Teo sat in the living room, watching Akoni play while he ate his midmorning snack of eight scrambled eggs with spinach and a protein shake. Preseason workouts with the team were a month away. He finished the eggs and set the plate on the side table. He just needed to choke down the chalky vanilla drink and he’d be good until lunch.

The first part of the summer had been an adjustment—balancing Akoni’s needs with his own. After Cedar came into their lives, everything sort of clicked. He felt good. Strong. He needed to be.

The triple threat was no longer a triple. Ace’s injury meant he was out for a season—probably out for good. Every member of the Titans needed to bring it this year if they were going to knock out the Destroyers and win the Super Bowl. This was their year. He would not be the weak link in their offensive line. No one was going to get past him.

The sound of a familiar vehicle in his driveway had him chugging the drink and setting the cup by the plate. He’d get to them later. Right now, he had something of the utmost importance to take care of.

Teo bolted to the door and ripped it open just as Cedar was about to enter the security code on the keypad. She startled a little and then burst into a smile. Teo gathered her into his arms. He kissed her once, right there on the front porch in front of the whole neighborhood. Then twice, and three times before backing through the door with her in his arms, spinning around, and kicking it shut behind them.

Cedar giggled and kissed him right back. She didn’t hurry things along. He was quickly caught up her playful mood. Heat pooled in Teo’s belly. He loved that she was so lovable and loving—so easy to show affection to, because she gave it right back.

He moved to kissing her neck, making her giggle all the more. “How was your interview?” Her skin was warm against his lips, and she smelled of sweetened pineapple and sunshine. He drank in her scent, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

She was laughing hard now and wiggling. He set her on her feet so he wouldn’t drop her. “Fantastic,” she said, almost out of breath. She leaned into his body, putting her chin on his chest as she gazed up at him with those ocean eyes. When Teo put his chin to his chest, they were only a few inches away from kissing. That was his second favorite place to be, with his first favorite being zero inches away from kissing.

He brought his eyebrows down low. “Darn.”

“Uh-uh.” She patted his arm. “You promised to be the supportive boyfriend.”

Teo’s pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. He loved it when she called him her boyfriend. Ever since the night around the fire pit, he’d known his life was changing for the better, and it was all because of Cedar. She was the perfect fit for both him and Akoni. She was an excellent partner in life, someone he could work with and laugh with. When they were together, he felt whole.

“I am the most supportive boyfriend in the world.” He kissed her nose. “I was looking forward to cheering you up.” He tickled her sides and she danced away, laughing.

Cedar had been on three interviews in the last week. The first interview was a total flop, and she insisted on drowning her sorrows in melted marshmallows and chocolate. Not a bad way to go, if you asked Teo. He could handle commiserating by firelight while holding the hand of a beautiful woman.

Cedar said the second interview went much better. They called the next day to tell her they had gone with someone else. Teo took one look at her downcast face and packed them all up to hit the water park. Akoni couldn’t go on the bigger slides, but they had a great time playing in the kiddie area, splashing and flirting with one another.

Taking in the broad grin on Cedar’s heart-shaped face, he figured he wouldn’t need his backup plan for the day. That was a pity. Flying them out to Park City for a private concert with Montana Crew and a few close friends would have been a lot of fun. They could still do it, but he had a meeting with Elijah scheduled, and with the baby on the way, Teo didn’t want to stress out his agent.

Cedar tipped her head, considering him. “I thought I was happy when I left the interview, but you took that up a notch.” She brushed her fingers up his arms, sending goose bumps over his flesh. “I am happy with you, Teo,” she said quietly.

Teo’s whole chest burned with bliss. He lowered his head, and Cedar reached up on her tiptoes to meet him for a passionate and longing kiss.

Cedar suddenly broke them apart. “Wait, don’t you have a meeting?”

Teo groaned. “Do I have to go?” He was going, but he wanted her to know he’d rather stay.

Cedar laughed as she slipped out of his arms, heading toward the family room. She stopped in her tracks in the doorway, staring at the giant ball pit Akoni rolled around in. Teo had to push the couch to one side to make room for the inflatable toy, but the effort had been worth it. He and Akoni had spent the morning playing together. Akoni liked to wrestle, and in the pit, Teo didn’t have to worry about him rolling off his back and getting hurt.

“You are crazy.” She smacked Teo’s arm.

Akoni heard her voice and let out one of his banshee screams. Teo rubbed at his ear. He hadn’t quite gotten used to those and wondered where his silent baby had gone. Akoni scrambled for Cedar, falling down several times in his attempt to get to her.

