from the state and funds from Nora’s grandfather.

She racked her brain in an attempt to find happy memories. There had been a few. There was the one time they’d baked cookies together. Although afterward her mother had called her a fat-ass and in a senseless attempt to prove her mother right, she’d eaten the entire batch of cookies. She, Lynn, and her mother had sometimes watched TV together, but they weren’t normal kid-appropriate shows and Nora would have nightmares for days after. They’d gone shopping a few times during her mother’s lucid states. Nora remembered every one of those trips because they had been the only times she’d gotten new clothes. Usually, Nora bought her and Lynn’s stuff from Goodwill or got hand-me-downs from kids in the neighborhood.

Davey was waiting patiently for her to answer. Tired of fishing in an empty sea for mommy-and-me fairy-tales, she went with the truth, albeit a toned-down version. “My mother was crazy. She didn’t work, so we lived off the state.” Used to derision associated with their live-off-charity life, she flicked a glance at him. His eyes were kind and sympathetic, which made her heart squeeze. “She wasn’t bad in her lucid moments, but there weren’t many. Most of the time she was incapable of taking care of Lynn and me.”

“I’m sorry,” Davey said, rubbing her hand. “So who took care of you?”

“Me,” she admitted quietly.

“Not much of a childhood,” Davey said, wrapping his hands around hers.

She shrugged. “I was busy trying to survive. I didn’t have time to worry about being a kid.”

Franco appeared with their meals and another O’Doul’s for Davey.

She took a bite of her pasta, linguini with eggplant in a spicy red sauce, topped with cashew cheese. “This is really good.” She washed it down with a sip of champagne. “How about a subject change?”

“Okay.” He gave her an impish grin. “Tell me about Matt.”

She lifted her gaze. “How do you know about him?”

“Ben.”

She gnawed on her lower lip, not entirely sure or unsure whether she wanted to have this discussion. But she also wondered what Ben had said about Matt.

Davey studied her expression. “Hey there.” He reached over to brush a strand of hair away from her face, his touch soothing. “If it’s a bad subject, I’ll pick another.”

It was a kind offer, but now she wanted to know what Ben had told Davey. “What did Ben tell you?”

“Not much.” Davey swirled pasta on his fork. “Just that he didn’t like Matt and the two of you had broken things off.” For reasons Nora didn’t understand, Davey sounded pleased.

“Ben didn’t like Matt and vice versa,” she said on a sigh. “But until the last few months, I kept Ben and Matt separate. Lynn had a lot of issues in the months before she passed and I ended up having to break a lot of dates to take care of Ben.”

She pressed her lips together as Davey read between the lines.

“Surely, he understood that your nephew came first.”

She shook her head. “He wasn’t around kids much. He didn’t have a great childhood, so he never wanted kids.”

Davey slanted her a look. “But you do.”

It was more of a statement than a question but she answered anyway. “Yep. I’m sorry that Lynn passed but I love having Ben with me and I’d like to have more children one day.”

A corner of Davey’s mouth lifted. “Then why’d you go out with Matt?”

“I thought I could keep him and Ben separate.” Guilt gushed through her. Had Ben suffered at times because she’d been out having fun with Matt? Perhaps, but had she had the opportunity to be with Ben instead, she would have taken it. She’d tried to talk Lynn into letting Ben live with her multiple times, but her sister had refused. Lynn had loved Ben and hadn’t wanted to give him up. She only let Nora help when she was completely out of it. But Nora didn’t want to get into all of that. “I learned my lesson,” she said instead.

Davey put down his fork. “Yeah, and what’s that?”

“I can only depend on myself.” She drained the rest of her champagne. Feeling a little buzzed, she knew she should keep her mouth shut. But she didn’t. “Because men always leave,” she added, swirling the remaining liquid in her glass. Even in her half-inebriated state, she wished she hadn’t shared that. But part of her live-out-loud style was speaking first, thinking later. It was who she was.

“Nothing personal,” she said. She glanced over, expecting Davey to be insulted or at least defensive. But he was neither.

“None taken.” He gave her a charming smile.

Mulling over Davey’s reaction, she wasn’t surprised. From everything she’d read about him, he was a leaver too.