“There’s my tough guy,” she cooed, and she scooped up Akoni, smattering him with kisses.

Teo’s heart sputtered at the sight of his boy in his woman’s arms. He wrapped them both in an embrace and kissed their heads. “I’ll hurry back.”

“There’s no rush. I’m free for the rest of the day.”

“That’s why I want to hurry back.” He gave them a gentle squeeze. How stressed would Elijah be if he cancelled …?

“Then hurry back.” Cedar stretched up and placed a soft kiss on his neck, sending his heart pounding.

Teo growled, burying his face between her shoulder and her jaw.

She laughed and squirmed and pushed him away. “Go!” She gasped a breath. “Or Elijah will be mad at all of us.”

“Not you. He thinks you’re made of gold.”

Cedar lifted her chin. “He’s a man of good taste.”

“Why do you think I hired him?”

“Because you’re brilliant.”

Teo gave her hip a squeeze before taking one step backward. The first few steps away from her were the hardest. Once she was out of sight he could function almost normally, though she was never far away from his thoughts.

He shook his head at himself as he climbed into the SUV. He really didn’t want to leave his house and should have invited Elijah there for the meeting. He’d always been a homebody; even as a kid, he preferred hanging with his family to running with a pack of boys his age. They’d go from house to house playing video games and eating their way through the each pantry like locusts. He enjoyed having people over—it was just that home was his center.

As he’d grown, the football field became an extension of his home. He felt right on the grass, the same sense he had when he was ankle-deep in beach sand or setting up a ball pit for Akoni. Holding Cedar felt that way too, like he was right where he was supposed to be and doing exactly what he was supposed to do.

He arrived at Elijah’s downtown office only a few minutes late. Elijah greeted him with a handshake. His bald head was extra shiny today. Teo teased him about having gone in for a wax and shine at the salon. He was all smiles and reported that things were good with the baby and Deja.

They settled into the plush chairs around the coffee table and got to work. “I sold your interest in the chain of tanning salons,” Elijah said. “You came out on top, but if you want to avoid a hefty tax on the gains you need to roll the profit into something else.”

Teo wished Cedar was here. She would love this. “I’m sure you have suggestions.”

Elijah leaned forward. “Actually, the business developer who had the idea for the curly hair salon put out another plan.”

“Really?” Teo leaned forward too. “Shouldn’t that be a red flag?”

“It would be, if this other plan wasn’t just as good.” He rifled around the coffee table before coming up with the folder he was looking for. “Even I liked this one. It’s a bakery with a cookie and brownie bar where you can decorate your own treats.”

Teo steepled his fingers—intrigued but not sold on the idea. “A what?”

Elijah grinned. “Picture an all-you-can-eat buffet, except instead of lettuce and soups under the glass, you have frostings, sprinkles, candies, and the like. The cookies are cut in holiday-appropriate shapes, and there are decorating ideas with instructions posted on the walls.”

Elijah had painted a sweet picture in Teo’s mind. “Really?”

“Sounds great, right? Date night. Family night. Times when you want more frosting than cookie. Besides the decorating station, people can purchase a finished product from the display case.”

Teo could see himself taking Cedar and Akoni to a bakery like that. They could spend some time building their own treats. They would love it. Keeping Akoni from grabbing fistfuls of sprinkles would be an issue, but the effort would be worth the experience. “Let’s do it.”

Elijah jotted down some notes. “I think it would be a good idea to meet this guy. Especially if you’re going to back more than one of his start-ups. And if all his ideas are this great, then we want to be in with him before anyone else.”

Teo could see the wisdom in Elijah’s suggestion, but he was already feeling the pull to get back home. “I’m bringing Cedar and Akoni, so make sure it’s a family restaurant.”

“I’ll let Deja pick. I want her and Cedar to meet, too.”

His agent was smart. Cedar was quickly becoming an important part of Teo’s life, and he wanted her to know all the people he knew—wanted them to know she was significant. He grinned. “Perfect.”

They went on to talk about a couple commercials for sponsors and his schedule. He wouldn’t film during the season, so they had to cram as much in as they could before workouts began.

Time was flying by, and as it passed, a sense of change approached. Cedar would probably get the job she interviewed for today. That meant his time with her would be limited to evenings and weekends, and his weekends would be spotted with games and travel.

He wanted to lay claim to her every spare minute and soak up her sweet zest for life. As he promised, he hurried home to the two people he cared most about waited.